Enrollment
1,230
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 340480002074
Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology — Newark, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 50
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 74
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: Essex County Schools of Technology · 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)
93.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.8%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+136% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology 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
Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology reports 1,230 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 93.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 22% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 69.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 136% above the New Jersey average and 35% above the national baseline. The school offers 11 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 246 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Essex County Schools of Technology spends $44,852 per pupil district-wide, above the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.0% from local sources (property taxes), 59.3% from the state, and 8.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 5 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 Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology 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 | 12.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.8% | ▲ 136% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,230 | top 94% | — | — |
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
69.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 136% 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
12.4:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 69% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
10.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$44,852
per pupil, district-wide
— above New Jersey avg of $29,189
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 246 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 75 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,230 Top 94% in New Jersey — larger than 6% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 93.0
Students per teacher 12.4:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 69.8% +136% vs state
NCES ID 340480002074
Student demographics
African American 51.8%
Hispanic or Latino 44.6%
White 1.9%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Two or More 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 51.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 246:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 75
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Essex County Schools of Technology, which includes Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology.
$44,852
Per student
+54%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+130%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.0%
State 59.3%
Federal 8.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 8.8:1
Similar high schools in Newark
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
East Side High School
Standard public school
2,046 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Barringer High School
Standard public school
1,894 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Central High School
Standard public school
1,051 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Technology High School
Standard public school
662 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Arts High School
Standard public school
611 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Weequahic High School
Standard public school
592 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
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 Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology
How many students attend Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology?
Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology has 1,230 students enrolled. It is a high school in NEWARK, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology?
The student-teacher ratio at Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology is 12.4:1, which is 4% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology?
69.8% of students at Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology?
The largest demographic group at Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology is African American at 51.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in NEWARK, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology?
Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.