Enrollment
385
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · East Orange, NJ
Whitney E. Houston Academy
Federal NCES profile for Whitney E. Houston Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 340423002050
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whitney E. Houston Academy earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of New Jersey schools.
- #7 of 14
- schools in East Orange · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 53.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Whitney E. Houston Academy has class sizes larger than 72% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whitney E. Houston Academy ranks #7 of 14 schools in East Orange, NJ.
School address
District: East Orange School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340423002050 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.4%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+80% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whitney E. Houston Academy compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whitney E. Houston Academy
Whitney E. Houston Academy is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in East Orange, New Jersey, enrolling 385 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.8:1 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 53.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 385 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 263 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #121.
Its student body is predominantly African American (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 385 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
East Orange School District also operates East Orange Campus High School (1,798 students) and Cicely L. Tyson Community Middle/High School (701 students) alongside Whitney E. Houston Academy.
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 Whitney E. Houston Academy compares
Whitney E. Houston Academy 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 | 12.8:1 | ▲ 8% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.4% | ▲ 80% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 385 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
385
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 80% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 72% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$28,608
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 385 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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
African American 81.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.1%
Two or More 1.8%
White 1.0%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 81.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.1, Whitney E. Houston Academy is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for East Orange School District, which includes Whitney E. Houston Academy.
$28,608
Per student
+15%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+72%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.0%
State 79.7%
Federal 11.2%
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.
How Whitney E. Houston Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Orange Campus High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cicely L. Tyson Community Middle/High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Orange Stem Academy High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Edward T. Bowser Sr. School of Excellence | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Langston Hughes Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whitney E. Houston Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,798
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 701
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 66/100
- Enrollment
- 646
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 554
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar other 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 (~385 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whitney E. Houston Academy's federal record.
- Compare Whitney E. Houston Academy against another school. Compare schools
- East Orange 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 Whitney E. Houston Academy
How many students attend Whitney E. Houston Academy?
Whitney E. Houston Academy has 385 students enrolled. It is a public school in East Orange, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whitney E. Houston Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Whitney E. Houston Academy is 12.8:1, which is 8% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Whitney E. Houston Academy?
53.4% of students at Whitney E. Houston Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whitney E. Houston Academy?
The largest demographic group at Whitney E. Houston Academy is African American at 81.6% of enrollment, in East Orange, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whitney E. Houston Academy?
Whitney E. Houston Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical 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).
How does Whitney E. Houston Academy rank among schools in East Orange?
By Resource Investment Index, Whitney E. Houston Academy ranks #7 of 14 schools in East Orange, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in East Orange on the city page.
Is Whitney E. Houston Academy a good school?
Whitney E. Houston Academy earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% 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 East Orange School District?
Besides Whitney E. Houston Academy, East Orange School District also operates East Orange Campus High School (1,798 students), Cicely L. Tyson Community Middle/High School (701 students), and East Orange Stem Academy High School (646 students). See the East Orange School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.