Enrollment
568
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · South Plainfield, NJ
Grant Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Grant Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 341536005999
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Grant Elementary School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New Jersey schools.
- #5 of 7
- public schools in South Plainfield · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.4:1
- students per teacher
- 21.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Grant Elementary School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Grant Elementary School ranks #5 of 7 public schools in South Plainfield, NJ.
School address
District: South Plainfield School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341536005999 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.7%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Grant Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Grant Elementary School
Grant Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in South Plainfield, New Jersey, enrolling 568 students.
At 11.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the New Jersey median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 21.7% lands close to the New Jersey typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 568 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 537 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #114.
Its student body is led by White (35%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 284 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
10.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
South Plainfield School District also operates South Plainfield High School (1,044 students) and South Plainfield Middle School (553 students) alongside Grant 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 Grant Elementary School compares
Grant 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 3% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.7% | ▼ 27% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 568 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
568
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% 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
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 51% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
10.6%
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
$23,119
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 284 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.5 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
White 35.2%
Hispanic or Latino 31.2%
Asian 18.3%
African American 10.6%
Two or More 4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 35.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.2, Grant Elementary School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Plainfield School District, which includes Grant Elementary School.
$23,119
Per student
-7%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 65.0%
State 29.7%
Federal 5.3%
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 Grant Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Plainfield High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Plainfield Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| John E Riley Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Franklin Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Grant Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,044
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 553
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 68/100
- Enrollment
- 472
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 367
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
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 (~568 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Grant Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Grant Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- South Plainfield 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 Grant Elementary School
How many students attend Grant Elementary School?
Grant Elementary School has 568 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in South Plainfield, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Grant Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Grant Elementary School is 11.4:1, which is 3% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 27% 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 Grant Elementary School?
21.7% of students at Grant Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Grant Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Grant Elementary School is White at 35.2% of enrollment, in South Plainfield, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Grant Elementary School?
Grant Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher 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 Grant Elementary School rank among public schools in South Plainfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Grant Elementary School ranks #5 of 7 public schools in South Plainfield, 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 South Plainfield on the city page.
Is Grant Elementary School a good school?
Grant Elementary School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median. It is also more 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 South Plainfield School District?
Besides Grant Elementary School, South Plainfield School District also operates South Plainfield High School (1,044 students), South Plainfield Middle School (553 students), and Roosevelt Elementary School (472 students). See the South Plainfield School District 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.