Enrollment
519
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 340603005995
James W. Lilley Elementary School — Erial, NJ
Federal NCES profile for James W. Lilley Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 69
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Gloucester Township Public Schools · New Jersey
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.5%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James W. Lilley Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
James W. Lilley Elementary School reports 519 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 43.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the New Jersey state mean of 11.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% above the New Jersey average and 16% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 260 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gloucester Township Public Schools spends $22,449 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.8% from local sources (property taxes), 57.2% from the state, and 6.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How James W. Lilley Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New Jersey state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.4:1 | ▼ 4% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.5% | ▲ 47% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 519 | top 63% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
43.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.4:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 52% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$22,449
per pupil, district-wide
— below New Jersey avg of $29,189
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 260 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 519 Top 63% in New Jersey — larger than 37% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 43.0
Students per teacher 11.4:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.5% +47% vs state
NCES ID 340603005995
Student demographics
White 31.4%
African American 31.4%
Hispanic or Latino 27.2%
Asian 5.6%
Two or More 4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 31.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 260:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.3%
In-school suspensions 13
Out-of-school suspensions 22
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gloucester Township Public Schools, which includes James W. Lilley Elementary School.
$22,449
Per student
-23%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.8%
State 57.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 937
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 795
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Enrollment
- 716
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 704
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 643
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about James W. Lilley Elementary School
How many students attend James W. Lilley Elementary School?
James W. Lilley Elementary School has 519 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in ERIAL, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James W. Lilley Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at James W. Lilley Elementary School is 11.4:1, which is 4% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 28% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at James W. Lilley Elementary School?
43.5% of students at James W. Lilley Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James W. Lilley Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at James W. Lilley Elementary School is African American at 31.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in ERIAL, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James W. Lilley Elementary School?
James W. Lilley Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.