Enrollment
1,068
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Pennington, NJ
Hopewell Valley Central High School
Federal NCES profile for Hopewell Valley Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 65/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 340753003136
👥 S:T ratio 60
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 69
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hopewell Valley Central High School earns 65/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of New Jersey schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Pennington · Resource Index
- 65
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.9:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 3.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Hopewell Valley Central High School has class sizes smaller than 75% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hopewell Valley Central High School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Pennington, NJ.
School address
District: Hopewell Valley Regional School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340753003136 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
108.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.9:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
3.7%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-88% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hopewell Valley Central High School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hopewell Valley Central High School
Hopewell Valley Central High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Pennington, New Jersey, enrolling 1,068 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 3.7% free-meal eligibility runs 88% below the New Jersey average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Jersey, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,068 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 210 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #104.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Asian (16%) (diversity index 48/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 26 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 153 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
13.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Hopewell Valley Regional School District spends $29,882 per pupil, 20% above the New Jersey average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Pennington's high schools, it stands alongside Mercer County Technical School Stem Academy (141 students): Hopewell Valley Central High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.9:1 vs 20.1:1).
Hopewell Valley Regional School District also operates Timberlane Middle School (803 students) and Bear Tavern Elementary School (461 students) alongside Hopewell Valley Central 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 Hopewell Valley Central High School compares
Hopewell Valley Central 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 | 9.9:1 | ▼ 16% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 3.7% | ▼ 88% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,068 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.9:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,068
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
3.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 88% 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
9.9:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 25% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.5%
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
$29,882
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
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 153 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 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
White 69.6%
Asian 15.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 3.9%
Largest group: White at 69.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.4, Hopewell Valley Central High School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 26
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hopewell Valley Regional School District, which includes Hopewell Valley Central High School.
$29,882
Per student
+20%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+80%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.5%
State 22.2%
Federal 3.2%
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 Hopewell Valley Central High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timberlane Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bear Tavern Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hopewell Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Stony Brook Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Toll Gate Grammar School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hopewell Valley Central High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 803
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 397
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 395
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 299
- Students per teacher
- 8.1:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar high schools in Pennington
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~1,068 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hopewell Valley Central High School's federal record.
- Compare Hopewell Valley Central High School against another school. Compare schools
- Hopewell Valley 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 Hopewell Valley Central High School
How many students attend Hopewell Valley Central High School?
Hopewell Valley Central High School has 1,068 students enrolled. It is a high school in Pennington, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hopewell Valley Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hopewell Valley Central High School is 9.9:1, which is 16% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 37% 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 Hopewell Valley Central High School?
3.7% of students at Hopewell Valley Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hopewell Valley Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Hopewell Valley Central High School is White at 69.6% of enrollment, in Pennington, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hopewell Valley Central High School?
Hopewell Valley Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (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 Hopewell Valley Central High School rank among public schools in Pennington?
By Resource Investment Index, Hopewell Valley Central High School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Pennington, 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 Pennington on the city page.
Is Hopewell Valley Central High School a good school?
Hopewell Valley Central High School earns 65/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Hopewell Valley Regional School District?
Besides Hopewell Valley Central High School, Hopewell Valley Regional School District also operates Timberlane Middle School (803 students), Bear Tavern Elementary School (461 students), and Hopewell Elementary School (397 students). See the Hopewell Valley 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.