Enrollment
264
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 340423005932
Sojourner Truth Middle School — East Orange, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Sojourner Truth Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 74
📋 Attendance 22
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: East Orange 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.8%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+92% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sojourner Truth 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
Sojourner Truth Middle School reports 264 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 17% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 92% above the New Jersey average and 10% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 132 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding East Orange School District spends $34,101 per pupil district-wide, above the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 9.0% from local sources (property taxes), 79.7% from the state, and 11.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), 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 Sojourner Truth 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 | 13.2:1 | ▲ 11% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.8% | ▲ 92% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 264 | top 19% | — | — |
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
56.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 92% 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
13.2:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 79% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
31.4%
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
$34,101
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 132 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 49 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 264 Top 19% in New Jersey — larger than 81% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 13.2:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.8% +92% vs state
NCES ID 340423005932
Student demographics
African American 73.5%
Hispanic or Latino 20.1%
White 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Two or More 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 73.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 132:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.4%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 49
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for East Orange School District, which includes Sojourner Truth Middle School.
$34,101
Per student
+17%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+75%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 9.0%
State 79.7%
Federal 11.2%
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
- 1,798
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 701
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 646
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 554
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
Similar middle schools in East Orange
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 Sojourner Truth Middle School
How many students attend Sojourner Truth Middle School?
Sojourner Truth Middle School has 264 students enrolled. It is a middle school in EAST ORANGE, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sojourner Truth Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sojourner Truth Middle School is 13.2:1, which is 11% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sojourner Truth Middle School?
56.8% of students at Sojourner Truth Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sojourner Truth Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sojourner Truth Middle School is African American at 73.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in EAST ORANGE, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sojourner Truth Middle School?
Sojourner Truth Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) 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.