Enrollment
999
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Union City, NJ
Emerson Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Emerson Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 341638000546
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Emerson Middle School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of New Jersey schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most New Jersey schools.
- #10 of 11
- public schools in Union City · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.1:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 78.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Emerson Middle School has class sizes larger than 86% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Emerson Middle School ranks #10 of 11 public schools in Union City, NJ.
School address
District: Union City School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341638000546 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
71.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.8%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+166% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Emerson Middle School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Emerson Middle School
Emerson Middle School is a high-poverty, large middle school in Union City, New Jersey, enrolling 999 students.
Class loads run heavy: 14.1:1 is larger than about 86% of New Jersey schools and 19% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 78.8% of students qualify for free meals, 166% above the New Jersey average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Jersey, bigger than 90% of state schools at 999 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 97% of the 2,501 New Jersey schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 95 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #73, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 500 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Union City School District also operates Union City High School (3,147 students) and Robert Waters Elementary School (983 students) alongside Emerson Middle 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 Emerson Middle School compares
Emerson Middle 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 | 14.1:1 | ▲ 19% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.8% | ▲ 166% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 999 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
999
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 166% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 19% above state mean
Top 86% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
24.2%
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
$24,064
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 500 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 189 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.9 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
Hispanic or Latino 97.3%
White 1.0%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.3, Emerson Middle School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union City School District, which includes Emerson Middle School.
$24,064
Per student
-4%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 4.9%
State 81.9%
Federal 13.1%
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.
How Emerson Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union City High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robert Waters Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Union Hill Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| George Washington Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Emerson Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,147
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 983
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 871
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 865
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
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 (~999 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Emerson Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Emerson Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Union City 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 Emerson Middle School
How many students attend Emerson Middle School?
Emerson Middle School has 999 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Union City, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Emerson Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Emerson Middle School is 14.1:1, which is 19% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Emerson Middle School?
78.8% of students at Emerson Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Emerson Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Emerson Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 97.3% of enrollment, in Union City, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Emerson Middle School?
Emerson Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Emerson Middle School rank among public schools in Union City?
By Resource Investment Index, Emerson Middle School ranks #10 of 11 public schools in Union City, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Union City on the city page.
Is Emerson Middle School a good school?
Emerson Middle School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of New Jersey schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Union City School District?
Besides Emerson Middle School, Union City School District also operates Union City High School (3,147 students), Robert Waters Elementary School (983 students), and Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School (871 students). See the Union City 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.