Enrollment
2,769
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 341293003530
Perth Amboy High School — Perth Amboy, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Perth Amboy High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 61/100.
👥 Class size 43
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 43
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: Perth Amboy 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)
187.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.4%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+131% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Perth Amboy High 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
Perth Amboy High School reports 2,769 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 187.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% above the New Jersey state mean of 11.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 68.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 131% above the New Jersey average and 32% above the national baseline. The school offers 18 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 198 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Perth Amboy Public School District spends $42,071 per pupil district-wide, above the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 9.0% from local sources (property taxes), 83.9% from the state, and 7.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+), calculated from 5 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 Perth Amboy High 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 | 14.2:1 | ▲ 19% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.4% | ▲ 131% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,769 | top 100% | — | — |
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
68.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 131% 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
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 19% above state mean
Top 88% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
22.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$42,071
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
Counselors14.0 FTE
Per 198 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 256 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 9 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,769 Top 100% in New Jersey — larger than 0% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 187.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 +19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 68.4% +131% vs state
NCES ID 341293003530
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 94.4%
African American 4.0%
White 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 14.0
Students per counselor 198:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.9%
In-school suspensions 24
Out-of-school suspensions 256
Expulsions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Perth Amboy Public School District, which includes Perth Amboy High School.
$42,071
Per student
+44%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+116%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 9.0%
State 83.9%
Federal 7.1%
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
- 984
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 941
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 793
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 649
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Enrollment
- 632
- Students per teacher
- 8.2:1
Similar high schools in Perth Amboy
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Perth Amboy High School
How many students attend Perth Amboy High School?
Perth Amboy High School has 2,769 students enrolled. It is a high school in PERTH AMBOY, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Perth Amboy High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Perth Amboy High School is 14.2:1, which is 19% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Perth Amboy High School?
68.4% of students at Perth Amboy High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Perth Amboy High School?
The largest demographic group at Perth Amboy High School is Hispanic or Latino at 94.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in PERTH AMBOY, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Perth Amboy High School?
Perth Amboy High School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.