Enrollment
304
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 340357005474
Walnut Avenue School — Cranford, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Walnut Avenue School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 84
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: Cranford Public School District · 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+13% 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
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
Walnut Avenue School reports 304 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 0.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 100% below the New Jersey average and 100% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 608 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cranford Public School District spends $23,778 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 74.3% from local sources (property taxes), 23.4% from the state, and 2.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Walnut Avenue 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 | 13.4:1 | ▲ 13% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 0.0% | ▼ 100% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 304 | top 26% | — | — |
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
0.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 100% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 81% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
6.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$23,778
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 608 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 304 Top 26% in New Jersey — larger than 74% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 13.4:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 0.0% -100% vs state
NCES ID 340357005474
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 608:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cranford Public School District, which includes Walnut Avenue School.
$23,778
Per student
-19%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,116
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Enrollment
- 750
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Enrollment
- 743
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
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 Walnut Avenue School
How many students attend Walnut Avenue School?
Walnut Avenue School has 304 students enrolled. It is a other school in CRANFORD, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walnut Avenue School?
The student-teacher ratio at Walnut Avenue School is 13.4:1, which is 13% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in CRANFORD, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walnut Avenue School?
Walnut Avenue School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.