Enrollment
558
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · North Caldwell, NJ
West Essex Middle School
Federal NCES profile for West Essex Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 341746002464
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
West Essex Middle School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of New Jersey schools.
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.6:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 1.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 558
- students enrolled
West Essex Middle School has class sizes smaller than 80% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: West Essex Regional School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341746002464 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
58.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.6:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
1.7%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-94% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Essex Middle School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at West Essex Middle School
West Essex Middle School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in North Caldwell, New Jersey, enrolling 558 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 1.7% free-meal eligibility runs 94% below the New Jersey average.
Enrollment of 558 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 524 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #276.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (12%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 279 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district, West Essex Regional School District, also runs West Essex High School (1,061 students).
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How West Essex Middle School compares
West Essex Middle School on the metrics families compare, against New Jersey and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.6:1 | ▼ 19% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 1.7% | ▼ 94% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 558 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.6:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
558
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
1.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 94% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9.6:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 20% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
9.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$29,054
per pupil, district-wide
- above New Jersey avg of $24,984
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 279 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 74.7%
Hispanic or Latino 11.5%
Asian 8.2%
African American 2.9%
Two or More 2.7%
Largest group: White at 74.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.0, West Essex Middle School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Essex Regional School District, which includes West Essex Middle School.
$29,054
Per student
+16%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+75%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How West Essex Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Essex High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to West Essex Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,061
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Jersey, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~558 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on West Essex Middle School's federal record.
- Compare West Essex Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- West Essex Regional School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about West Essex Middle School
How many students attend West Essex Middle School?
West Essex Middle School has 558 students enrolled. It is a middle school in North Caldwell, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Essex Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at West Essex Middle School is 9.6:1, which is 19% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 39% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Essex Middle School?
1.7% of students at West Essex Middle 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 Middle School?
The largest demographic group at West Essex Middle School is White at 74.7% of enrollment, in North Caldwell, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Essex Middle School?
West Essex Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is West Essex Middle School a good school?
West Essex Middle School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of New Jersey schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in West Essex Regional School District?
Besides West Essex Middle School, West Essex Regional School District also operates West Essex High School (1,061 students). See the West Essex Regional School District district page for the complete list.
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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.