Enrollment
1,616
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Hightstown, NJ
Hightstown High School
Federal NCES profile for Hightstown High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 340432003054
👥 S:T ratio 50
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hightstown High School earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of New Jersey schools. It is also one of the largest schools in New Jersey.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Hightstown · Resource Index
- 64
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.6:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 27.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Hightstown High School has class sizes larger than 70% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hightstown High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Hightstown, NJ.
School address
District: East Windsor Regional School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340432003054 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
128.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.1%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hightstown High School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hightstown High School
Hightstown High School is a large high school in Hightstown, New Jersey, enrolling 1,616 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 27.1% lands close to the New Jersey typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Jersey, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,616 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 92 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #35.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (51%) and White (23%) (diversity index 66/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 21 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 180 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
East Windsor Regional School District also operates Melvin H. Kreps Middle School (1,160 students) and Perry L. Drew Elementary School (599 students) alongside Hightstown High 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 Hightstown High School compares
Hightstown High 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 | 27.1% | ▼ 8% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,616 | top 3% | - | - |
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.
1,616
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% 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
9.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$23,714
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
Counselors9.0 FTE
Per 180 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
80
in-school suspensions + 61 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.7 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 51.1%
White 23.0%
Asian 14.0%
African American 9.5%
Two or More 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.7, Hightstown High School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for East Windsor Regional School District, which includes Hightstown High School.
$23,714
Per student
-5%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.0%
State 41.8%
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 Hightstown High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melvin H. Kreps Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Perry L. Drew Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Grace N. Rogers Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ethel Mcknight Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Walter C. Black Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hightstown High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,160
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 599
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 591
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 530
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 510
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~1,616 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hightstown High School's federal record.
- Compare Hightstown High School against another school. Compare schools
- East Windsor Regional 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 Hightstown High School
How many students attend Hightstown High School?
Hightstown High School has 1,616 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hightstown, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hightstown High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hightstown High 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 Hightstown High School?
27.1% of students at Hightstown High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hightstown High School?
The largest demographic group at Hightstown High School is Hispanic or Latino at 51.1% of enrollment, in Hightstown, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hightstown High School?
Hightstown High School has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (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).
How does Hightstown High School rank among public schools in Hightstown?
By Resource Investment Index, Hightstown High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Hightstown, 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 Hightstown on the city page.
Is Hightstown High School a good school?
Hightstown High School earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of New Jersey schools. It is also one of the largest schools in New Jersey. 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 East Windsor Regional School District?
Besides Hightstown High School, East Windsor Regional School District also operates Melvin H. Kreps Middle School (1,160 students), Perry L. Drew Elementary School (599 students), and Grace N. Rogers Elementary School (591 students). See the East Windsor Regional 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.