Enrollment
762
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Sparta, NJ
Sparta Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Sparta Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 341551000360
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sparta Middle School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of New Jersey schools.
- #2 of 6
- public schools in Sparta · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.8:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 3.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Sparta Middle School has class sizes smaller than 77% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sparta Middle School ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Sparta, NJ.
School address
District: Sparta Township Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341551000360 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
78.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
3.2%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-89% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sparta Middle School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sparta Middle School
Sparta Middle School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Sparta, New Jersey, enrolling 762 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 3.2% free-meal eligibility runs 89% below the New Jersey average.
Enrollment of 762 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 378 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #152.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 254 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Sparta Township Public School District also operates Sparta High School (1,025 students) and Alpine Elementary School (759 students) alongside Sparta Middle 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 Sparta Middle School compares
Sparta Middle 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 17% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 3.2% | ▼ 89% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 762 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.8:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
762
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
3.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 89% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9.8:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 23% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.0%
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
$25,571
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 254 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
28
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 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 77.4%
Hispanic or Latino 13.3%
Asian 4.9%
African American 2.5%
Two or More 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 77.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.0, Sparta Middle School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sparta Township Public School District, which includes Sparta Middle School.
$25,571
Per student
+2%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+54%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 71.5%
State 25.2%
Federal 3.3%
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 Sparta Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alpine Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Helen Morgan School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mohawk Avenue School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sparta Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,025
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 759
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 499
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 236
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar middle 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 (~762 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sparta Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Sparta Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Sparta Township Public 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 Sparta Middle School
How many students attend Sparta Middle School?
Sparta Middle School has 762 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Sparta, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sparta Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sparta Middle School is 9.8:1, which is 17% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 38% 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 Sparta Middle School?
3.2% of students at Sparta Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sparta Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sparta Middle School is White at 77.4% of enrollment, in Sparta, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sparta Middle School?
Sparta Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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 Sparta Middle School rank among public schools in Sparta?
By Resource Investment Index, Sparta Middle School ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Sparta, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Sparta on the city page.
Is Sparta Middle School a good school?
Sparta Middle School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller 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 Sparta Township Public School District?
Besides Sparta Middle School, Sparta Township Public School District also operates Sparta High School (1,025 students), Alpine Elementary School (759 students), and Helen Morgan School (499 students). See the Sparta Township Public 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.