Enrollment
417
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Edgewater Park, NJ
Samuel M Ridgway Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Samuel M Ridgway Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 340447001064
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Samuel M Ridgway Middle School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New Jersey schools.
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.3:1
- students per teacher
- 43.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 417
- students enrolled
Samuel M Ridgway Middle School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Edgewater Park Township School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340447001064 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.4%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Samuel M Ridgway Middle School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Samuel M Ridgway Middle School
Samuel M Ridgway Middle School is a mid-sized elementary school in Edgewater Park, New Jersey, enrolling 417 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.3:1 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 43.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 417 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.
Against 331 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #217.
Its student body is led by White (33%) and African American (32%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 417 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district, Edgewater Park Township School District, also runs Mildred Magowan Elementary School (583 students).
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 Samuel M Ridgway Middle School compares
Samuel M Ridgway Middle 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 | 12.3:1 | ▲ 4% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.4% | ▲ 47% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 417 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
417
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% 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
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 66% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
23.0%
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
$22,095
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 417 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 40 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.6 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
White 32.9%
African American 32.1%
Hispanic or Latino 25.9%
Two or More 7.0%
Asian 2.2%
Largest group: White at 32.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.6, Samuel M Ridgway Middle School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Edgewater Park Township School District, which includes Samuel M Ridgway Middle School.
$22,095
Per student
-12%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.2%
State 52.0%
Federal 5.9%
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.
How Samuel M Ridgway Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mildred Magowan Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Samuel M Ridgway Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 583
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar elementary 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 (~417 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Samuel M Ridgway Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Samuel M Ridgway Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Edgewater Park Township 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 Samuel M Ridgway Middle School
How many students attend Samuel M Ridgway Middle School?
Samuel M Ridgway Middle School has 417 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Edgewater Park, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Samuel M Ridgway Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Samuel M Ridgway Middle School is 12.3:1, which is 4% 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 Samuel M Ridgway Middle School?
43.4% of students at Samuel M Ridgway Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Samuel M Ridgway Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Samuel M Ridgway Middle School is White at 32.9% of enrollment, in Edgewater Park, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Samuel M Ridgway Middle School?
Samuel M Ridgway Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Samuel M Ridgway Middle School a good school?
Samuel M Ridgway Middle School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New Jersey schools. 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 Edgewater Park Township School District?
Besides Samuel M Ridgway Middle School, Edgewater Park Township School District also operates Mildred Magowan Elementary School (583 students). See the Edgewater Park Township School District district page for the complete list.
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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.