Enrollment
684
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Montclair, NJ
Hillside Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Hillside Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 341056002176
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hillside Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of New Jersey schools.
- #2 of 4
- elementary schools in Montclair · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.3:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 11.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Hillside Elementary School has class sizes larger than 87% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hillside Elementary School ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Montclair, NJ.
School address
District: Montclair Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341056002176 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.5%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-61% 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 elementary school in Montclair, New Jersey, enrolling 684 students.
Class loads run heavy: 14.3:1 is larger than about 87% of New Jersey schools and 21% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 11.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 684 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Among 544 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #394, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 684 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Montclair Public School District also operates Montclair High School (1,925 students) and Buzz Aldrin Middle School (618 students) alongside Hillside 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 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 | 14.3:1 | ▲ 21% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.5% | ▼ 61% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 684 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
684
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 87% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
8.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$27,254
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 684 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
28
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 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
White 48.0%
African American 19.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.6%
Two or More 13.3%
Asian 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 48.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.8, 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 Montclair Public School District, which includes Hillside Elementary School.
$27,254
Per student
+9%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+64%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 70.1%
State 23.9%
Federal 6.0%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montclair High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Buzz Aldrin Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Glenfield Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Charles H. Bullock School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Watchung Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower 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
- 1,925
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 512
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 406
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~684 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hillside Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Hillside Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Montclair 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 684 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Montclair, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hillside Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hillside Elementary School is 14.3:1, which is 21% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hillside Elementary School?
11.5% 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 White at 48.0% of enrollment, in Montclair, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hillside Elementary School?
Hillside Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical 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 Hillside Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Montclair?
By Resource Investment Index, Hillside Elementary School ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Montclair, 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 Montclair on the city page.
Is Hillside Elementary School a good school?
Hillside Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% 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 Montclair Public School District?
Besides Hillside Elementary School, Montclair Public School District also operates Montclair High School (1,925 students), Buzz Aldrin Middle School (618 students), and Glenfield Middle School (512 students). See the Montclair 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.