Enrollment
320
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · West Long Branch, NJ
Betty Mcelmon Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Betty Mcelmon Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 341749006107
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Betty Mcelmon Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.3:1
- students per teacher
- 12.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 320
- students enrolled
Betty Mcelmon Elementary School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: West Long Branch School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341749006107 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.3%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Betty Mcelmon Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Betty Mcelmon Elementary School
Betty Mcelmon Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in West Long Branch, New Jersey, enrolling 320 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 12.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 320 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Among 628 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #507, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 320 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
12.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district, West Long Branch School District, also runs Frank Antonides School (220 students).
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Betty Mcelmon Elementary School compares
Betty Mcelmon Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against New Jersey and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.3:1 | ▼ 13% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.3% | ▼ 58% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 320 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
320
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 58% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 32% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
12.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$26,096
per pupil, district-wide
- above New Jersey avg of $24,984
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 320 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 74.1%
Hispanic or Latino 18.1%
African American 3.4%
Two or More 3.1%
Asian 1.3%
Largest group: White at 74.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.6, Betty Mcelmon Elementary School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Long Branch School District, which includes Betty Mcelmon Elementary School.
$26,096
Per student
+4%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+57%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 70.9%
State 23.9%
Federal 5.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Betty Mcelmon Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Antonides School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Betty Mcelmon Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 220
- Students per teacher
- 7.3:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Jersey, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~320 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Betty Mcelmon Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Betty Mcelmon Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- West Long Branch School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Betty Mcelmon Elementary School
How many students attend Betty Mcelmon Elementary School?
Betty Mcelmon Elementary School has 320 students enrolled. It is a public school in West Long Branch, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Betty Mcelmon Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Betty Mcelmon Elementary School is 10.3:1, which is 13% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 34% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Betty Mcelmon Elementary School?
12.3% of students at Betty Mcelmon Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Betty Mcelmon Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Betty Mcelmon Elementary School is White at 74.1% of enrollment, in West Long Branch, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Betty Mcelmon Elementary School?
Betty Mcelmon Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Betty Mcelmon Elementary School a good school?
Betty Mcelmon Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in West Long Branch School District?
Besides Betty Mcelmon Elementary School, West Long Branch School District also operates Frank Antonides School (220 students). See the West Long Branch School District district page for the complete list.
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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.