Enrollment
3,147
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Union City, NJ
Union City High School
Federal NCES profile for Union City High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 341638003059
👥 S:T ratio 30
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Union City High School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of New Jersey schools. It is also one of the largest schools in New Jersey.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Union City · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.6:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 71.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Union City High School has class sizes larger than 97% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Union City High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Union City, NJ.
School address
District: Union City School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341638003059 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
179.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+49% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.4%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+141% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union City High School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Union City High School
Union City High School is a higher-need, large high school in Union City, New Jersey, enrolling 3,147 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.6:1 is larger than about 97% of New Jersey schools and 49% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 71.4% of students qualify for free meals, 141% above the New Jersey average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Jersey, bigger than 99% of state schools at 3,147 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 2,501 New Jersey schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 315 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Discipline events run high: 675 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 3,147 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Union City School District also operates Emerson Middle School (999 students) and Robert Waters Elementary School (983 students) alongside Union City High 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 Union City High School compares
Union City High 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 | 17.6:1 | ▲ 49% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.4% | ▲ 141% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 3,147 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
3,147
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 141% 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
17.6:1
students per teacher
- 49% above state mean
Top 97% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$24,064
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
Counselors10.0 FTE
Per 315 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
328
in-school suspensions + 347 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.4 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 96.1%
White 1.7%
African American 1.6%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.6, Union City High School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union City School District, which includes Union City High School.
$24,064
Per student
-4%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 4.9%
State 81.9%
Federal 13.1%
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 Union City High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Robert Waters Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Union Hill Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| George Washington Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Union City High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 983
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 871
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 865
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar high 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 (~3,147 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Union City High School's federal record.
- Compare Union City High School against another school. Compare schools
- Union City 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 Union City High School
How many students attend Union City High School?
Union City High School has 3,147 students enrolled. It is a high school in Union City, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union City High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Union City High School is 17.6:1, which is 49% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Union City High School?
71.4% of students at Union City High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union City High School?
The largest demographic group at Union City High School is Hispanic or Latino at 96.1% of enrollment, in Union City, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union City High School?
Union City High School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Union City High School rank among public schools in Union City?
By Resource Investment Index, Union City High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Union City, 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 Union City on the city page.
Is Union City High School a good school?
Union City High School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of New Jersey schools. It is also one of the largest schools in New Jersey. 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 Union City School District?
Besides Union City High School, Union City School District also operates Emerson Middle School (999 students), Robert Waters Elementary School (983 students), and Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School (871 students). See the Union City 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.