Enrollment
524
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Barnegat, NJ
Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 341647003007
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Barnegat · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.9:1
- students per teacher
- 29.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Barnegat, NJ.
School address
District: Barnegat Township School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341647003007 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.5%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School
Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Barnegat, New Jersey, enrolling 524 students.
At 11.9:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 29.5% lands close to the New Jersey typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 524 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 417 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #109.
Its student body is led by White (60%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 262 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
17.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Barnegat Township School District also operates Barnegat High School (1,003 students) and Cecil S. Collins Elementary (744 students) alongside Joseph T. Donahue 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 Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School compares
Joseph T. Donahue 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 | 11.9:1 | ▲ 1% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.5% | ▼ 0% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 524 | top 37% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
524
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 60% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$21,940
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 262 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 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 60.1%
Hispanic or Latino 21.4%
African American 9.4%
Two or More 6.3%
Asian 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 60.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.0, Joseph T. Donahue 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 Barnegat Township School District, which includes Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School.
$21,940
Per student
-12%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.4%
State 46.7%
Federal 10.9%
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 Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnegat High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cecil S. Collins Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Russell O. Brackman Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Robert L. Horbelt Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lillian M. Dunfee Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,003
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 744
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 509
- Students per teacher
- 8.3:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 499
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 325
- Students per teacher
- 8.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
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 (~524 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Barnegat Township 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 Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School
How many students attend Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School?
Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School has 524 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Barnegat, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School is 11.9:1, which is 1% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School?
29.5% of students at Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School is White at 60.1% of enrollment, in Barnegat, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School?
Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher 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 Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Barnegat?
By Resource Investment Index, Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Barnegat, 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 Barnegat on the city page.
Is Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School a good school?
Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School earns 57/100 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 Barnegat Township School District?
Besides Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School, Barnegat Township School District also operates Barnegat High School (1,003 students), Cecil S. Collins Elementary (744 students), and Russell O. Brackman Middle School (509 students). See the Barnegat Township 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.