ELC collects educational indicator data at the school, district and state level, and it is a crucial component of our work. This longitudinal data allows us to provide thorough and timely analysis of education policy issues. It is also a key element in state-level school funding litigation, where a detailed research record of state funding cuts, deficits in essential education resources, and unacceptable student outcomes is essential. ELC is also committed to making information publicly accessible using web-based interactive data analysis software.

New Jersey Data

ELC maintains an extensive database of education indicators for the state of New Jersey. Spanning twenty years, the database incorporates statistics on an extensive list of education topics, including school funding, student demographics, student performance, the teaching workforce, and community context. Click on the links below for access to interactive longitudinal data.

Demographics: racial/ethnic composition, free/reduced lunch eligibility, limited English proficiency rates, and special education classification rates.

School Funding Data: state and district summaries of funding relative to the NJ’s school finance formula; need-adjusted, per pupil funding comparisons by district.

Secondary Data: graduation rates and pathway data.

Preschool Data: enrollment data for former Abbott and non-Abbott districts.

ELC has used the database to produce numerous reports and policy briefs which are available on the Publications page.

Making the Grade

Making the Grade provides compelling evidence that K-12 public school funding continues to be deeply unfair in many states and a major factor contributing to disparities in education resources, opportunities and outcomes for the 50 million public school children across the United States. The annual report, which grades the states on three measures of fair school funding, was designed to assist policymakers, advocates and others as they answer a key question: How fair is public school funding in your state? Supplementary reports provide additional context to respond to current issues affecting school funding.

ELC’s previously published reports, Is School Funding Fair?: A National Report Card (Eds. 1-7), can be found on the Publications page.

Resource Equity in the States

ELC seeks to elevate the urgent need for school funding fairness as a state and national imperative for improving student outcomes and school performance. Crucial to achieving that goal is reframing the school funding debate from a focus on dollars to essential education resources and improved outcomes, while illuminating the capacity and need for states to increase investment in public schools and improve their finance systems. 

To achieve our goal, ELC is developing more in-depth, state specific data and analyses often missing in debates over education finance and school funding reformThese reports will investigate the fairness of current school funding systems and the allocation of resources, especially as it relates to students in poverty.  

This project is funded by the W.K.Kellogg Foundation. 

Focus States: 

Georgia

Arizona

Nevada

Tennessee

Interactive Tools

Evidence for Advocates:

Investing Additional Resources in Schools Serving Low-Income Students

Tracking State Aid Cuts in the Pandemic