Enrollment
529
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 341707006076
Orchard Valley Middle School — Sewell, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Orchard Valley Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 65/100.
👥 Class size 61
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 62
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: Washington Township 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)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
18.8%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orchard Valley Middle 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
Orchard Valley Middle School reports 529 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 50.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 38% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 18.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% below the New Jersey average and 64% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 158 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Washington Township School District spends $25,639 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 51.8% from local sources (property taxes), 43.4% from the state, and 4.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-), 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 Orchard Valley Middle 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 18% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 18.8% | ▼ 36% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 529 | top 64% | — | — |
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
18.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% 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
9.8:1
students per teacher
— 18% below state mean
Top 23% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.3%
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
$25,639
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
Counselors3.3 FTE
Per 158 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 529 Top 64% in New Jersey — larger than 36% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 50.0
Students per teacher 9.8:1 -18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 18.8% -36% vs state
NCES ID 341707006076
Student demographics
White 69.0%
Hispanic or Latino 15.3%
African American 11.0%
Asian 4.2%
Two or More 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 69.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.3
Students per counselor 158:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.3%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washington Township School District, which includes Orchard Valley Middle School.
$25,639
Per student
-12%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 51.8%
State 43.4%
Federal 4.9%
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
- 2,105
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 613
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Enrollment
- 571
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Enrollment
- 566
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
Similar middle schools in Sewell
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Orchard Valley Middle School
How many students attend Orchard Valley Middle School?
Orchard Valley Middle School has 529 students enrolled. It is a middle school in SEWELL, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orchard Valley Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Orchard Valley Middle School is 9.8:1, which is 18% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 38% 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 Orchard Valley Middle School?
18.8% of students at Orchard Valley Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Orchard Valley Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Orchard Valley Middle School is White at 69.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in SEWELL, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orchard Valley Middle School?
Orchard Valley Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-) 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.