Enrollment
429
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 340007300531 Charter school
University Academy Charter High School — Jersey City, NJ
Federal NCES profile for University Academy Charter High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 48
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 86
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: University Academy Charter High School · 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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.6%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+88% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How University Academy Charter High 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
University Academy Charter High School reports 429 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 88% above the New Jersey average and 7% above the national baseline. The school offers 4 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 215 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding University Academy Charter High School spends $28,592 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 83.0% from local sources (property taxes), 11.4% from the state, and 5.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), 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 University Academy Charter High 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 | 13.1:1 | ▲ 10% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.6% | ▲ 88% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 429 | top 50% | — | — |
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
55.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 88% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 78% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
5.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$28,592
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 215 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 49 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 429 Top 50% in New Jersey — larger than 50% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 13.1:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.6% +88% vs state
NCES ID 340007300531
Student demographics
African American 60.4%
Hispanic or Latino 29.1%
Asian 7.5%
White 3.0%
Largest group: African American at 60.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 4
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 215:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.8%
In-school suspensions 24
Out-of-school suspensions 49
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for University Academy Charter High School, which includes University Academy Charter High School.
$28,592
Per student
-2%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+47%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 83.0%
State 11.4%
Federal 5.6%
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.
Similar high schools in Jersey City
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
William L Dickinson High School
Standard public school
1,786 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
James J Ferris High School
Standard public school
1,364 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
County Prep High School
Vocational / career-technical school
892 students 9.9:1 students per teacher
Lincoln High School
Standard public school
767 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Henry Snyder High School
Standard public school
729 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Dr Ronald Mcnair High School
Standard public school
716 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
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 University Academy Charter High School
How many students attend University Academy Charter High School?
University Academy Charter High School has 429 students enrolled. It is a high school in JERSEY CITY, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at University Academy Charter High School?
The student-teacher ratio at University Academy Charter High School is 13.1:1, which is 10% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at University Academy Charter High School?
55.6% of students at University Academy Charter High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of University Academy Charter High School?
The largest demographic group at University Academy Charter High School is African American at 60.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in JERSEY CITY, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for University Academy Charter High School?
University Academy Charter High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.