Enrollment
304
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cranford, NJ
Walnut Avenue School
Federal NCES profile for Walnut Avenue School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 340357005474
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Walnut Avenue School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of New Jersey schools.
- #7 of 7
- public schools in Cranford · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.8:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 0.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Walnut Avenue School has class sizes larger than 84% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Walnut Avenue School ranks #7 of 7 public schools in Cranford, NJ.
School address
District: Cranford Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340357005474 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
0.0%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-100% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Walnut Avenue School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Walnut Avenue School
Walnut Avenue School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Cranford, New Jersey, enrolling 304 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.8:1 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 0.0% free-meal eligibility runs 100% below the New Jersey average.
Enrollment of 304 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Among 423 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #411, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 608 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Cranford Public School District also operates Cranford High School (1,116 students) and Orange Avenue School (750 students) alongside Walnut Avenue 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 Walnut Avenue School compares
Walnut Avenue 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 | 13.8:1 | ▲ 17% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 0.0% | ▼ 100% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 304 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
304
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
0.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 100% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.8:1
students per teacher
- 17% above state mean
Top 84% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
6.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$21,994
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 70.1%
Hispanic or Latino 14.8%
Two or More 8.9%
Asian 4.6%
African American 1.6%
Largest group: White at 70.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.6, Walnut Avenue School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cranford Public School District, which includes Walnut Avenue School.
$21,994
Per student
-12%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.3%
State 23.4%
Federal 2.3%
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 Walnut Avenue School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cranford High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Orange Avenue School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hillside Avenue School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Brookside Place School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Livingston Avenue School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Walnut Avenue School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,116
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
- Enrollment
- 750
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 743
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
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.
Similar enrollment (~304 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Walnut Avenue School's federal record.
- Compare Walnut Avenue School against another school. Compare schools
- Cranford 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 Walnut Avenue School
How many students attend Walnut Avenue School?
Walnut Avenue School has 304 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cranford, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walnut Avenue School?
The student-teacher ratio at Walnut Avenue School is 13.8:1, which is 17% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Walnut Avenue School?
0.0% of students at Walnut Avenue School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Walnut Avenue School?
The largest demographic group at Walnut Avenue School is White at 70.1% of enrollment, in Cranford, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walnut Avenue School?
Walnut Avenue School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Walnut Avenue School rank among public schools in Cranford?
By Resource Investment Index, Walnut Avenue School ranks #7 of 7 public schools in Cranford, 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 Cranford on the city page.
Is Walnut Avenue School a good school?
Walnut Avenue School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% 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 Cranford Public School District?
Besides Walnut Avenue School, Cranford Public School District also operates Cranford High School (1,116 students), Orange Avenue School (750 students), and Hillside Avenue School (743 students). See the Cranford 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.