Enrollment
280
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Newton, NJ
Halsted Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Halsted Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 341140005386
👥 S:T ratio 69
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Halsted Middle School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of New Jersey schools.
- #5 of 8
- public schools in Newton · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7.8:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 33.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Halsted Middle School has class sizes smaller than 94% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Halsted Middle School ranks #5 of 8 public schools in Newton, NJ.
School address
District: Newton Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341140005386 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.8:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.0%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Halsted Middle School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Halsted Middle School
Halsted Middle School is a mid-sized elementary school in Newton, New Jersey, enrolling 280 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.8:1, Halsted Middle School is leaner than roughly 94% of New Jersey schools and 34% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 33.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 280 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 269 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #75.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (45%) and White (43%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 280 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Newton Public School District also operates Newton High School (680 students) and Merriam Avenue School (483 students) alongside Halsted Middle 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 Halsted Middle School compares
Halsted Middle 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 | 7.8:1 | ▼ 34% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.0% | ▲ 11% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 280 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.8:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
280
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% above 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
7.8:1
students per teacher
- 34% below state mean
Top 6% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$24,265
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 280 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 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 44.6%
White 42.9%
African American 9.3%
Asian 1.8%
Two or More 1.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.8, Halsted Middle 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 Newton Public School District, which includes Halsted Middle School.
$24,265
Per student
-3%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+46%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.0%
State 43.2%
Federal 7.8%
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 Halsted Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Merriam Avenue School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Halsted Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 680
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~280 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~7.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Halsted Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Halsted Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Newton Public 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 Halsted Middle School
How many students attend Halsted Middle School?
Halsted Middle School has 280 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Newton, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Halsted Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Halsted Middle School is 7.8:1, which is 34% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 50% 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 Halsted Middle School?
33.0% of students at Halsted Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Halsted Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Halsted Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 44.6% of enrollment, in Newton, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Halsted Middle School?
Halsted Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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 Halsted Middle School rank among public schools in Newton?
By Resource Investment Index, Halsted Middle School ranks #5 of 8 public schools in Newton, 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 Newton on the city page.
Is Halsted Middle School a good school?
Halsted Middle School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% 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 Newton Public School District?
Besides Halsted Middle School, Newton Public School District also operates Newton High School (680 students) and Merriam Avenue School (483 students). See the Newton Public 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.