Enrollment
284
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Stirling, NJ
Central Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Central Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 341266004462
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 88
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Middle School earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- 64
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.4:1
- students per teacher
- 7.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 284
- students enrolled
Central Middle School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Long Hill Township School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341266004462 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
7.5%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Middle School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central Middle School
Central Middle School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Stirling, New Jersey, enrolling 284 students.
At 11.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the New Jersey median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 7.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 284 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 483 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #98.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 284 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Long Hill Township School District also operates Millington Elementary School (362 students) and Gillette Elementary School (215 students) alongside Central 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 Central Middle School compares
Central 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 3% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 7.5% | ▼ 75% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 284 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
284
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
7.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 75% 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
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 51% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
4.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$24,795
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 284 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.4 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 71.8%
Hispanic or Latino 15.8%
Asian 8.8%
Two or More 2.1%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: White at 71.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.1, Central Middle 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 Long Hill Township School District, which includes Central Middle School.
$24,795
Per student
-1%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+49%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 76.3%
State 21.2%
Federal 2.5%
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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millington Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Gillette Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 362
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 215
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~284 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Central Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Long Hill 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 Central Middle School
How many students attend Central Middle School?
Central Middle School has 284 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Stirling, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Middle School is 11.4:1, which is 3% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 27% 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 Central Middle School?
7.5% of students at Central Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Central Middle School is White at 71.8% of enrollment, in Stirling, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Middle School?
Central Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (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 Middle School a good school?
Central Middle School earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median. 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 Long Hill Township School District?
Besides Central Middle School, Long Hill Township School District also operates Millington Elementary School (362 students) and Gillette Elementary School (215 students). See the Long Hill 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.