Enrollment
446
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Oakland, NJ
Valley Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Valley Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 341191000670
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Valley Middle School earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of New Jersey schools.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Oakland · Resource Index
- 64
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.9:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 6.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Valley Middle School has class sizes smaller than 75% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Middle School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Oakland, NJ.
School address
District: Oakland Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341191000670 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.9:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
6.1%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-79% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Middle School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Valley Middle School
Valley Middle School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Oakland, New Jersey, enrolling 446 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 6.1% of students eligible for free meals.
With 446 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 664 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #111.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 149 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
17.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Oakland Public School District also operates Heights Elementary School (343 students) and Manito Elementary School (255 students) alongside Valley 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 Valley Middle School compares
Valley 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 | 9.9:1 | ▼ 16% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 6.1% | ▼ 79% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 446 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.9:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
446
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
6.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 79% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9.9:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 25% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$29,834
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 149 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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 80.5%
Hispanic or Latino 10.5%
Asian 4.9%
Two or More 3.1%
African American 0.9%
Largest group: White at 80.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.8, Valley 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 Oakland Public School District, which includes Valley Middle School.
$29,834
Per student
+19%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+80%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.2%
State 22.9%
Federal 2.8%
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 Valley Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heights Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manito Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dogwood Hill Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Valley Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 343
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 255
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
- Enrollment
- 234
- Students per teacher
- 8.7:1
- Resource Index
- 66/100
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 (~446 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Valley Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Valley Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Oakland 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 Valley Middle School
How many students attend Valley Middle School?
Valley Middle School has 446 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Oakland, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Middle School is 9.9:1, which is 16% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 37% 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 Valley Middle School?
6.1% of students at Valley Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Valley Middle School is White at 80.5% of enrollment, in Oakland, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Middle School?
Valley Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (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 Valley Middle School rank among public schools in Oakland?
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Middle School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Oakland, 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 Oakland on the city page.
Is Valley Middle School a good school?
Valley Middle School earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Oakland Public School District?
Besides Valley Middle School, Oakland Public School District also operates Heights Elementary School (343 students), Manito Elementary School (255 students), and Dogwood Hill Elementary School (234 students). See the Oakland 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.