Enrollment
408
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Hillside, NJ
Hurden Looker School
Federal NCES profile for Hurden Looker School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 340729005544
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hurden Looker School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Hillside · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.7:1
- students per teacher
- 62.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Hurden Looker School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hurden Looker School ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Hillside, NJ.
School address
District: Hillside Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340729005544 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.5%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+111% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hurden Looker School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hurden Looker School
Hurden Looker School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Hillside, New Jersey, enrolling 408 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 is high: 62.5% of students qualify for free meals, 111% above the New Jersey average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 408 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 241 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #110.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (46%) and African American (40%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 408 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Hillside Public School District also operates Hillside High School (911 students) and Abram P. Morris Early Childhood Center (625 students) alongside Hurden Looker 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 Hurden Looker School compares
Hurden Looker 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 | 62.5% | ▲ 111% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 408 | top 54% | - | - |
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.
408
Bigger than 49% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 111% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
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
23.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,174
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 408 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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 45.8%
African American 40.2%
White 11.3%
Asian 1.0%
Two or More 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.6, Hurden Looker 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 Hillside Public School District, which includes Hurden Looker School.
$22,174
Per student
-11%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.4%
State 53.3%
Federal 7.4%
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 Hurden Looker School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Abram P. Morris Early Childhood Center | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ola Edwards Community School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Walter O. Krumbiegel Middle School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Deanna G. Taylor Academy | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hurden Looker School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 911
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 625
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 391
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 7.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
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 (~408 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hurden Looker School's federal record.
- Compare Hurden Looker School against another school. Compare schools
- Hillside 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 Hurden Looker School
How many students attend Hurden Looker School?
Hurden Looker School has 408 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Hillside, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hurden Looker School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hurden Looker 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 Hurden Looker School?
62.5% of students at Hurden Looker School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hurden Looker School?
The largest demographic group at Hurden Looker School is Hispanic or Latino at 45.8% of enrollment, in Hillside, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hurden Looker School?
Hurden Looker School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Hurden Looker School rank among elementary schools in Hillside?
By Resource Investment Index, Hurden Looker School ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Hillside, 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 Hillside on the city page.
Is Hurden Looker School a good school?
Hurden Looker School earns 46/100 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 Hillside Public School District?
Besides Hurden Looker School, Hillside Public School District also operates Hillside High School (911 students), Abram P. Morris Early Childhood Center (625 students), and Ola Edwards Community School (391 students). See the Hillside 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.