Enrollment
353
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 340480002080
Essex County West Caldwell Tech — West Caldwell, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Essex County West Caldwell Tech, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 65
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 65
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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.8:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.7%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+115% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Essex County West Caldwell Tech 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 West Caldwell Tech reports 353 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% below the New Jersey state mean of 11.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 45% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 63.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 115% above the New Jersey average and 23% above the national baseline. The school offers 7 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 177 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.2% 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 West Caldwell Tech 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 | 8.8:1 | ▼ 26% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.7% | ▲ 115% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 353 | top 36% | — | — |
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
63.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 115% 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
8.8:1
students per teacher
— 26% below state mean
Top 12% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.2%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 177 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 353 Top 36% in New Jersey — larger than 64% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 8.8:1 -26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 63.7% +115% vs state
NCES ID 340480002080
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 55.8%
African American 37.7%
White 4.0%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 55.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 177:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 37
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Essex County Schools of Technology, which includes Essex County West Caldwell Tech.
$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
- 1,230
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
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 West Caldwell Tech
How many students attend Essex County West Caldwell Tech?
Essex County West Caldwell Tech has 353 students enrolled. It is a high school in West Caldwell, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Essex County West Caldwell Tech?
The student-teacher ratio at Essex County West Caldwell Tech is 8.8:1, which is 26% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 45% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Essex County West Caldwell Tech?
63.7% of students at Essex County West Caldwell Tech are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Essex County West Caldwell Tech?
The largest demographic group at Essex County West Caldwell Tech is Hispanic or Latino at 55.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in West Caldwell, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Essex County West Caldwell Tech?
Essex County West Caldwell Tech 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.