Enrollment
749
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · West Caldwell, NJ
James Caldwell High School
Federal NCES profile for James Caldwell High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 340258002008
👥 S:T ratio 60
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 63
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
James Caldwell High School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of New Jersey schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in West Caldwell · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.9:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 6.8%
- free-lunch eligible
James Caldwell 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, James Caldwell High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in West Caldwell, NJ.
School address
District: Caldwell-West School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340258002008 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
76.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.9:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
6.8%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-77% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James Caldwell High School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at James Caldwell High School
James Caldwell High School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized high school in West Caldwell, New Jersey, enrolling 749 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 6.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 749 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 422 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #207.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 39/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 187 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
14.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among West Caldwell's high schools, it stands alongside Essex County West Caldwell Tech (353 students): James Caldwell High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (9.9:1 vs 9.1:1).
Caldwell-West School District also operates Grover Cleveland Middle School (610 students) and Washington Elementary School (409 students) alongside James Caldwell 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 James Caldwell High School compares
James Caldwell 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 | 6.8% | ▼ 77% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 749 | top 18% | - | - |
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.
749
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
6.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 77% 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
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
14.4%
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
$21,981
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 187 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
43
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.9 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 76.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.4%
Asian 4.7%
African American 2.4%
Two or More 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 76.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.7, James Caldwell High School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caldwell-West School District, which includes James Caldwell High School.
$21,981
Per student
-12%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 73.8%
State 22.5%
Federal 3.7%
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 James Caldwell High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grover Cleveland Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Washington Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jefferson Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wilson Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to James Caldwell High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 610
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 253
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 246
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 214
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Similar high schools in West Caldwell
1 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 (~749 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on James Caldwell High School's federal record.
- Compare James Caldwell High School against another school. Compare schools
- Caldwell-West 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 James Caldwell High School
How many students attend James Caldwell High School?
James Caldwell High School has 749 students enrolled. It is a high school in West Caldwell, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James Caldwell High School?
The student-teacher ratio at James Caldwell 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 James Caldwell High School?
6.8% of students at James Caldwell High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James Caldwell High School?
The largest demographic group at James Caldwell High School is White at 76.6% of enrollment, in West Caldwell, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James Caldwell High School?
James Caldwell High School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (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 James Caldwell High School rank among public schools in West Caldwell?
By Resource Investment Index, James Caldwell High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in West Caldwell, 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 West Caldwell on the city page.
Is James Caldwell High School a good school?
James Caldwell High School earns 61/100 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 Caldwell-West School District?
Besides James Caldwell High School, Caldwell-West School District also operates Grover Cleveland Middle School (610 students), Washington Elementary School (409 students), and Lincoln Elementary School (253 students). See the Caldwell-West 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.