Enrollment
472
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Turnersville, NJ
Birches Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Birches Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 341707002646
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Birches Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of New Jersey schools.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Turnersville · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.8:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 12.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Birches Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 77% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Birches Elementary School ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Turnersville, NJ.
School address
District: Washington Township School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341707002646 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.0%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Birches Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Birches Elementary School
Birches Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Turnersville, New Jersey, enrolling 472 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.8:1 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 12.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 472 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 762 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #447.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 407 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Washington Township School District also operates Washington Township High School (2,105 students) and Chestnut Ridge Middle School (613 students) alongside Birches Elementary School.
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 Birches Elementary School compares
Birches 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 17% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.0% | ▼ 59% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 472 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.8:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
472
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% 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
9.8:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 23% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
16.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$24,501
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors1.2 FTE
Per 407 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 76.9%
Hispanic or Latino 13.1%
African American 5.3%
Asian 2.8%
Two or More 1.9%
Largest group: White at 76.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.8, Birches Elementary School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washington Township School District, which includes Birches Elementary School.
$24,501
Per student
-2%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+48%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.8%
State 43.4%
Federal 4.9%
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 Birches Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Township High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chestnut Ridge Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bells Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Whitman Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bunker Hill Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Birches Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,105
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 613
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
- Enrollment
- 571
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 566
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
Similar elementary 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 (~472 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Birches Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Birches Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Washington Township 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 Birches Elementary School
How many students attend Birches Elementary School?
Birches Elementary School has 472 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Turnersville, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Birches Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Birches Elementary School is 9.8:1, which is 17% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 38% 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 Birches Elementary School?
12.0% of students at Birches Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Birches Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Birches Elementary School is White at 76.9% of enrollment, in Turnersville, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Birches Elementary School?
Birches Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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).
How does Birches Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Turnersville?
By Resource Investment Index, Birches Elementary School ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Turnersville, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Turnersville on the city page.
Is Birches Elementary School a good school?
Birches Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of New Jersey schools. 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 Washington Township School District?
Besides Birches Elementary School, Washington Township School District also operates Washington Township High School (2,105 students), Chestnut Ridge Middle School (613 students), and Bells Elementary School (571 students). See the Washington Township 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.