Enrollment
1,688
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 340079303413 Charter school
College Achieve Paterson Charter School — Paterson, NJ
Federal NCES profile for College Achieve Paterson Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 23
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 86
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: College Achieve Paterson Charter School · 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)
68.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.2:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+61% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.0%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+194% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How College Achieve Paterson Charter 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
College Achieve Paterson Charter School reports 1,688 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 68.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 61% 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% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 87.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 194% above the New Jersey average and 68% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 844 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding College Achieve Paterson Charter School spends $19,145 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 73.8% from local sources (property taxes), 6.6% from the state, and 19.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 College Achieve Paterson Charter 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 | 19.2:1 | ▲ 61% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.0% | ▲ 194% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,688 | top 97% | — | — |
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
87.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 194% 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
19.2:1
students per teacher
— 61% above state mean
Top 98% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
5.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$19,145
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 844 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
51
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,688 Top 97% in New Jersey — larger than 3% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 68.0
Students per teacher 19.2:1 +61% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 87.0% +194% vs state
NCES ID 340079303413
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 64.5%
African American 33.9%
White 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Asian 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Two or More 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 64.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 844:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.6%
In-school suspensions 51
Out-of-school suspensions 45
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for College Achieve Paterson Charter School, which includes College Achieve Paterson Charter School.
$19,145
Per student
-34%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 73.8%
State 6.6%
Federal 19.6%
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 other schools in Paterson
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 College Achieve Paterson Charter School
How many students attend College Achieve Paterson Charter School?
College Achieve Paterson Charter School has 1,688 students enrolled. It is a other school in Paterson, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at College Achieve Paterson Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at College Achieve Paterson Charter School is 19.2:1, which is 61% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at College Achieve Paterson Charter School?
87.0% of students at College Achieve Paterson Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of College Achieve Paterson Charter School?
The largest demographic group at College Achieve Paterson Charter School is Hispanic or Latino at 64.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Paterson, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for College Achieve Paterson Charter School?
College Achieve Paterson Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.