Which New Jersey public schools have the most resources?

Somerset County Vocational Technical High School in Bridgewater scored 80 of 100 on the PlainSchools resource index, the highest of New Jersey's schools with 100 or more students that report all four of its factors.

How is the resource index calculated?

It averages up to four factors, each scored 0 to 100: students per teacher (2024-25; 0 at 25 or more), students per counselor (CRDC 2021-22; 0 at 500 or more), a gifted program (CRDC 2021-22; 70 if offered, 30 if not) and chronic absenteeism (EDFacts 2022-23; 0 at 40% or more). It measures resources, not test scores or teaching quality.

New Jersey public schools by resource index

Somerset County Vocational Technical High School in Bridgewater scored highest of New Jersey's public schools with 100 or more students on the resource index, 80 of 100: 5.7 students per teacher, 74 students per counselor and 4.7% chronically absent. The index averages staffing, counseling, gifted programs and attendance; it measures resources, not how well students learn.

Resource index 2024-25 × 2021-22 · schools open in 2024-25 with 100+ students and all 4 factors reported; online, alternative, special-education, pre-K-only and correctional programs left out · method

The chart draws the top of the register below; its source is named under the register.

The 50 highest scores, with each factor

School	Per teacher	Per counselor	Gifted	Chronically absent	Index
Somerset County Vocational Technical High School	5.7	74	Yes	4.7%	80
Cape May City Elementary School	6.2	137	Yes	3.8%	77
Avon Elementary School	6.3	123	Yes	5.1%	77
Berkeley Elementary	10.6	50	Yes	5.5%	76
Walter Hill School	11.0	62	Yes	3.6%	76
Montville Township High School	9.8	119	Yes	2.5%	75
Glen Rock High School	10.0	114	Yes	3.2%	75
Bergen County Academies	12.2	111	Yes	2.0%	74
Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro	9.6	136	Yes	3.3%	74
New Providence High School	11.1	130	Yes	1.1%	74
Triton Regional High School	11.4	111	Yes	4.7%	73
Newark Sch of Data Science and Information Technology	13.8	94	Yes	1.0%	73
Spring Lake Heights Elementary School	6.7	152	Yes	8.1%	73
Lafayette Township School	8.6	100	Yes	9.8%	73
School #16	8.2	185	Yes	2.6%	73

The other 35 on the list

School	Per teacher	Per counselor	Gifted	Chronically absent	Index
Sea Girt Elementary School	6.0	236	Yes	3.0%	73
Livingston High School	11.1	164	Yes	2.7%	72
Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest	10.9	136	Yes	4.9%	72
Robert R Lazar Middle School	10.5	157	Yes	4.0%	72
New Milford High School	12.6	144	Yes	1.5%	72
Union School	10.2	122	Yes	7.3%	72
Biotechnology High School	11.7	158	Yes	1.6%	72
Marine Academy of Science and Technology	10.2	133	Yes	6.4%	72
Mountain View School	6.9	229	Yes	3.5%	72
Eleanor G. Hewitt	9.5	121	Yes	8.2%	72
Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan	10.2	128	Yes	8.0%	71
Morris County School of Technology	11.8	160	Yes	3.2%	71
Haddonfield Memorial High School	10.2	179	Yes	4.2%	71
Valleyview Middle School	10.5	107	Yes	9.8%	71
Forrestdale School	8.1	183	Yes	6.7%	71
Emerson Jr Senior High	9.3	152	Yes	6.8%	71
University High School	11.8	155	Yes	2.8%	71
New Providence Middle School	10.7	190	Yes	2.5%	71
Holdrum Middle School	8.4	184	Yes	7.0%	71
John Y Dater Elementary School	9.4	187	Yes	4.4%	71
Clayton Middle School	9.9	107	Yes	9.6%	71
Communications High School	9.8	155	Yes	6.5%	71
High Technology High School	13.9	144	Yes	0.0%	71
Seventh Avenue	11.5	171	Yes	2.1%	71
Island Heights Elementary School	9.6	120	Yes	9.2%	71
Westfield Senior High School	11.4	185	Yes	2.6%	70
Summit High School	11.3	129	Yes	7.3%	70
Tenafly High School	11.2	206	Yes	2.4%	70
Cranford High School	11.0	136	Yes	7.8%	70
Wall Intermediate School	9.0	129	Yes	11.4%	70
Glen Rock Middle School	10.9	156	Yes	5.3%	70
Jefferson Township Middle School	10.3	141	Yes	8.7%	70
Park Ridge High School	8.3	182	Yes	8.4%	70
Cresskill High School	9.9	162	Yes	7.6%	70
Cranbury School	7.5	228	Yes	5.4%	70

Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 (students per teacher); CRDC 2021-22 (counselors on CRDC enrollment, gifted program); EDFacts 2022-23 (chronic absenteeism). Index: the mean of the factors reported, each 0 to 100.

More lists for New Jersey

01Public schools in New Jersey
The state hub: schools, students, districts
02Every school district
Directory, 2024-25
03Largest schools
By 2024-25 enrollment
04Fewest students per teacher
Schools, 2024-25
05Highest-spending districts
F-33 fiscal year 2022-23
06Teacher salary spending by district
F-33 fiscal year 2022-23

Questions about the resource index

Which New Jersey public schools have the most resources?
Somerset County Vocational Technical High School in Bridgewater scored 80 of 100 on the PlainSchools resource index, the highest of New Jersey's schools with 100 or more students that report all four of its factors.
How is the resource index calculated?
It averages up to four factors, each scored 0 to 100: students per teacher (2024-25; 0 at 25 or more), students per counselor (CRDC 2021-22; 0 at 500 or more), a gifted program (CRDC 2021-22; 70 if offered, 30 if not) and chronic absenteeism (EDFacts 2022-23; 0 at 40% or more). It measures resources, not test scores or teaching quality.

Sources

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

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection Counselors and gifted programs · 2021-22

Compiled from official source data by PlainSchools. · Updated September 2026