Enrollment
343
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 340077303275 Charter school
Link Community Charter School — Newark, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Link Community Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 63
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: Link Community Charter School · 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.5%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+87% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Link Community Charter 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
Link Community Charter School reports 343 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 43% above the New Jersey state mean of 11.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 87% above the New Jersey average and 7% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 172 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Link Community Charter School spends $25,038 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.8% from local sources (property taxes), 14.4% from the state, and 16.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), 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 Link Community Charter 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 43% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.5% | ▲ 87% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 343 | top 34% | — | — |
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
55.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 87% 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
17:1
students per teacher
— 43% above state mean
Top 97% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.9%
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
$25,038
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 172 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 39 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 343 Top 34% in New Jersey — larger than 66% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 17:1 +43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.5% +87% vs state
NCES ID 340077303275
Student demographics
African American 84.3%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Two or More 0.9%
White 0.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 84.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 172:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 39
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Link Community Charter School, which includes Link Community Charter School.
$25,038
Per student
-14%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.8%
State 14.4%
Federal 16.8%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Newark
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Link Community Charter School
How many students attend Link Community Charter School?
Link Community Charter School has 343 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Newark, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Link Community Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Link Community Charter School is 17:1, which is 43% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Link Community Charter School?
55.5% of students at Link Community Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Link Community Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Link Community Charter School is African American at 84.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Newark, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Link Community Charter School?
Link Community Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.