Enrollment
185
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 340005200351 Charter school
Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton — Clifton, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 80
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.1%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton reports 185 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the New Jersey state mean of 11.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 22.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 25% below the New Jersey average and 57% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton spends $15,830 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 77.3% from local sources (property taxes), 18.2% from the state, and 4.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New Jersey state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.1% | ▼ 25% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 185 | top 10% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
22.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 25% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 70% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
8.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$15,830
per pupil, district-wide
— below New Jersey avg of $29,189
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 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
Enrollment 185 Top 10% in New Jersey — larger than 90% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 12.5:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 22.1% -25% vs state
NCES ID 340005200351
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 50.3%
White 31.4%
Asian 14.1%
African American 2.7%
Two or More 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 50.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton, which includes Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton.
$15,830
Per student
-46%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 77.3%
State 18.2%
Federal 4.5%
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.
Similar middle schools in Clifton
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton
How many students attend Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton?
Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton has 185 students enrolled. It is a middle school in CLIFTON, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton?
The student-teacher ratio at Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton is 12.5:1, which is 5% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton?
22.1% of students at Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton?
The largest demographic group at Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton is Hispanic or Latino at 50.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in CLIFTON, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton?
Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.