Enrollment
221
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 341005003414
Watchung Elementary School — Middlesex, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Watchung Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 63/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 78
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: Middlesex Borough 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.4%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watchung 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
Watchung Elementary School reports 221 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% 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 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 20.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% below the New Jersey average and 61% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 221 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Middlesex Borough School District spends $25,328 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 53.3% from local sources (property taxes), 40.9% from the state, and 5.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (C+), 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 Watchung 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 | 13:1 | ▲ 9% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.4% | ▼ 31% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 221 | top 13% | — | — |
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
20.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% 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
13:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 77% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
9.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$25,328
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 221 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 221 Top 13% in New Jersey — larger than 87% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 13:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 20.4% -31% vs state
NCES ID 341005003414
Student demographics
White 36.7%
Hispanic or Latino 36.2%
Asian 13.6%
African American 7.2%
Two or More 5.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 36.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 221:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Middlesex Borough School District, which includes Watchung Elementary School.
$25,328
Per student
-13%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 53.3%
State 40.9%
Federal 5.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 597
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Enrollment
- 317
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 198
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 192
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Middlesex
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Watchung Elementary School
How many students attend Watchung Elementary School?
Watchung Elementary School has 221 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in MIDDLESEX, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watchung Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Watchung Elementary School is 13:1, which is 9% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watchung Elementary School?
20.4% of students at Watchung Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watchung Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Watchung Elementary School is White at 36.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in MIDDLESEX, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watchung Elementary School?
Watchung Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (C+) 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.