Enrollment
419
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 341269004920
School 26 — Paterson, NJ
Federal NCES profile for School 26, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 15/100.
👥 Class size 14
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 0
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: Paterson 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.6:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+82% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.0%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+76% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How School 26 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
School 26 reports 419 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 82% 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 36% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 52.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 76% above the New Jersey average and 0% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 419 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Paterson Public School District spends $31,953 per pupil district-wide, above the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 8.8% from local sources (property taxes), 79.8% from the state, and 11.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F), 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 School 26 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 | 21.6:1 | ▲ 82% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.0% | ▲ 76% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 419 | top 48% | — | — |
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
52.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 76% 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
21.6:1
students per teacher
— 82% above state mean
Top 99% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
44.2%
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
$31,953
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 419 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 419 Top 48% in New Jersey — larger than 52% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 21.6:1 +82% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 52.0% +76% vs state
NCES ID 341269004920
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 69.9%
African American 27.7%
White 1.0%
Two or More 1.0%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 69.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 419:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.2%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 54
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paterson Public School District, which includes School 26.
$31,953
Per student
+9%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+64%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,846
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
Similar other schools in Paterson
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
School 16
Standard public school
813 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Charles J. Riley School 9
Standard public school
682 students 11.5:1 students per teacher
School 24
Standard public school
668 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
School 21
Standard public school
665 students 15:1 students per teacher
School 27
Standard public school
641 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
School 15
Standard public school
577 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
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 School 26
How many students attend School 26?
School 26 has 419 students enrolled. It is a other school in PATERSON, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at School 26?
The student-teacher ratio at School 26 is 21.6:1, which is 82% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at School 26?
52.0% of students at School 26 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of School 26?
The largest demographic group at School 26 is Hispanic or Latino at 69.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in PATERSON, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for School 26?
School 26 has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F) 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.