Enrollment
391
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Hillside, NJ
Ola Edwards Community School
Federal NCES profile for Ola Edwards Community School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 340729005550
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 54
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ola Edwards Community School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Hillside · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.5:1
- students per teacher
- 57.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Ola Edwards Community School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ola Edwards Community School ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Hillside, NJ.
School address
District: Hillside Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340729005550 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.0%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+93% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ola Edwards Community School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ola Edwards Community School
Ola Edwards Community School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Hillside, New Jersey, enrolling 391 students.
At 11.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the New Jersey median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 57.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 391 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 257 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #89.
Its student body is led by African American (48%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 391 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Hillside Public School District also operates Hillside High School (911 students) and Abram P. Morris Early Childhood Center (625 students) alongside Ola Edwards Community 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 Ola Edwards Community School compares
Ola Edwards Community 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 3% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.0% | ▲ 93% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 391 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
391
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 93% 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
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 53% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$22,174
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 391 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 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
African American 48.1%
Hispanic or Latino 39.4%
White 9.7%
Two or More 1.5%
Asian 1.3%
Largest group: African American at 48.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.4, Ola Edwards Community School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hillside Public School District, which includes Ola Edwards Community School.
$22,174
Per student
-11%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.4%
State 53.3%
Federal 7.4%
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 Ola Edwards Community School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Abram P. Morris Early Childhood Center | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hurden Looker School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Walter O. Krumbiegel Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Deanna G. Taylor Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ola Edwards Community School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 911
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 625
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 408
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 7.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
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 (~391 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ola Edwards Community School's federal record.
- Compare Ola Edwards Community School against another school. Compare schools
- Hillside 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 Ola Edwards Community School
How many students attend Ola Edwards Community School?
Ola Edwards Community School has 391 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Hillside, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ola Edwards Community School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ola Edwards Community School is 11.5:1, which is 3% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 27% 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 Ola Edwards Community School?
57.0% of students at Ola Edwards Community School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ola Edwards Community School?
The largest demographic group at Ola Edwards Community School is African American at 48.1% of enrollment, in Hillside, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ola Edwards Community School?
Ola Edwards Community School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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 Ola Edwards Community School rank among elementary schools in Hillside?
By Resource Investment Index, Ola Edwards Community School ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Hillside, 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 Hillside on the city page.
Is Ola Edwards Community School a good school?
Ola Edwards Community School earns 50/100 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 Hillside Public School District?
Besides Ola Edwards Community School, Hillside Public School District also operates Hillside High School (911 students), Abram P. Morris Early Childhood Center (625 students), and Hurden Looker School (408 students). See the Hillside 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.