Enrollment
391
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 340729005550
Ola Edwards Community School — Hillside, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Ola Edwards Community School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 54
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: Hillside Public 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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
-6% 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
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
Ola Edwards Community School reports 391 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 30% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 57.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 93% above the New Jersey average and 10% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 391 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hillside Public School District spends $26,029 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.4% from local sources (property taxes), 53.3% from the state, and 7.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-), calculated from 4 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 Ola Edwards Community 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 6% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.0% | ▲ 93% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 391 | top 43% | — | — |
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
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
11.2:1
students per teacher
— 6% below state mean
Top 48% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
18.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$26,029
per pupil, district-wide
— below New Jersey avg of $29,189
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting 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
Enrollment 391 Top 43% in New Jersey — larger than 57% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 11.2:1 -6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.0% +93% vs state
NCES ID 340729005550
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 391:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hillside Public School District, which includes Ola Edwards Community School.
$26,029
Per student
-11%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 911
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 625
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 408
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 8.7:1
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Hillside
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Ola Edwards Community School
How many students attend Ola Edwards Community School?
Ola Edwards Community School has 391 students enrolled. It is a 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 11.2:1, which is 6% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 30% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in HILLSIDE, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ola Edwards Community School?
Ola Edwards Community School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.