Enrollment
201
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 341077004362
Mountain Way School — Morris Plains, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Mountain Way School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 68
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 83
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: Morris Plains School District · 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.9:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
-34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
6.1%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-79% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mountain Way 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
Mountain Way School reports 201 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 7.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 34% below the New Jersey state mean of 11.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 50% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 6.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 79% below the New Jersey average and 88% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Morris Plains School District spends $37,366 per pupil district-wide, above the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 78.2% from local sources (property taxes), 18.8% from the state, and 3.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 3 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 Mountain Way 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 | 7.9:1 | ▼ 34% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 6.1% | ▼ 79% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 201 | top 11% | — | — |
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
6.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 79% 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
7.9:1
students per teacher
— 34% below state mean
Top 7% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
7.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$37,366
per pupil, district-wide
— above New Jersey avg of $29,189
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Enrollment 201 Top 11% in New Jersey — larger than 89% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 7.9:1 -34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 6.1% -79% vs state
NCES ID 341077004362
Student demographics
White 70.1%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
Asian 7.0%
African American 4.5%
Two or More 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 70.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Morris Plains School District, which includes Mountain Way School.
$37,366
Per student
+28%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+92%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 78.2%
State 18.8%
Federal 3.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 398
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
Similar other schools in Morris Plains
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Mountain Way School
How many students attend Mountain Way School?
Mountain Way School has 201 students enrolled. It is a other school in MORRIS PLAINS, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mountain Way School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mountain Way School is 7.9:1, which is 34% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 50% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mountain Way School?
6.1% of students at Mountain Way School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mountain Way School?
The largest demographic group at Mountain Way School is White at 70.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in MORRIS PLAINS, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mountain Way School?
Mountain Way School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.