Enrollment
540
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Carteret, NJ
Carteret Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Carteret Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 340282003274
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 31
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carteret Middle School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of New Jersey schools.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Carteret · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.6:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 68.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Carteret Middle School has class sizes larger than 70% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Carteret Middle School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Carteret, NJ.
School address
District: Carteret Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340282003274 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.0%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+130% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carteret Middle School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carteret Middle School
Carteret Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Carteret, New Jersey, enrolling 540 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 68.0% of students qualify for free meals, 130% above the New Jersey average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 540 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 97% of the 2,501 New Jersey schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 256 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #209, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (52%) and Asian (21%) (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 540 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Carteret Public School District also operates Carteret High School (1,188 students) and Columbus Elementary School (642 students) alongside Carteret 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 Carteret Middle School compares
Carteret 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 | 12.6:1 | ▲ 7% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.0% | ▲ 130% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 540 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
540
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 130% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 70% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
27.8%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 540 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.6 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 52.0%
Asian 21.3%
African American 14.8%
White 7.8%
Two or More 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 52.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.5, Carteret Middle School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carteret Public School District, which includes Carteret Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carteret High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Columbus Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Carteret Junior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Private Nicholas Minue Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Nathan Hale Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carteret Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,188
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- 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
- 529
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
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 (~540 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carteret Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Carteret Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Carteret Middle School?
Carteret Middle School has 540 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Carteret, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carteret Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Carteret Middle School is 12.6:1, which is 7% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Carteret Middle School?
68.0% of students at Carteret Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carteret Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Carteret Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 52.0% of enrollment, in Carteret, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carteret Middle School?
Carteret Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Carteret Middle School rank among public schools in Carteret?
By Resource Investment Index, Carteret Middle School ranks #5 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 Middle School a good school?
Carteret Middle School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% 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 Middle School, Carteret Public School District also operates Carteret High School (1,188 students), Columbus Elementary School (642 students), and Carteret Junior High School (568 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.