Enrollment
488
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Piscataway, NJ
Martin Luther King Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Martin Luther King Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 341305003572
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 86
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Martin Luther King Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of New Jersey schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New Jersey schools.
- #5 of 6
- elementary schools in Piscataway · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.9:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 17.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Martin Luther King Elementary School has class sizes larger than 85% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Martin Luther King Elementary School ranks #5 of 6 elementary schools in Piscataway, NJ.
School address
District: Piscataway Township School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341305003572 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.6%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Martin Luther King Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Martin Luther King Elementary School
Martin Luther King Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Piscataway, New Jersey, enrolling 488 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.9:1 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 17.6% lands close to the New Jersey typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 488 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Among 672 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #607, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Asian (42%) and African American (20%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 488 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Piscataway Township School District also operates Piscataway Township High School (2,144 students) and Piscataway Township Schools Children's Corner (616 students) alongside Martin Luther King 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 Martin Luther King Elementary School compares
Martin Luther King 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 | 13.9:1 | ▲ 18% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.6% | ▼ 41% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 488 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
488
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 85% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
5.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$22,459
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 488 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 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
Asian 41.6%
African American 19.7%
Hispanic or Latino 17.8%
White 14.3%
Two or More 5.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: Asian at 41.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.3, Martin Luther King Elementary School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Piscataway Township School District, which includes Martin Luther King Elementary School.
$22,459
Per student
-10%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 59.8%
State 32.5%
Federal 7.7%
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 Martin Luther King Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piscataway Township High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Piscataway Township Schools Children's Corner | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Grandview Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Theodore Schor Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Arbor Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Martin Luther King Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,144
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 616
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 579
- Students per teacher
- 7.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~488 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Martin Luther King Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Martin Luther King Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Piscataway 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 Martin Luther King Elementary School
How many students attend Martin Luther King Elementary School?
Martin Luther King Elementary School has 488 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Piscataway, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Martin Luther King Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Martin Luther King Elementary School is 13.9:1, which is 18% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Martin Luther King Elementary School?
17.6% of students at Martin Luther King Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Martin Luther King Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Martin Luther King Elementary School is Asian at 41.6% of enrollment, in Piscataway, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Martin Luther King Elementary School?
Martin Luther King Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Martin Luther King Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Piscataway?
By Resource Investment Index, Martin Luther King Elementary School ranks #5 of 6 elementary schools in Piscataway, 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 Piscataway on the city page.
Is Martin Luther King Elementary School a good school?
Martin Luther King Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of New Jersey schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Piscataway Township School District?
Besides Martin Luther King Elementary School, Piscataway Township School District also operates Piscataway Township High School (2,144 students), Piscataway Township Schools Children's Corner (616 students), and Grandview Elementary School (579 students). See the Piscataway 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.