Paterson Public School District
Paterson Public School District is a public school district based in Paterson, New Jersey, serving 24,291 students in 43 schools. By enrollment it ranks #4 of the 303 New Jersey districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 99% of them. Its schools average 565 students each, about the same as the New Jersey median of 563. Its state district superintendent is Dr. Laurie Newell. It spends about $20,367 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 14.0 students per teacher.
How Paterson compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Paterson | New Jersey median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $20,367 | $21,034 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $12,185 | $12,858 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $723.7 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $739.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 1,732 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 3,664 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 14.0 | 11.6 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 286 | 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 →Dr. Laurie Newell
Source: New Jersey Department of Education, School Directory, checked 2026-10-05. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in New Jersey
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 · this district | 24,291 | 43 | $20,367 | 14.0 | #4 |
| Edison Township School DistrictEdison | 17,032 | 19 | $17,589 | 13.7 | #5 |
| Trenton Public School DistrictTrenton | 15,964 | 25 | $16,859 | 16.1 | #6 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hays CISDKyle, TX | 24,330 | $10,231 | 15.5 |
| Yonkers City School DistrictYonkers, NY | 24,304 | $22,500 | 17.1 |
| Springfield R-XIISpringfield, MO | 24,285 | $11,846 | 13.9 |
| Huntsville CityHuntsville, AL | 24,222 | $11,277 | 17.8 |
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-paterson-public-school-district