Enrollment
574
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Freehold, NJ
Clifton T. Barkalow School
Federal NCES profile for Clifton T. Barkalow School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 340564003814
👥 S:T ratio 67
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Clifton T. Barkalow School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of New Jersey schools.
- #2 of 3
- middle schools in Freehold · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.2:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 10.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Clifton T. Barkalow School has class sizes smaller than 92% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Clifton T. Barkalow School ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Freehold, NJ.
School address
District: Freehold Township School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340564003814 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
70.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.2:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.3%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Clifton T. Barkalow School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Clifton T. Barkalow School
Clifton T. Barkalow School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Freehold, New Jersey, enrolling 574 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.2:1, Clifton T. Barkalow School is leaner than roughly 92% of New Jersey schools and 31% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 10.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 574 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 643 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #255.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 287 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Freehold Township School District also operates Dwight D. Eisenhower School (582 students) and Marshall W. Errickson School (464 students) alongside Clifton T. Barkalow 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 T. Barkalow School compares
Clifton T. Barkalow 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 | 8.2:1 | ▼ 31% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.3% | ▼ 65% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 574 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.2:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
574
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 65% 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
8.2:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 8% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.0%
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
$25,994
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 287 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 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 74.2%
Hispanic or Latino 12.9%
Asian 6.3%
African American 4.9%
Two or More 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 74.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.6, Clifton T. Barkalow 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 Freehold Township School District, which includes Clifton T. Barkalow School.
$25,994
Per student
+4%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+57%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 72.8%
State 22.2%
Federal 5.0%
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 T. Barkalow School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwight D. Eisenhower School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Marshall W. Errickson School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Freehold School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Joseph J Catena School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Laura Donovan School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Clifton T. Barkalow School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 582
- Students per teacher
- 8.3:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 464
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 441
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
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 (~574 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Clifton T. Barkalow School's federal record.
- Compare Clifton T. Barkalow School against another school. Compare schools
- Freehold 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 Clifton T. Barkalow School
How many students attend Clifton T. Barkalow School?
Clifton T. Barkalow School has 574 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Freehold, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Clifton T. Barkalow School?
The student-teacher ratio at Clifton T. Barkalow School is 8.2:1, which is 31% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 48% 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 Clifton T. Barkalow School?
10.3% of students at Clifton T. Barkalow School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Clifton T. Barkalow School?
The largest demographic group at Clifton T. Barkalow School is White at 74.2% of enrollment, in Freehold, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clifton T. Barkalow School?
Clifton T. Barkalow School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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).
How does Clifton T. Barkalow School rank among middle schools in Freehold?
By Resource Investment Index, Clifton T. Barkalow School ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Freehold, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Freehold on the city page.
Is Clifton T. Barkalow School a good school?
Clifton T. Barkalow School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of New Jersey schools. 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 Freehold Township School District?
Besides Clifton T. Barkalow School, Freehold Township School District also operates Dwight D. Eisenhower School (582 students), Marshall W. Errickson School (464 students), and West Freehold School (447 students). See the Freehold 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.