Enrollment
721
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Plainfield, NJ
Maxson Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Maxson Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 341314005608
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Maxson Middle School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- #7 of 16
- public schools in Plainfield · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.4:1
- students per teacher
- 75.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Maxson Middle School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Maxson Middle School ranks #7 of 16 public schools in Plainfield, NJ.
School address
District: Plainfield Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341314005608 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.4%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+155% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Maxson Middle School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Maxson Middle School
Maxson Middle School is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Plainfield, New Jersey, enrolling 721 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 75.4% of students qualify for free meals, 155% above the New Jersey average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 721 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 92% of the 2,501 New Jersey schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Against 177 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #101.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 361 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Plainfield Public School District also operates Plainfield High School (2,077 students) and Hubbard Middle School (737 students) alongside Maxson Middle 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 Maxson Middle School compares
Maxson Middle 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 | 10.4:1 | ▼ 12% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.4% | ▲ 155% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 721 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
721
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
75.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 155% 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
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 34% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$20,332
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 361 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 126 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.5 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 83.4%
African American 14.7%
White 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Two or More 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 83.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.3, Maxson Middle School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Plainfield Public School District, which includes Maxson Middle School.
$20,332
Per student
-19%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.5%
State 81.5%
Federal 9.0%
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 Maxson Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plainfield High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hubbard Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cedarbrook Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Washington Community School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Maxson Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,077
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 737
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 671
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 423
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar middle 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 (~721 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Maxson Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Maxson Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Plainfield Public 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 Maxson Middle School
How many students attend Maxson Middle School?
Maxson Middle School has 721 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Plainfield, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Maxson Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Maxson Middle School is 10.4:1, which is 12% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 34% 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 Maxson Middle School?
75.4% of students at Maxson Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Maxson Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Maxson Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 83.4% of enrollment, in Plainfield, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Maxson Middle School?
Maxson Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Maxson Middle School rank among public schools in Plainfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Maxson Middle School ranks #7 of 16 public schools in Plainfield, 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 Plainfield on the city page.
Is Maxson Middle School a good school?
Maxson Middle School earns 34/100 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 Plainfield Public School District?
Besides Maxson Middle School, Plainfield Public School District also operates Plainfield High School (2,077 students), Hubbard Middle School (737 students), and Cedarbrook Elementary School (671 students). See the Plainfield Public 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.