Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School

Set in BARNEGAT, New Jersey, Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school, one of the schools within Barnegat Township School District. It caters to 524 students across grades 3 through 4. Compared to the state average of about 405 students per school, that is 29% larger than typical.

Barnegat Township School District comprises 6 schools with combined enrollment of 3,604 students; Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School is among them.

Demographically, Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School shows that 60% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 21% Hispanic, 9% Black, 6% multiracial, 2% Asian. By comparison, Ocean County as a whole is about 83% White, so the school skews considerably less White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 44 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.9:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 50% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 39.0%; this one delivers 43.0%.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Ocean County) records that median household income runs about $89,863, about 34% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Across Ocean County's 117 public schools (combined enrollment of about 66,051 students), Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Barnegat High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 36.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Looking at the recent track record. Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School's enrollment has grew 138% since 2018, when it stood at 220 (now 524). White enrollment moved from 77% to 60% across the same window. Class-load math has grew: from 8.7:1 in 2018 to 11.9:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.