Enrollment
265
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Old Bridge, NJ
Southwood Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Southwood Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 67/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 340927003520
👥 S:T ratio 68
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwood Elementary School earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of New Jersey schools.
- #1 of 8
- elementary schools in Old Bridge · Resource Index
- 67
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 17.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Southwood Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 93% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southwood Elementary School ranks #1 of 8 elementary schools in Old Bridge, NJ.
School address
District: Old Bridge Township School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340927003520 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.5%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwood Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southwood Elementary School
Southwood Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Old Bridge, New Jersey, enrolling 265 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8:1, Southwood Elementary School is leaner than roughly 93% of New Jersey schools and 32% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 17.5% lands close to the New Jersey typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 265 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 2,501 New Jersey schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 455 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #44, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (60%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 265 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Old Bridge Township School District also operates Old Bridge High School (2,659 students) and Carl Sandburg Middle School (926 students) alongside Southwood Elementary School.
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 Southwood Elementary School compares
Southwood Elementary 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 | 8:1 | ▼ 32% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.5% | ▼ 41% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 265 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
265
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
8:1
students per teacher
- 32% below state mean
Top 7% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$23,308
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 265 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 59.6%
Hispanic or Latino 24.9%
Asian 8.7%
African American 5.3%
Two or More 1.5%
Largest group: White at 59.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.2, Southwood Elementary 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 Old Bridge Township School District, which includes Southwood Elementary School.
$23,308
Per student
-7%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.9%
State 36.8%
Federal 6.3%
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 Southwood Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Bridge High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Carl Sandburg Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jonas Salk Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James a. Mcdivitt Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Raymond E. Voorhees Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southwood Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,659
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 926
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 886
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 536
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 424
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
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 (~265 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwood Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Southwood Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Old Bridge 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 Southwood Elementary School
How many students attend Southwood Elementary School?
Southwood Elementary School has 265 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Old Bridge, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwood Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwood Elementary School is 8:1, which is 32% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 49% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southwood Elementary School?
17.5% of students at Southwood Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwood Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Southwood Elementary School is White at 59.6% of enrollment, in Old Bridge, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwood Elementary School?
Southwood Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (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 Southwood Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Old Bridge?
By Resource Investment Index, Southwood Elementary School ranks #1 of 8 elementary schools in Old Bridge, 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 Old Bridge on the city page.
Is Southwood Elementary School a good school?
Southwood Elementary School earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% 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 Old Bridge Township School District?
Besides Southwood Elementary School, Old Bridge Township School District also operates Old Bridge High School (2,659 students), Carl Sandburg Middle School (926 students), and Jonas Salk Middle School (886 students). See the Old Bridge Township School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.