Enrollment
494
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Woodcliff Lake, NJ
Dorchester Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Dorchester Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 341821000934
👥 S:T ratio 74
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dorchester Elementary School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of New Jersey schools.
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 6.4:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 1.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 494
- students enrolled
Dorchester Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 97% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Woodcliff Lake School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341821000934 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
77.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.4:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
1.1%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-96% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dorchester Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dorchester Elementary School
Dorchester Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, enrolling 494 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.4:1, Dorchester Elementary School is leaner than roughly 97% of New Jersey schools and 46% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 1.1% free-meal eligibility runs 96% below the New Jersey average.
With 494 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 553 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #234.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Asian (14%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 494 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district, Woodcliff Lake School District, also runs Woodcliff Middle School (238 students).
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 Dorchester Elementary School compares
Dorchester 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 | 6.4:1 | ▼ 46% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 1.1% | ▼ 96% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 494 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.4:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
494
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
1.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 96% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
6.4:1
students per teacher
- 46% below state mean
Top 3% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$26,064
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 494 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 75.7%
Asian 13.8%
Hispanic or Latino 8.5%
Two or More 1.6%
African American 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 75.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.0, Dorchester Elementary 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 Woodcliff Lake School District, which includes Dorchester Elementary School.
$26,064
Per student
+4%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+57%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 76.7%
State 20.6%
Federal 2.6%
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.
How Dorchester Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodcliff Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Dorchester Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 238
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 70/100
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 (~494 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dorchester Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Dorchester Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Woodcliff Lake 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 Dorchester Elementary School
How many students attend Dorchester Elementary School?
Dorchester Elementary School has 494 students enrolled. It is a public school in Woodcliff Lake, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dorchester Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dorchester Elementary School is 6.4:1, which is 46% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 59% 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 Dorchester Elementary School?
1.1% of students at Dorchester Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dorchester Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Dorchester Elementary School is White at 75.7% of enrollment, in Woodcliff Lake, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dorchester Elementary School?
Dorchester Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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).
Is Dorchester Elementary School a good school?
Dorchester Elementary School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% 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 Woodcliff Lake School District?
Besides Dorchester Elementary School, Woodcliff Lake School District also operates Woodcliff Middle School (238 students). See the Woodcliff Lake 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.