Enrollment
1,188
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Carteret, NJ
Carteret High School
Federal NCES profile for Carteret High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 340282003268
👥 S:T ratio 43
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carteret High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of New Jersey schools.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Carteret · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.3:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 62.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Carteret High School has class sizes larger than 87% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Carteret High School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Carteret, NJ.
School address
District: Carteret Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340282003268 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
83.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.8%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+112% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carteret High School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carteret High School
Carteret High School is a higher-need, large high school in Carteret, New Jersey, enrolling 1,188 students.
Class loads run heavy: 14.3:1 is larger than about 87% of New Jersey schools and 21% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 62.8% of students qualify for free meals, 112% above the New Jersey average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Jersey, bigger than 94% of state schools at 1,188 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 100 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #35.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (49%) and Asian (21%) (diversity index 68/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 198 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Carteret Public School District also operates Columbus Elementary School (642 students) and Carteret Junior High School (568 students) alongside Carteret High 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 Carteret High School compares
Carteret High 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 | 14.3:1 | ▲ 21% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.8% | ▲ 112% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,188 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,188
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 112% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 87% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,472
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 198 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
68
in-school suspensions + 73 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 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
Hispanic or Latino 48.5%
Asian 21.1%
African American 17.7%
White 9.6%
Two or More 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.9, Carteret High School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carteret Public School District, which includes Carteret High School.
$22,472
Per student
-10%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.4%
State 58.0%
Federal 11.6%
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 Carteret High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Carteret Junior High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Carteret Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Private Nicholas Minue Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Nathan Hale Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carteret High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 642
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 568
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 540
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 529
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar high 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 (~1,188 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carteret High School's federal record.
- Compare Carteret High School against another school. Compare schools
- Carteret Public 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 Carteret High School
How many students attend Carteret High School?
Carteret High School has 1,188 students enrolled. It is a high school in Carteret, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carteret High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Carteret High School is 14.3:1, which is 21% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Carteret High School?
62.8% of students at Carteret High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carteret High School?
The largest demographic group at Carteret High School is Hispanic or Latino at 48.5% of enrollment, in Carteret, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carteret High School?
Carteret High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Carteret High School rank among public schools in Carteret?
By Resource Investment Index, Carteret High School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Carteret, 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 Carteret on the city page.
Is Carteret High School a good school?
Carteret High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% 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 Carteret Public School District?
Besides Carteret High School, Carteret Public School District also operates Columbus Elementary School (642 students), Carteret Junior High School (568 students), and Carteret Middle School (540 students). See the Carteret Public 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.