Elementary school (grades K-5) · Clifton, NJ

School #1

Federal NCES profile for School #1, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 340330004768
0/100100/10058/100
👥 S:T ratio
52
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
49
📋 Attendance
61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

School #1 earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.

#3 of 7
elementary schools in Clifton · Resource Index
58
Resource Index · Higher
12.1:1
students per teacher
58.2%
free-lunch eligible

School #1 has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, School #1 ranks #3 of 7 elementary schools in Clifton, NJ.

Enrollment

255

New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

21.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

12.1:1

vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg

+3% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

58.2%

vs 29.6% New Jersey avg

+97% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How School #1 compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at School #1

School #1 is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Clifton, New Jersey, enrolling 255 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.1:1 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 58.2% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 255 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.

Against 140 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #18.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and White (41%) (diversity index 60/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 255 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

15.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

Clifton Public School District also operates Clifton High School (3,150 students) and Woodrow Wilson Middle School (1,255 students) alongside School #1.

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 School #1 compares

School #1 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 12.1:1 ▲ 3% 11.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 58.2% ▲ 97% 29.6% 51.7%
Enrollment 255 top 83% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
255
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
58.2%
free-lunch eligible - 97% 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
12.1:1
students per teacher - 3% above state mean
Top 63% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
15.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$22,669
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 255 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 47.8%
White 40.8%
African American 4.3%
Asian 4.3%
Two or More 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.8% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 60.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 60.1, School #1 is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clifton Public School District, which includes School #1.

$22,669
Per student
-9%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.1%
State 39.2%
Federal 9.7%

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 School #1 Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Clifton High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Woodrow Wilson Middle School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Christopher Columbus Middle School Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
School #12 Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
School #17 Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to School #1's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Clifton Public School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on School #1's federal record.

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 School #1

How many students attend School #1?

School #1 has 255 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Clifton, NJ.

What is the student-teacher ratio at School #1?

The student-teacher ratio at School #1 is 12.1:1, which is 3% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 23% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at School #1?

58.2% of students at School #1 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of School #1?

The largest demographic group at School #1 is Hispanic or Latino at 47.8% of enrollment, in Clifton, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.1/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for School #1?

School #1 has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (higher 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).

How does School #1 rank among elementary schools in Clifton?

By Resource Investment Index, School #1 ranks #3 of 7 elementary schools in Clifton, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Clifton on the city page.

Is School #1 a good school?

School #1 earns 58/100 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 Clifton Public School District?

Besides School #1, Clifton Public School District also operates Clifton High School (3,150 students), Woodrow Wilson Middle School (1,255 students), and Christopher Columbus Middle School (1,092 students). See the Clifton Public School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.