Enrollment
369
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Orange, NJ
Central Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 341227003507
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 88
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Elementary School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of New Jersey schools.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 77.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 369
- students enrolled
Central Elementary School has class sizes larger than 94% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Orange Board of Education School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341227003507 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.1%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+160% 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 high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Orange, New Jersey, enrolling 369 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16:1 is larger than about 94% of New Jersey schools and 36% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 77.1% of students qualify for free meals, 160% above the New Jersey average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 369 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 131 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #17.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (75%) and African American (25%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 369 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Orange Board of Education School District also operates Orange High School (1,368 students) and Lincoln Avenue Elementary School (728 students) alongside Central 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 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 36% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.1% | ▲ 160% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 369 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
369
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 160% 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
16:1
students per teacher
- 36% above state mean
Top 94% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
4.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$22,065
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 369 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
Hispanic or Latino 74.5%
African American 24.7%
White 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.4, Central 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 Orange Board of Education School District, which includes Central Elementary School.
$22,065
Per student
-12%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.6%
State 78.6%
Federal 9.8%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Avenue Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rosa Parks Community School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Park Avenue Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Orange Preparatory Academy School of Inquiry and Innovation | 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
- 1,368
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 728
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 593
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 423
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 397
- Students per teacher
- 7.9:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~369 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Central Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Orange Board of Education 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 369 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Orange, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School is 16:1, which is 36% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Elementary School?
77.1% 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 Hispanic or Latino at 74.5% of enrollment, in Orange, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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).
Is Central Elementary School a good school?
Central Elementary School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% 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 Orange Board of Education School District?
Besides Central Elementary School, Orange Board of Education School District also operates Orange High School (1,368 students), Lincoln Avenue Elementary School (728 students), and Rosa Parks Community School (593 students). See the Orange Board of Education 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.