Budget & finance
District profile / New Jersey
Newark Public School District
44,199
Students
2024-25 school year
64
Schools
2024-25 school year
$22,978
Spending per student
FY2020-21 · 9% above the New Jersey median
15.6
Students per teacher
2024-25 · New Jersey median 11.6
Newark Public School District is a public school district based in Newark, New Jersey, serving 44,199 students in 64 schools. By enrollment it ranks #1 of the 303 New Jersey districts with 1,000 or more students, making it the largest in the state. Its schools average 691 students each, more than the New Jersey median of 563. Its superintendent is Roger Leon. It spends about $22,978 per student on day-to-day operations, 9% more than the New Jersey median. It has roughly 15.6 students per teacher. We've matched 11 news stories to the district.
How Newark compares
NewarkNew Jersey median, districts with 1,000+ students
Spending and staffing
Where the money comes from$1.32 billion in revenue · FY2020-21
Federal 7%State 80%Local 12%
| Measure | Newark | New Jersey median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $22,978 | $21,034 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $11,721 | $12,858 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $1.32 billion | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $1.32 billion | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 2,840 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 6,799 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 15.6 | 11.6 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 451 | 276 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The New Jersey median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Roger Leon
Source: New Jersey Department of Education, School Directory, checked 2026-10-05. Report a change
In the news
11 stories matchedBudget & finance
New Jersey is rethinking how it funds schools. What could change for Newark?
Budget & finance
Newark schools says a state audit found ‘nothing.’ The auditors flagged the Criminal Justice division.
Technology & AI
Newark students head back to class as district rolls out cellphone ban
Leadership
How Whitney Houston’s funeral director got a $700,000 deal with Newark schools to teach food service
Teaching & learning
Newark’s chronic absenteeism rate drops to 8.5%. Here’s what district leaders say is working.
Teaching & learning
Back-to-school: 6 things to watch in Newark Public Schools this year
Leadership
Newark Public Schools shuffles leadership districtwide with 9 new principals set to start this fall
Teaching & learning
Newark Public Schools teachers get creative as wildfire smoke cancels outdoor summer programs
Technology & AI
Randi Weingarten said Newark Public Schools visit confirmed her fears about AI in the classroom
Teaching & learning
Newark Public Schools schedules graduations at same time, forcing parents to make an impossible decision
Peer districts in New Jersey
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark Public School DistrictNewark · this district | 44,199 | 64 | $22,978 | 15.6 | #1 |
| Elizabeth Public SchoolsElizabeth | 28,454 | 37 | $20,830 | 13.0 | #2 |
| Jersey City Public SchoolsJersey City | 25,951 | 39 | $23,607 | 12.1 | #3 |
| Paterson Public School DistrictPaterson | 24,291 | 43 | $20,367 | 14.0 | #4 |
| Edison Township School DistrictEdison | 17,032 | 19 | $17,589 | 13.7 | #5 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino City UnifiedSan Bernardino, CA | 44,192 | $16,530 | 20.5 |
| San Antonio ISDSan Antonio, TX | 44,047 | $13,032 | 15.0 |
| Nebo DistrictSpanish Fork, UT | 43,696 | $7,722 | 26.9 |
| Clovis UnifiedClovis, CA | 43,669 | $12,375 | 22.2 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-nj-newark-public-school-district