Other / mixed grade configuration · Atlantic City, NJ

Uptown School Complex

Federal NCES profile for Uptown School Complex, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 340096000022
0/100100/10033/100
👥 S:T ratio
61
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Uptown School Complex earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of New Jersey schools.

#7 of 9
schools in Atlantic City · Resource Index
33
Resource Index · Typical
9.8:1
small classes for New Jersey
90.1%
free-lunch eligible

Uptown School Complex has class sizes smaller than 77% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Uptown School Complex ranks #7 of 9 schools in Atlantic City, NJ.

Enrollment

518

New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

53.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

9.8:1

vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg

-17% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

90.1%

vs 29.6% New Jersey avg

+204% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Uptown School Complex compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Uptown School Complex

Uptown School Complex is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Atlantic City, New Jersey, enrolling 518 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.

Economic need is high: 90.1% of students qualify for free meals, 204% above the New Jersey average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

With 518 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 2,501 New Jersey schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Against 72 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #45.

Its student body is led by African American (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (41%) (diversity index 56/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 518 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Discipline events run high: 148 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 518 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

Among Atlantic City's public schools, it stands alongside Sovereign Avenue School (717 students): Uptown School Complex is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.8:1 vs 10.5:1).

Atlantic City School District also operates Atlantic City High School (1,731 students) and Sovereign Avenue School (717 students) alongside Uptown School Complex.

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 Uptown School Complex compares

Uptown School Complex 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 90.1% ▲ 204% 29.6% 51.7%
Enrollment 518 top 37% - -

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.
518
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
90.1%
free-lunch eligible - 204% 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
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
61.2%
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
$28,787
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 518 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
111
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.6 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

African American 52.5%
Hispanic or Latino 40.7%
Two or More 4.4%
White 1.2%
Asian 1.2%

Largest group: African American at 52.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 55.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 55.7, Uptown School Complex is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Atlantic City School District, which includes Uptown School Complex.

$28,787
Per student
+15%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+73%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.5%
State 53.8%
Federal 8.6%

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.

How Uptown School Complex Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Atlantic City High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Sovereign Avenue School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Richmond Avenue School Similar size Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Pennsylvania Ave School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
New York Avenue School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Uptown School Complex's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Atlantic City School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Atlantic City

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Uptown School Complex's federal record.

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 Uptown School Complex

How many students attend Uptown School Complex?

Uptown School Complex has 518 students enrolled. It is a public school in Atlantic City, NJ.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Uptown School Complex?

The student-teacher ratio at Uptown School Complex 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 Uptown School Complex?

90.1% of students at Uptown School Complex are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Uptown School Complex?

The largest demographic group at Uptown School Complex is African American at 52.5% of enrollment, in Atlantic City, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.7/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Uptown School Complex?

Uptown School Complex has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical 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 Uptown School Complex rank among schools in Atlantic City?

By Resource Investment Index, Uptown School Complex ranks #7 of 9 schools in Atlantic City, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Atlantic City on the city page.

Is Uptown School Complex a good school?

Uptown School Complex earns 33/100 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 Atlantic City School District?

Besides Uptown School Complex, Atlantic City School District also operates Atlantic City High School (1,731 students), Sovereign Avenue School (717 students), and Richmond Avenue School (609 students). See the Atlantic City School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.