Enrollment
479
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Forked River, NJ
Forked River Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Forked River Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 340810004628
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forked River Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of New Jersey schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 27.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 479
- students enrolled
Forked River Elementary School has class sizes larger than 70% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lacey Township School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340810004628 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.0%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forked River Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forked River Elementary School
Forked River Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Forked River, New Jersey, enrolling 479 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 27.0% lands close to the New Jersey typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 479 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 482 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #340.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 479 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Lacey Township School District also operates Lacey Township High School (1,119 students) and Lacey Township Middle School (819 students) alongside Forked River Elementary 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 Forked River Elementary School compares
Forked River Elementary 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 | 12.6:1 | ▲ 7% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.0% | ▼ 9% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 479 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
479
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 70% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
16.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$22,668
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 479 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
- 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
White 76.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.7%
Two or More 5.2%
African American 1.9%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 76.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.5, Forked River Elementary School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lacey Township School District, which includes Forked River Elementary School.
$22,668
Per student
-9%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.7%
State 37.5%
Federal 6.8%
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 Forked River Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lacey Township High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lacey Township Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mill Pond Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lanoka Harbor Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cedar Creek Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forked River Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,119
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 819
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 599
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar elementary 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 (~479 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forked River Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Forked River Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Lacey Township 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 Forked River Elementary School
How many students attend Forked River Elementary School?
Forked River Elementary School has 479 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Forked River, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forked River Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forked River Elementary School is 12.6:1, which is 7% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forked River Elementary School?
27.0% of students at Forked River Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forked River Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Forked River Elementary School is White at 76.6% of enrollment, in Forked River, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forked River Elementary School?
Forked River Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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).
Is Forked River Elementary School a good school?
Forked River Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% 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 Lacey Township School District?
Besides Forked River Elementary School, Lacey Township School District also operates Lacey Township High School (1,119 students), Lacey Township Middle School (819 students), and Mill Pond Elementary School (599 students). See the Lacey Township 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.