Enrollment
353
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · West Caldwell, NJ
Essex County West Caldwell Tech
Federal NCES profile for Essex County West Caldwell Tech, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 340480002080
👥 S:T ratio 64
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Essex County West Caldwell Tech earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of New Jersey schools.
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.1:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 63.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 353
- students enrolled
Essex County West Caldwell Tech has class sizes smaller than 86% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Essex County Schools of Technology · New Jersey
NCES ID 340480002080 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.1:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-23% 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
What stands out at Essex County West Caldwell Tech
Essex County West Caldwell Tech is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in West Caldwell, New Jersey, enrolling 353 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.1:1, Essex County West Caldwell Tech is leaner than roughly 86% of New Jersey schools and 23% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 63.7% of students qualify for free meals, 115% above the New Jersey average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 353 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Among 198 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #2, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (56%) and African American (38%) (diversity index 55/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 177 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
14.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Essex County Schools of Technology also operates Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology (1,230 students) and Essex County Newark Tech (606 students) alongside Essex County West Caldwell Tech.
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 Essex County West Caldwell Tech compares
Essex County West Caldwell Tech 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 | 9.1:1 | ▼ 23% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.7% | ▲ 115% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 353 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.1:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
353
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 115% 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
9.1:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 14% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
14.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$28,274
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 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 54.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.5, Essex County West Caldwell Tech is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Essex County Schools of Technology, which includes Essex County West Caldwell Tech.
$28,274
Per student
+13%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+70%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Essex County West Caldwell Tech Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Essex County Newark Tech | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Essex County West Caldwell Tech's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,230
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
Similar high 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 (~353 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Essex County West Caldwell Tech's federal record.
- Compare Essex County West Caldwell Tech against another school. Compare schools
- Essex County Schools of Technology'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 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 9.1:1, which is 23% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 42% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. 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% of enrollment, in West Caldwell, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.5/100.
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 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Essex County West Caldwell Tech a good school?
Essex County West Caldwell Tech earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% 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 Essex County Schools of Technology?
Besides Essex County West Caldwell Tech, Essex County Schools of Technology also operates Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology (1,230 students) and Essex County Newark Tech (606 students). See the Essex County Schools of Technology district page for the complete list.
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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.