Enrollment
383
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 340075603185 Charter school
Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School — Jersey City, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 8
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: Dr Lena Edwards Academic 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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.3%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+154% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dr Lena Edwards Academic 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
Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School reports 383 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 75.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 154% above the New Jersey average and 45% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 192 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School spends $19,176 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 74.5% from local sources (property taxes), 9.4% from the state, and 16.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Dr Lena Edwards Academic 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 | 14.1:1 | ▲ 18% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.3% | ▲ 154% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 383 | top 42% | — | — |
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
75.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 154% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 87% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
36.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,176
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 192 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
Enrollment 383 Top 42% in New Jersey — larger than 58% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 75.3% +154% vs state
NCES ID 340075603185
Student demographics
African American 76.2%
Hispanic or Latino 21.7%
Two or More 1.3%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 76.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 192:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School, which includes Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School.
$19,176
Per student
-34%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 74.5%
State 9.4%
Federal 16.1%
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 elementary schools in Jersey City
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School
How many students attend Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School?
Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School has 383 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Jersey City, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School is 14.1:1, which is 18% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School?
75.3% of students at Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School is African American at 76.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Jersey City, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School?
Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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.