Enrollment
320
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Minotola, NJ
Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 340240003221
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of New Jersey schools.
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.5:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 45.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 320
- students enrolled
Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School has class sizes larger than 89% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Buena Regional School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340240003221 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.7%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School
Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Minotola, New Jersey, enrolling 320 students.
Class loads run heavy: 14.5:1 is larger than about 89% of New Jersey schools and 23% 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 45.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 320 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 245 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #42.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 160 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
17.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Buena Regional School District also operates Buena Regional High School (491 students) and Buena Regional Middle School (345 students) alongside Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary 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 Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School compares
Dr. J.P. Cleary 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 | 14.5:1 | ▲ 23% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.7% | ▲ 54% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 320 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
320
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 89% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
17.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$25,507
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 160 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.6 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 55.0%
Hispanic or Latino 30.3%
African American 9.7%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 55.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.5, Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buena Regional School District, which includes Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School.
$25,507
Per student
+2%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+54%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.3%
State 55.4%
Federal 9.3%
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 Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buena Regional High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Buena Regional Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Collings Lakes Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| John C. Milanesi Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 491
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 345
- Students per teacher
- 8.6:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
- Enrollment
- 221
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 192
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar elementary 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 (~320 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Buena Regional 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 Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School
How many students attend Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School?
Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School has 320 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Minotola, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School is 14.5:1, which is 23% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School?
45.7% of students at Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School is White at 55.0% of enrollment, in Minotola, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School?
Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (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 Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School a good school?
Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% 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 Buena Regional School District?
Besides Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School, Buena Regional School District also operates Buena Regional High School (491 students), Buena Regional Middle School (345 students), and Collings Lakes Elementary School (221 students). See the Buena Regional 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.