Enrollment
248
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lakewood, NJ
Lakewood Early Childhood Center
Federal NCES profile for Lakewood Early Childhood Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 340822003249
👥 S:T ratio 78
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 95
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lakewood Early Childhood Center earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of New Jersey schools.
- #1 of 7
- public schools in Lakewood · Resource Index
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 5.6:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 69.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Lakewood Early Childhood Center has class sizes smaller than 98% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lakewood Early Childhood Center ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Lakewood, NJ.
School address
District: Lakewood Township School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340822003249 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.6:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-53% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.5%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+135% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lakewood Early Childhood Center compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lakewood Early Childhood Center
Lakewood Early Childhood Center is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Lakewood, New Jersey, enrolling 248 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5.6:1, Lakewood Early Childhood Center is leaner than roughly 98% of New Jersey schools and 53% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 69.5% of students qualify for free meals, 135% above the New Jersey average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 248 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Among 91 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #3, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (64%) and White (31%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 248 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 2.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Lakewood Township School District spends $41,962 per pupil, 68% above the New Jersey average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 36.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Lakewood's public schools, it stands alongside Piner Elementary School (364 students): Lakewood Early Childhood Center is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (5.6:1 vs 6.9:1).
Lakewood Township School District also operates Lakewood High School (1,295 students) and Lakewood Middle School (574 students) alongside Lakewood Early Childhood Center.
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 Lakewood Early Childhood Center compares
Lakewood Early Childhood Center 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 | 5.6:1 | ▼ 53% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.5% | ▲ 135% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 248 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5.6:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
248
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
69.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 135% 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
5.6:1
students per teacher
- 53% below state mean
Top 2% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
2.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$41,962
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 248 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
Hispanic or Latino 63.7%
White 31.0%
African American 4.8%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.6, Lakewood Early Childhood Center is about as mixed as the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lakewood Township School District, which includes Lakewood Early Childhood Center.
$41,962
Per student
+68%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+153%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.6%
State 32.3%
Federal 36.2%
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 Lakewood Early Childhood Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakewood Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Spruce Street Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Oak Street Elem School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Piner Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lakewood Early Childhood Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,295
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 574
- Students per teacher
- 6.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 554
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 513
- Students per teacher
- 6.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 6.9:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar other schools in Lakewood
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~248 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~5.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lakewood Early Childhood Center's federal record.
- Compare Lakewood Early Childhood Center against another school. Compare schools
- Lakewood 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 Lakewood Early Childhood Center
How many students attend Lakewood Early Childhood Center?
Lakewood Early Childhood Center has 248 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lakewood, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lakewood Early Childhood Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Lakewood Early Childhood Center is 5.6:1, which is 53% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 64% 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 Lakewood Early Childhood Center?
69.5% of students at Lakewood Early Childhood Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lakewood Early Childhood Center?
The largest demographic group at Lakewood Early Childhood Center is Hispanic or Latino at 63.7% of enrollment, in Lakewood, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lakewood Early Childhood Center?
Lakewood Early Childhood Center has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (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 Lakewood Early Childhood Center rank among public schools in Lakewood?
By Resource Investment Index, Lakewood Early Childhood Center ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Lakewood, 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 Lakewood on the city page.
Is Lakewood Early Childhood Center a good school?
Lakewood Early Childhood Center earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% 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 Lakewood Township School District?
Besides Lakewood Early Childhood Center, Lakewood Township School District also operates Lakewood High School (1,295 students), Lakewood Middle School (574 students), and Spruce Street Elementary School (554 students). See the Lakewood 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.