Enrollment
406
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 341056002184
Watchung Elementary School — Montclair, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Watchung Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 80
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: Montclair 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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
7.9%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-73% 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 406 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% 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 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 7.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 73% below the New Jersey average and 85% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 406 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Montclair Public School District spends $31,159 per pupil district-wide, above the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 70.1% from local sources (property taxes), 23.9% from the state, and 6.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 0% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 7.9% | ▼ 73% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 406 | top 46% | — | — |
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
7.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 73% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 61% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
8.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$31,159
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 406 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
36
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 406 Top 46% in New Jersey — larger than 54% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 11.9:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 7.9% -73% vs state
NCES ID 341056002184
Student demographics
White 60.3%
Hispanic or Latino 14.0%
Two or More 11.1%
Asian 7.6%
African American 6.9%
Largest group: White at 60.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 406:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.1%
In-school suspensions 36
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montclair Public School District, which includes Watchung Elementary School.
$31,159
Per student
+7%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+60%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 70.1%
State 23.9%
Federal 6.0%
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
- 1,925
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 684
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Enrollment
- 512
- Students per teacher
- 8.6:1
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Montclair
3 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 406 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in MONTCLAIR, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watchung Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Watchung Elementary School is 11.9:1, which is 0% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watchung Elementary School?
7.9% 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 60.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in MONTCLAIR, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watchung Elementary School?
Watchung Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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.