Enrollment
349
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Great Meadows, NJ
Central Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 340000800107
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of New Jersey schools.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.2:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 9.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 349
- students enrolled
Central Elementary School has class sizes larger than 92% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Great Meadows Regional School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340000800107 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.1%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central Elementary School
Central Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Great Meadows, New Jersey, enrolling 349 students.
Class loads run heavy: 15.2:1 is larger than about 92% of New Jersey schools and 29% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 9.1% of students eligible for free meals.
With 349 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Among 653 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #632, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 582 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district, Great Meadows Regional School District, also runs Great Meadows Regional Middle School (361 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 Central Elementary School compares
Central 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 | 15.2:1 | ▲ 29% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.1% | ▼ 69% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 349 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
349
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
9.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 29% above state mean
Top 92% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
7.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$21,919
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
Counselors0.6 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 75.9%
Hispanic or Latino 15.5%
African American 3.4%
Two or More 2.6%
Asian 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 75.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.8, Central Elementary School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Great Meadows Regional School District, which includes Central Elementary School.
$21,919
Per student
-12%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 67.1%
State 29.2%
Federal 3.7%
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 Central Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Meadows Regional Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 361
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
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 (~349 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Central Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Great Meadows Regional 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 Central Elementary School
How many students attend Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has 349 students enrolled. It is a public school in Great Meadows, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School is 15.2:1, which is 29% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Elementary School?
9.1% of students at Central Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Central Elementary School is White at 75.9% of enrollment, in Great Meadows, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Central Elementary School a good school?
Central Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% 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 Great Meadows Regional School District?
Besides Central Elementary School, Great Meadows Regional School District also operates Great Meadows Regional Middle School (361 students). See the Great Meadows Regional 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.