Enrollment
573
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 341226000788
River Dell Middle School — River Edge, NJ
Federal NCES profile for River Dell Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 58/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 88
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: River Dell Regional 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)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
1.4%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-95% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How River Dell 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
River Dell Middle School reports 573 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 48.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 1.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 95% below the New Jersey average and 97% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 191 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 4.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding River Dell Regional School District spends $27,679 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 74.7% from local sources (property taxes), 23.5% from the state, and 1.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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 River Dell 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 | 12.3:1 | ▲ 3% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 1.4% | ▼ 95% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 573 | top 69% | — | — |
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
1.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 95% 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
12.3:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 67% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
4.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$27,679
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 191 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 573 Top 69% in New Jersey — larger than 31% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 48.0
Students per teacher 12.3:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 1.4% -95% vs state
NCES ID 341226000788
Student demographics
White 52.4%
Asian 30.4%
Hispanic or Latino 12.9%
Two or More 2.4%
African American 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 52.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 191:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 4.9%
In-school suspensions 14
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for River Dell Regional School District, which includes River Dell Middle School.
$27,679
Per student
-5%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 74.7%
State 23.5%
Federal 1.8%
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
- 1,025
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
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 River Dell Middle School
How many students attend River Dell Middle School?
River Dell Middle School has 573 students enrolled. It is a middle school in River Edge, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at River Dell Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at River Dell Middle School is 12.3:1, which is 3% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 23% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at River Dell Middle School?
1.4% of students at River Dell Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of River Dell Middle School?
The largest demographic group at River Dell Middle School is White at 52.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in River Edge, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for River Dell Middle School?
River Dell Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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.