Enrollment
3,150
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Clifton, NJ
Clifton High School
Federal NCES profile for Clifton High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 340330004762
👥 S:T ratio 43
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Clifton High School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of New Jersey schools. It is also one of the largest schools in New Jersey.
- #12 of 18
- public schools in Clifton · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.3:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 51.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Clifton High School has class sizes larger than 87% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Clifton High School ranks #12 of 18 public schools in Clifton, NJ.
School address
District: Clifton Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340330004762 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
220.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+21% 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
What stands out at Clifton High School
Clifton High School is a higher-need, large high school in Clifton, New Jersey, enrolling 3,150 students.
Class loads run heavy: 14.3:1 is larger than about 87% of New Jersey schools and 21% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 51.4% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Jersey, bigger than 99% of state schools at 3,150 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (67%) and White (24%) (diversity index 49/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 30 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 286 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Clifton Public School District also operates Woodrow Wilson Middle School (1,255 students) and Christopher Columbus Middle School (1,092 students) alongside Clifton High 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 Clifton High School compares
Clifton High 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 | 14.3:1 | ▲ 21% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.4% | ▲ 74% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 3,150 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
3,150
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 87% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,669
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 49.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.4, Clifton High School is about as mixed as the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 30
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clifton Public School District, which includes Clifton High School.
$22,669
Per student
-9%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Clifton High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodrow Wilson Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Christopher Columbus Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| School #12 | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| School #17 | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| School #13 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Clifton High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,255
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 1,092
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 560
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 443
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar high 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 (~3,150 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Clifton High School's federal record.
- Compare Clifton High School against another school. Compare schools
- Clifton Public 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 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 14.3:1, which is 21% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Clifton, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clifton High School?
Clifton High School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Clifton High School rank among public schools in Clifton?
By Resource Investment Index, Clifton High School ranks #12 of 18 public schools in Clifton, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Clifton on the city page.
Is Clifton High School a good school?
Clifton High School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of New Jersey schools. It is also one of the largest schools in New Jersey. 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 Clifton Public School District?
Besides Clifton High School, Clifton Public School District also operates Woodrow Wilson Middle School (1,255 students), Christopher Columbus Middle School (1,092 students), and School #12 (560 students). See the Clifton Public 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.