Enrollment
1,061
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 341746002462
West Essex High School — North Caldwell, NJ
Federal NCES profile for West Essex High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 64/100.
👥 Class size 58
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 76
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: West Essex Regional 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)
99.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
2.2%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-93% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Essex High 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
West Essex High School reports 1,061 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 99.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% below the New Jersey state mean of 11.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 34% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 2.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 93% below the New Jersey average and 96% below the national baseline. The school offers 29 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 212 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding West Essex Regional School District spends $32,164 per pupil district-wide, above the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 77.9% from local sources (property taxes), 20.6% from the state, and 1.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (C+), calculated from 5 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 West Essex High 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 | 10.5:1 | ▼ 12% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 2.2% | ▼ 93% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,061 | top 92% | — | — |
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
2.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 93% 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
10.5:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 35% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
9.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$32,164
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 212 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 57 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,061 Top 92% in New Jersey — larger than 8% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 99.0
Students per teacher 10.5:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 2.2% -93% vs state
NCES ID 341746002462
Student demographics
White 79.6%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
Asian 6.4%
African American 2.4%
Two or More 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 79.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 29
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 212:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 57
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Essex Regional School District, which includes West Essex High School.
$32,164
Per student
+10%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+65%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 77.9%
State 20.6%
Federal 1.4%
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
- 558
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
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 West Essex High School
How many students attend West Essex High School?
West Essex High School has 1,061 students enrolled. It is a high school in NORTH CALDWELL, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Essex High School?
The student-teacher ratio at West Essex High School is 10.5:1, which is 12% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 34% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Essex High School?
2.2% of students at West Essex High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Essex High School?
The largest demographic group at West Essex High School is White at 79.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in NORTH CALDWELL, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Essex High School?
West Essex High School has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (C+) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.