Enrollment
842
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 340459003045
Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy — Elizabeth, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 47
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 19
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: Elizabeth Public Schools · 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)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.8%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+156% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy 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
Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy reports 842 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 61.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% 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 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 75.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 156% above the New Jersey average and 46% above the national baseline. The school offers 3 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 168 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Elizabeth Public Schools spends $26,936 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 10.8% from local sources (property taxes), 80.6% from the state, and 8.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy 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 | 13.3:1 | ▲ 12% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.8% | ▲ 156% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 842 | top 86% | — | — |
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
75.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 156% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 80% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
32.4%
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
$26,936
per pupil, district-wide
— below New Jersey avg of $29,189
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 168 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 239 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 842 Top 86% in New Jersey — larger than 14% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 61.0
Students per teacher 13.3:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 75.8% +156% vs state
NCES ID 340459003045
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 77.9%
African American 18.5%
White 3.5%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 3
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 168:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 239
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elizabeth Public Schools, which includes Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy.
$26,936
Per student
-8%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 10.8%
State 80.6%
Federal 8.7%
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
- 1,348
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,268
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,144
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,140
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
Similar high schools in Elizabeth
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
John E. Dwyer Technology Academy
Standard public school
1,348 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Admiral William F. Halsey Jr. Health & Public Safety Academy
Standard public school
1,272 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy
Standard public school
1,144 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy
Standard public school
1,015 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
K. Johnson D. Vaughan and M. Jackson Stem Academy
Standard public school
740 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
J. Christian Bollwage Finance Academy
Standard public school
415 students
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 Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy
How many students attend Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy?
Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy has 842 students enrolled. It is a high school in Elizabeth, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy is 13.3:1, which is 12% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy?
75.8% of students at Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy?
The largest demographic group at Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 77.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Elizabeth, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy?
Thomas a. Edison Career and Technical Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.