Public schools in New Jersey

The NCES directory lists 2,557 public schools operating in New Jersey in 2024-25; 2,480 of them reported 1,348,251 students, averaging 11.6 students per teacher, tied for 42nd with Montana of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Newark Board of Education, with 40,110 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools2,4801,485 elementary, 439 middle, 447 high, 109 other
Students1,348,2512.8% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher11.6U.S. 15.3

New Jersey has fewer students per teacher than the U.S. average

New Jersey ranks 42nd of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Connecticut12.2
  2. Massachusetts12.0
  3. Montana11.6
  4. New Jersey11.6
  5. New York11.4
  6. Vermont11.1
  7. District of Columbia11.0

Eight in ten larger New Jersey districts spent between $21,190 and $30,581 per student

Among the 329 New Jersey districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $21,190 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $30,581; the median was $24,665. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, New Jersey districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23329 values from $19,019 to $48,105; ; state median $24,665.$21,190$30,581the middle eight in ten$10k$20k$30k$40k$50kcurrent spending per studentstate median $24,665
Current spending per student, New Jersey districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23329 values from $19,019 to $48,105; ; state median $24,665.$21,190$30,581the middle eight in ten$10k$20k$30k$40k$50kcurrent spending per studentstate median $24,665
Current spending per student, New Jersey districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23329 values from $19,019 to $48,105; ; state median $24,665.$21,190$30,581the middle eight in ten$10k$20k$30k$40k$50kcurrent spending per studentstate median $24,665
Current spending per student, New Jersey districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23329 values from $19,019 to $48,105; ; state median $24,665.$21,190$30,581the middle eight in ten$10k$20k$30k$40k$50kcurrent spending per studentstate median $24,665

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 50.9% of the New Jersey students tested met the state's reading standard and 37.6% its math standard. New Jersey writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare New Jersey's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 90.5% of 106,157 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the New Jersey almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: North Star Academy Charter School, 6,714 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Autistic, 3.1 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Lakewood Township School District, $48,105 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Perth Amboy Public Schools, $159,259 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Woodbridge Academy Magnet School, 0% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Somerset County Vocational Technical High School, 80 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Monmouth County Vocational School District, 75.1 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in New Jersey

  1. Newark Board of Education40,110
  2. Elizabeth Public Schools27,580
  3. Jersey City Public Schools24,151
  4. Paterson Public Schools20,846
  5. Edison Township School District16,617
  6. Toms River Regional School District14,323
  7. Woodbridge Township School District13,869
  8. Trenton Public School District13,549

Every New Jersey school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Newark62,538 students78 schools
  2. Jersey City32,007 students52 schools
  3. Paterson25,443 students46 schools
  4. Elizabeth27,584 students38 schools
  5. Trenton16,549 students34 schools
  6. Hamilton12,793 students26 schools
  7. Camden16,634 students22 schools
  8. East Orange9,435 students21 schools
  9. Edison16,790 students20 schools
  10. Plainfield10,939 students19 schools
  11. Passaic13,682 students19 schools
  12. Clifton10,639 students19 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about New Jersey's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in New Jersey?
    The NCES directory lists 2,557 operating in 2024-25; 2,480 of them reported students: 1,485 elementary, 439 middle, 447 high and 109 other, enrolling 1,348,251 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in New Jersey?
    11.6 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in New Jersey?
    Newark Board of Education, with 40,110 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does New Jersey spend per public-school student?
    $25,983 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .