Enrollment
379
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Paterson, NJ
Paterson Steam High School
Federal NCES profile for Paterson Steam High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 341269003107
👥 S:T ratio 51
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paterson Steam High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- #4 of 8
- high schools in Paterson · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.2:1
- students per teacher
- 46.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Paterson Steam High School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Paterson Steam High School ranks #4 of 8 high schools in Paterson, NJ.
School address
District: Paterson Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341269003107 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.1%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paterson Steam High School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paterson Steam High School
Paterson Steam High School is a mid-sized high school in Paterson, New Jersey, enrolling 379 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.2:1 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 46.1% of students eligible for free meals.
With 379 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Among 290 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #260, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (70%) and African American (22%) (diversity index 45/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 190 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Paterson's high schools, it stands alongside Newcomers High School (106 students): Paterson Steam High School is larger than that campus by headcount.
Paterson Public School District also operates Eastside High School (2,073 students) and John F. Kennedy High School (1,846 students) alongside Paterson Steam High 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 Paterson Steam High School compares
Paterson Steam High 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 | 12.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.1% | ▲ 56% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 379 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
379
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% 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
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 64% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
46.7%
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
$23,944
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 190 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.0 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 70.4%
African American 21.6%
White 6.6%
Asian 1.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.3, Paterson Steam High School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paterson Public School District, which includes Paterson Steam High School.
$23,944
Per student
-4%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+44%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 8.8%
State 79.8%
Federal 11.3%
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 Paterson Steam High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastside High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John F. Kennedy High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Joseph a. Taub School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| School 16 | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| School 5 | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paterson Steam High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,846
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
Similar high schools in Paterson
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 (~379 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paterson Steam High School's federal record.
- Compare Paterson Steam High School against another school. Compare schools
- Paterson 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 Paterson Steam High School
How many students attend Paterson Steam High School?
Paterson Steam High School has 379 students enrolled. It is a high school in Paterson, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paterson Steam High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Paterson Steam High School is 12.2:1, which is 3% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Paterson Steam High School?
46.1% of students at Paterson Steam High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paterson Steam High School?
The largest demographic group at Paterson Steam High School is Hispanic or Latino at 70.4% of enrollment, in Paterson, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paterson Steam High School?
Paterson Steam High School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Paterson Steam High School rank among high schools in Paterson?
By Resource Investment Index, Paterson Steam High School ranks #4 of 8 high schools in Paterson, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Paterson on the city page.
Is Paterson Steam High School a good school?
Paterson Steam High School earns 30/100 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 Paterson Public School District?
Besides Paterson Steam High School, Paterson Public School District also operates Eastside High School (2,073 students), John F. Kennedy High School (1,846 students), and Joseph a. Taub School (976 students). See the Paterson 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.