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

School 5

Federal NCES profile for School 5, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 341269004882
0/100100/10019/100
👥 S:T ratio
47
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

School 5 earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of New Jersey schools.

#16 of 18
elementary schools in Paterson · Resource Index
19
Resource Index · Lower
13.2:1
large classes for New Jersey
63.3%
free-lunch eligible

School 5 has class sizes larger than 77% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, School 5 ranks #16 of 18 elementary schools in Paterson, NJ.

Enrollment

753

New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

57.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.2:1

vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg

+12% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

63.3%

vs 29.6% New Jersey avg

+114% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How School 5 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 5

School 5 is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Paterson, New Jersey, enrolling 753 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.2:1 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 63.3% of students qualify for free meals, 114% above the New Jersey average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

Enrollment of 753 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 2,501 New Jersey schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 238 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #232, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (60%) and Asian (34%) (diversity index 53/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 753 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Paterson's elementary schools, it stands alongside Philip's Academy Charter School of Paterson (683 students): School 5 is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.2:1 vs 15.5:1).

Paterson Public School District also operates Eastside High School (2,073 students) and John F. Kennedy High School (1,846 students) alongside School 5.

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 5 compares

School 5 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 13.2:1 ▲ 12% 11.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 63.3% ▲ 114% 29.6% 51.7%
Enrollment 753 top 18% - -

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

13.2:1
Leaner classes than 65% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
753
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
63.3%
free-lunch eligible - 114% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.2:1
students per teacher - 12% above state mean
Top 77% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
45.2%
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
$23,944
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 753 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 59.5%
Asian 34.0%
African American 5.7%
White 0.5%
Two or More 0.3%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 59.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 52.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 52.7, School 5 is about as mixed as the New Jersey school average of 51.2.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paterson Public School District, which includes School 5.

$23,944
Per student
-4%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+44%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.

How School 5 Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Eastside High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
John F. Kennedy High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Joseph a. Taub School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
School 16 Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Charles J. Riley School 9 Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to School 5's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Paterson Public School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Paterson

2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

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 5'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 5

How many students attend School 5?

School 5 has 753 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Paterson, NJ.

What is the student-teacher ratio at School 5?

The student-teacher ratio at School 5 is 13.2:1, which is 12% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at School 5?

63.3% of students at School 5 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of School 5?

The largest demographic group at School 5 is Hispanic or Latino at 59.5% of enrollment, in Paterson, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.7/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for School 5?

School 5 has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (lower 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 5 rank among elementary schools in Paterson?

By Resource Investment Index, School 5 ranks #16 of 18 elementary schools in Paterson, 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 Paterson on the city page.

Is School 5 a good school?

School 5 earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of 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 Paterson Public School District?

Besides School 5, Paterson Public School District also operates Eastside High School (2,073 students), John F. Kennedy High School (1,846 students), and Joseph a. Taub School (976 students). See the Paterson 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.