Enrollment
340
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Saddle Brook, NJ
Helen I. Smith School
Federal NCES profile for Helen I. Smith School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 341449000828
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Helen I. Smith School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Saddle Brook · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.7:1
- students per teacher
- 13.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Helen I. Smith School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Helen I. Smith School ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Saddle Brook, NJ.
School address
District: Saddle Brook School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341449000828 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.5%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Helen I. Smith School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Helen I. Smith School
Helen I. Smith School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, enrolling 340 students.
At 11.7:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 13.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 340 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 681 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #325.
Its student body is led by White (52%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 340 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
13.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Saddle Brook School District also operates Saddle Brook Middle/High School (806 students) and Franklin School (328 students) alongside Helen I. Smith 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 Helen I. Smith School compares
Helen I. Smith 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 | 11.7:1 | ▼ 1% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.5% | ▼ 54% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 340 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.7:1
Leaner classes than 78% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
340
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
13.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% 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
11.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 56% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.2%
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
$23,689
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 340 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 52.1%
Hispanic or Latino 36.2%
Asian 5.3%
African American 3.8%
Two or More 2.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 52.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.3, Helen I. Smith 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 Saddle Brook School District, which includes Helen I. Smith School.
$23,689
Per student
-5%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 73.4%
State 20.1%
Federal 6.5%
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 Helen I. Smith School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saddle Brook Middle/High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Franklin School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Salome H. Long Memorial School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Washington School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Helen I. Smith School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 806
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 328
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 304
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 58
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
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 (~340 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Helen I. Smith School's federal record.
- Compare Helen I. Smith School against another school. Compare schools
- Saddle Brook 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 Helen I. Smith School
How many students attend Helen I. Smith School?
Helen I. Smith School has 340 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Saddle Brook, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Helen I. Smith School?
The student-teacher ratio at Helen I. Smith School is 11.7:1, which is 1% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 25% 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 Helen I. Smith School?
13.5% of students at Helen I. Smith School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Helen I. Smith School?
The largest demographic group at Helen I. Smith School is White at 52.1% of enrollment, in Saddle Brook, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Helen I. Smith School?
Helen I. Smith School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 Helen I. Smith School rank among elementary schools in Saddle Brook?
By Resource Investment Index, Helen I. Smith School ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Saddle Brook, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Saddle Brook on the city page.
Is Helen I. Smith School a good school?
Helen I. Smith School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median. 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 Saddle Brook School District?
Besides Helen I. Smith School, Saddle Brook School District also operates Saddle Brook Middle/High School (806 students), Franklin School (328 students), and Salome H. Long Memorial School (304 students). See the Saddle Brook 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.