Enrollment
554
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Chatham, NJ
Lafayette Avenue School
Federal NCES profile for Lafayette Avenue School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 340000406016
👥 S:T ratio 57
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lafayette Avenue School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- #6 of 6
- public schools in Chatham · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.7:1
- students per teacher
- 2.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Lafayette Avenue School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lafayette Avenue School ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Chatham, NJ.
School address
District: School District of the Chathams · New Jersey
NCES ID 340000406016 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.7:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
2.2%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-93% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lafayette Avenue School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lafayette Avenue School
Lafayette Avenue School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Chatham, New Jersey, enrolling 554 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 2.2% free-meal eligibility runs 93% below the New Jersey average.
Enrollment of 554 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Among 534 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #502, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and Asian (20%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 554 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
School District of the Chathams also operates Chatham High School (1,205 students) and Chatham Middle School (833 students) alongside Lafayette Avenue 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 Lafayette Avenue School compares
Lafayette Avenue 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 | 10.7:1 | ▼ 9% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 2.2% | ▼ 93% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 554 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.7:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
554
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
2.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 93% 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
10.7:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 40% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.0%
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
$23,089
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 554 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 62.6%
Asian 19.9%
Two or More 8.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
African American 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 62.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.7, Lafayette Avenue School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School District of the Chathams, which includes Lafayette Avenue School.
$23,089
Per student
-8%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.4%
State 23.4%
Federal 2.2%
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 Lafayette Avenue School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chatham Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southern Boulevard School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Milton Avenue School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Washington Avenue School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lafayette Avenue School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,205
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 66/100
- Enrollment
- 833
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 301
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 286
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
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 (~554 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lafayette Avenue School's federal record.
- Compare Lafayette Avenue School against another school. Compare schools
- School District of the Chathams'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 Lafayette Avenue School
How many students attend Lafayette Avenue School?
Lafayette Avenue School has 554 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Chatham, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lafayette Avenue School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lafayette Avenue School is 10.7:1, which is 9% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 32% 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 Lafayette Avenue School?
2.2% of students at Lafayette Avenue School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lafayette Avenue School?
The largest demographic group at Lafayette Avenue School is White at 62.6% of enrollment, in Chatham, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lafayette Avenue School?
Lafayette Avenue School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Lafayette Avenue School rank among public schools in Chatham?
By Resource Investment Index, Lafayette Avenue School ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Chatham, 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 Chatham on the city page.
Is Lafayette Avenue School a good school?
Lafayette Avenue School earns 40/100 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 School District of the Chathams?
Besides Lafayette Avenue School, School District of the Chathams also operates Chatham High School (1,205 students), Chatham Middle School (833 students), and Southern Boulevard School (369 students). See the School District of the Chathams 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.