Enrollment
111
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Pennington, NJ
Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy
Federal NCES profile for Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 340995003410
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 78
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of New Jersey schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in New Jersey.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 31.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 111
- students enrolled
Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy has class sizes larger than 97% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
NCES ID 340995003410 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+57% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.2%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy
Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy is a small high school in Pennington, New Jersey, enrolling 111 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.5:1 is larger than about 97% of New Jersey schools and 57% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 31.2% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 95% of New Jersey schools, with 111 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Among 43 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #32, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (66%) and White (17%) (diversity index 51/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 111 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County spends $51,684 per pupil, 107% above the New Jersey average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Pennington's high schools, it stands alongside Mercer County Technical School Stem Academy (141 students): Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.5:1 vs 20.1:1).
Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County also operates Mercer County Technical School Stem Academy (141 students) and Mercer County Technical School Health Sciences Academy (137 students) alongside Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy.
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 Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy compares
Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 57% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.2% | ▲ 5% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 111 | top 95% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
111
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% above 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 57% above state mean
Top 97% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.5%
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
$51,684
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 111 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 65.8%
White 17.1%
African American 17.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 65.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.9, Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy is about as mixed as the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County, which includes Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy.
$51,684
Per student
+107%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+211%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 67.0%
State 29.8%
Federal 3.1%
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 Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer County Technical School Stem Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mercer County Technical School Health Sciences Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mcvs Assunpink Shared Time Center/Rubino | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mcvs Arthur R. Sypek Center | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 141
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 137
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 96
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 21
- Students per teacher
- 1.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar high schools in Pennington
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~111 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy's federal record.
- Compare Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County'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 Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy
How many students attend Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy?
Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy has 111 students enrolled. It is a high school in Pennington, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy is 18.5:1, which is 57% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy?
31.2% of students at Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy?
The largest demographic group at Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 65.8% of enrollment, in Pennington, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy?
Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy a good school?
Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of New Jersey schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in New Jersey. 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 Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County?
Besides Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy, Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County also operates Mercer County Technical School Stem Academy (141 students), Mercer County Technical School Health Sciences Academy (137 students), and Mcvs Assunpink Shared Time Center/Rubino (96 students). See the Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County district page for the complete list.
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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.