Enrollment
469
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 340876000544
Washington Elementary School — Little Ferry, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Washington Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 6
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 73
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: Little Ferry 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.4:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+97% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.5%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Washington Elementary 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
Washington Elementary School reports 469 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 97% 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 47% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% below the New Jersey average and 49% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Little Ferry Public School District spends $36,870 per pupil district-wide, above the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 66.7% from local sources (property taxes), 28.1% from the state, and 5.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Washington Elementary 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 | 23.4:1 | ▲ 97% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.5% | ▼ 10% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 469 | top 56% | — | — |
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
26.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 10% 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
23.4:1
students per teacher
— 97% above state mean
Top 99% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
10.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$36,870
per pupil, district-wide
— above New Jersey avg of $29,189
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 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
Enrollment 469 Top 56% in New Jersey — larger than 44% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 23.4:1 +97% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.5% -10% vs state
NCES ID 340876000544
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 53.5%
White 24.7%
Asian 15.8%
African American 2.8%
Two or More 2.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 53.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Little Ferry Public School District, which includes Washington Elementary School.
$36,870
Per student
+26%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+89%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 66.7%
State 28.1%
Federal 5.2%
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
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 5.3:1
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 Washington Elementary School
How many students attend Washington Elementary School?
Washington Elementary School has 469 students enrolled. It is a other school in LITTLE FERRY, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Washington Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Washington Elementary School is 23.4:1, which is 97% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 47% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Washington Elementary School?
26.5% of students at Washington Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Washington Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Washington Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 53.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in LITTLE FERRY, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Washington Elementary School?
Washington Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.