Enrollment
3,150
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 340330004762
Clifton High School — Clifton, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Clifton High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 61/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 49
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
District: Clifton Public School District · New Jersey
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)
220.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.4%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+74% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Clifton High School 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
Clifton High School reports 3,150 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 220.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 51.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 74% above the New Jersey average and 1% below the national baseline. The school offers 30 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 286 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Clifton Public School District spends $26,590 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 51.1% from local sources (property taxes), 39.2% from the state, and 9.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+), calculated from 5 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 Clifton High School 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 | 13.9:1 | ▲ 17% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.4% | ▲ 74% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 3,150 | top 100% | — | — |
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
51.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 74% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 86% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
20.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$26,590
per pupil, district-wide
— below New Jersey avg of $29,189
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors11.0 FTE
Per 286 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
243
in-school suspensions + 161 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 3,150 Top 100% in New Jersey — larger than 0% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 220.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 51.4% +74% vs state
NCES ID 340330004762
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 66.6%
White 24.3%
Asian 4.6%
African American 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 66.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 30
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 11.0
Students per counselor 286:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.3%
In-school suspensions 243
Out-of-school suspensions 161
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clifton Public School District, which includes Clifton High School.
$26,590
Per student
-9%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 51.1%
State 39.2%
Federal 9.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,255
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Enrollment
- 1,092
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Enrollment
- 560
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Enrollment
- 443
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
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 Clifton High School
How many students attend Clifton High School?
Clifton High School has 3,150 students enrolled. It is a high school in CLIFTON, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Clifton High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Clifton High School is 13.9:1, which is 17% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Clifton High School?
51.4% of students at Clifton High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Clifton High School?
The largest demographic group at Clifton High School is Hispanic or Latino at 66.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in CLIFTON, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clifton High School?
Clifton High School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.