Enrollment
926
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Old Bridge, NJ
Carl Sandburg Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Carl Sandburg Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 340927003500
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carl Sandburg Middle School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of New Jersey schools.
- #4 of 10
- public schools in Old Bridge · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 19.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Carl Sandburg Middle School has class sizes smaller than 73% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Carl Sandburg Middle School ranks #4 of 10 public schools in Old Bridge, NJ.
School address
District: Old Bridge Township School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340927003500 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
93.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.4%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carl Sandburg Middle School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carl Sandburg Middle School
Carl Sandburg Middle School is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Old Bridge, New Jersey, enrolling 926 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 19.4% lands close to the New Jersey typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 926 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 296 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #69.
Its student body is led by White (47%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 309 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Old Bridge Township School District also operates Old Bridge High School (2,659 students) and Jonas Salk Middle School (886 students) alongside Carl Sandburg Middle 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 Carl Sandburg Middle School compares
Carl Sandburg Middle 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 | 10:1 | ▼ 15% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.4% | ▼ 34% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 926 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
926
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% 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
10:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 27% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
9.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$23,308
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 309 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
112
in-school suspensions + 57 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.3 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 47.1%
Hispanic or Latino 19.9%
Asian 18.4%
African American 11.3%
Two or More 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 47.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.1, Carl Sandburg Middle School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Old Bridge Township School District, which includes Carl Sandburg Middle School.
$23,308
Per student
-7%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.9%
State 36.8%
Federal 6.3%
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 Carl Sandburg Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Bridge High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jonas Salk Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| James a. Mcdivitt Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Raymond E. Voorhees Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Memorial Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carl Sandburg Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,659
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 886
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 536
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 424
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 388
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar middle 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 (~926 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carl Sandburg Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Carl Sandburg Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Old Bridge 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 Carl Sandburg Middle School
How many students attend Carl Sandburg Middle School?
Carl Sandburg Middle School has 926 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Old Bridge, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carl Sandburg Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Carl Sandburg Middle School is 10:1, which is 15% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 36% 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 Carl Sandburg Middle School?
19.4% of students at Carl Sandburg Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carl Sandburg Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Carl Sandburg Middle School is White at 47.1% of enrollment, in Old Bridge, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carl Sandburg Middle School?
Carl Sandburg Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (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 Carl Sandburg Middle School rank among public schools in Old Bridge?
By Resource Investment Index, Carl Sandburg Middle School ranks #4 of 10 public schools in Old Bridge, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Old Bridge on the city page.
Is Carl Sandburg Middle School a good school?
Carl Sandburg Middle School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Old Bridge Township School District?
Besides Carl Sandburg Middle School, Old Bridge Township School District also operates Old Bridge High School (2,659 students), Jonas Salk Middle School (886 students), and James a. Mcdivitt Elementary School (536 students). See the Old Bridge Township School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.