Enrollment
599
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Closter, NJ
Hillside Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Hillside Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 340339000316
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hillside Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of New Jersey schools.
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.2:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 0.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 599
- students enrolled
Hillside Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 70% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Closter Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340339000316 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.2:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
0.8%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-97% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hillside Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hillside Elementary School
Hillside Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Closter, New Jersey, enrolling 599 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 0.8% free-meal eligibility runs 97% below the New Jersey average.
Enrollment of 599 puts it in the larger 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 481 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #256.
Its student body is led by Asian (41%) and White (41%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 599 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district, Closter Public School District, also runs Tenakill Middle School (593 students).
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 Hillside Elementary School compares
Hillside 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 | 10.2:1 | ▼ 14% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 0.8% | ▼ 97% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 599 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.2:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
599
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
0.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 97% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.2:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 30% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
6.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$21,396
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 599 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
Asian 41.1%
White 40.9%
Hispanic or Latino 8.5%
Two or More 7.7%
African American 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Asian at 41.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.1, Hillside 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 Closter Public School District, which includes Hillside Elementary School.
$21,396
Per student
-14%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 72.9%
State 23.7%
Federal 3.4%
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 Hillside Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenakill Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hillside Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 593
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
Similar other 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 (~599 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hillside Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Hillside Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Closter 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 Hillside Elementary School
How many students attend Hillside Elementary School?
Hillside Elementary School has 599 students enrolled. It is a public school in Closter, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hillside Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hillside Elementary School is 10.2:1, which is 14% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 35% 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 Hillside Elementary School?
0.8% of students at Hillside Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hillside Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Hillside Elementary School is Asian at 41.1% of enrollment, in Closter, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hillside Elementary School?
Hillside Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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).
Is Hillside Elementary School a good school?
Hillside Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller 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 Closter Public School District?
Besides Hillside Elementary School, Closter Public School District also operates Tenakill Middle School (593 students). See the Closter 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.