Enrollment
358
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cliffwood, NJ
Cliffwood Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cliffwood Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 340975003968
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cliffwood Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.2:1
- students per teacher
- 29.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 358
- students enrolled
Cliffwood Elementary School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340975003968 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.7%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cliffwood Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cliffwood Elementary School
Cliffwood Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cliffwood, New Jersey, enrolling 358 students.
At 11.2:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 29.7% lands close to the New Jersey typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 358 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 402 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #304, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (45%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%) (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 358 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
12.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District also operates Matawan Regional High School (1,038 students) and Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School (835 students) alongside Cliffwood 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 Cliffwood Elementary School compares
Cliffwood 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 5% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.7% | ▲ 0% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 358 | top 63% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
358
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% above 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
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 47% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
12.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$24,111
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 358 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
White 45.3%
Hispanic or Latino 26.3%
African American 14.8%
Asian 7.8%
Two or More 5.9%
Largest group: White at 45.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.4, Cliffwood Elementary School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District, which includes Cliffwood Elementary School.
$24,111
Per student
-3%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.3%
State 34.6%
Federal 5.1%
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 Cliffwood Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matawan Regional High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lloyd Road Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Strathmore Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ravine Drive Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cliffwood Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,038
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 835
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 519
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 69/100
- Enrollment
- 481
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 395
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
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 (~358 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cliffwood Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cliffwood Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Matawan-Aberdeen 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 Cliffwood Elementary School
How many students attend Cliffwood Elementary School?
Cliffwood Elementary School has 358 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cliffwood, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cliffwood Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cliffwood Elementary School is 11.2:1, which is 5% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 29% 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 Cliffwood Elementary School?
29.7% of students at Cliffwood Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cliffwood Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cliffwood Elementary School is White at 45.3% of enrollment, in Cliffwood, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cliffwood Elementary School?
Cliffwood Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Cliffwood Elementary School a good school?
Cliffwood Elementary School earns 46/100 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 Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District?
Besides Cliffwood Elementary School, Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District also operates Matawan Regional High School (1,038 students), Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School (835 students), and Lloyd Road Elementary School (519 students). See the Matawan-Aberdeen 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.