Thomas Jefferson School No. 1

Thomas Jefferson School No. 1 is an average-sized elementary-level community in Passaic, New Jersey, run under Passaic City School District. The school instructs 423 students in grades K through 8.

Thomas Jefferson School No. 1 is one of 19 schools operated by Passaic City School District, a district that hosts 11,877 students overall.

Looking at the student body, Thomas Jefferson School No. 1 reports that 92% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority. The remainder consists of 3% Asian, 2% Black. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 44%.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Thomas Jefferson School No. 1 has 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.0:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 98% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Passaic County (around 61%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Thomas Jefferson School No. 1 sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 12.5%; this one delivers 21.6%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Passaic County indicate the typical household earns roughly $87,522 per year, roughly 31% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Thomas Jefferson School No. 1 is one of 155 public schools in Passaic County (combined enrollment of about 83,237 students).

Vincent Capuana School No. 15 is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Thomas Jefferson School No. 1 ranks 4th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 31.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a suburban area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 37%: 674 students in 2018 compared to 423 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share edged up from 87% to 92%. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 13.9:1 in 2018 to 11.0:1 today.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.