N.J. school funding winners and losers: See how your district fared under new plan

New Jersey has fully implemented its revamped public school funding formula with the announcement of proposed state aid for the 2024-25 academic year. But, you might not like what that actually means for your school district.

Some districts will see major increases in state funding under the plan, while others can expect far less.

Why the difference?

The answers comes down to the new funding formula that was first enacted in 2008. Under the 2025 budget proposed by Gov. Phil Murphy, the new formula will be fully in place for the first time since it was passed.

That means the state is using a new way of calculating how much money each of the state’s nearly 600 school districts should get from the state budget. The complex formula considers the size of the district, how many low-income and special education students it enrolls and numerous other factors.

Districts that were considered underfunded started getting extra aid the year after the new plan passed, but so-called overfunded schools didn’t see their aid start to decrease until nearly a decade later.

NJ Advance Media analyzed the impact of the new formula on school districts in every county. (Want to see your county’s full list? Find the link below.)

Wildwood City School District in Cape May County saw the largest percentage decline in funding statewide. The school district will lost 80% of its state funding under the 2024-25 proposed funding plan, compared to the 2007-08 school year. Enrollment in the district dropped 5.5% between the 2007-08 and 2022-23 school years, according to the most recent available enrollment data.

Cape May Point in Cape May County and Washington Township in Burlington County both saw larger percent funding declines than Wildwood, but those towns do not operate their own schools. All students living within their borders are sent to nearby districts through sending agreements.

Deal, a small, affluent Jersey Shore town in Monmouth County, saw the largest increase. Its funding rose 1,756% while its enrollment grew 47%. The district has one elementary school and is part of the state’s Interdistrict Public School Choice Program that allows students from other communities to enroll in the district.

Enrollment is one part of the school funding formula. The complex, multi-step equation also takes into account each student’s age, economic status, if they are in special education or if they are English language learners. It also considers how much school tax money districts get from local residents.

The state gives school districts a minimum of about $12,400 per student, but that number can go up based on the types of students enrolled and other factors. Because funding is not based strictly on enrollment, some school districts have seen funding go up even as the number of students in their schools have declined.

The Murphy administration’s school funding numbers for the 2024-25 school year are still just a proposal. The full state budget must be approved by the state Senate and Assembly and signed by Murphy by this summer before it is finalized.

Click on your county below to see the changes for each district:

Stories by Katie Kausch

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch.