Enrollment
257
Elementary
DISTRICT 303 · STATE 405
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WATERFORD TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 341725005924
Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center
934 Lincoln Avenue, Atco, NJ 08004 · (856) 767-2421 · Camden County
GRADES PK–KGELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL257 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
This school has no state test results for 2023-24 or 2024-25 to grade, which is common for schools that end before third grade. How grades work
Student : Teacher
10.3:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.3:1 · STATE 11.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
31%
79 students
DISTRICT 34% · STATE 41%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 153 | 60% |
| Kindergarten | 104 | 40% |
Student demographics
41%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 41% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Waterford Township School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONSchools most like Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center this school | 257 | 30.7% | N/A |
| Oxford Central School Oxford | 262 | 29.8% | 43.2% |
| Lillian Drive School HAZLET | 260 | 30.8% | 41.4% |
| Oaklyn Public School OAKLYN | 273 | 29.7% | 40.7% |
| Ocean City Primary School OCEAN CITY | 271 | 31.7% | 56.2% |
| Southampton Township School #2 SOUTHAMPTON | 222 | 29.7% | 39.3% |
Matched among New Jersey elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Camden County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 257 | #1,259 of 1,562 | #68 of 95 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.3:1 | #420 of 1,390 | #26 of 77 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 40.9% | #1,028 of 1,392 | #63 of 77 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 30.7% | #845 of 1,481 | #55 of 91 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -6.9% | #543 of 798 | #25 of 37 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
257
+66 (+35%) vs 2020
-16% since 1990-91, when it was 305
Student : Teacher
10.3:1
was 10.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 257 | 25 | 10.3:1 | 31% (79) |
| 2023-24 | 256 | 24.8 | 10.3:1 | 21% (54) |
| 2022-23 | 267 | 26.1 | 10.2:1 | 21% (57) |
| 2020-21 | 191 | 19 | 10.1:1 | 26% (50) |
| 2017-18 | 276 | 22.8 | 12.1:1 | 25% (70) |
| 2015-16 | 257 | 17 | 15.1:1 | 26% (68) |
| 2010-11 | 257 | 12 | 21.4:1 | 23% (59) |
| 2000-01 | 239 | 19 | 12.6:1 | 16% (39) |
| 1990-91 | 305 | 22 | 13.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center.
Since 2017-18: students down 7% (276 to 257); teachers up 10% (22.8 to 25).
About Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center
Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center is an elementary school in Atco, New Jersey, according to federal school records. It teaches 257 students in pre-K through kindergarten. That is 37% below the average of about 405 students for elementary schools in New Jersey.
Waterford Township School District is the local district for Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center. It runs 3 schools with 909 students.
About 75% of the student body at Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center is White. Other students are 12% Hispanic, 7% Black, and 5% multiracial. By comparison, Camden County residents are about 55% White. A diversity index of 41% means there is a 41% chance two randomly chosen students at Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center are from different groups.
On staff are 25 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 10.3:1. The average for elementary schools in New Jersey is 11.4:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher. About 31% of students at Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. For comparison, public schools in Camden County average 50%.
Census data for Camden County show median household income comes to about $88,755, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 36%, and about 10% of people live in poverty. There are 158 public schools in the county, enrolling about 82,104, Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center among them.
Waterford Elementary School is about 2.7 miles from Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center, the shortest distance to any other public school. Counting only straight-line distance, 5 other public schools are within five miles.
The school's locale code, Suburb: Large, means it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Over the 4 years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment increased 35%.
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Camden County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
527,257
Census ACS
Median income
$88,755
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
158
82,104 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Waterford Township School District
- Waterford Elementary SchoolElementary · 431 students
- Atco Elementary SchoolElementary · 221 students
Other schools in Atco
- Winslow Township High SchoolHigh · 1,299 students
- Winslow Township Middle SchoolMiddle · 790 students
- Atco Elementary SchoolElementary · 221 students
Nearby schools
- Waterford Elementary School2.7 mi · 431
- Atco Elementary School3.0 mi · 221
- Winslow Township Middle School3.7 mi · 790
- Winslow Township Early Childhood Education Center3.7 mi · 73
- Winslow Township High School3.9 mi · 1,299
- Winslow Township Elementary School Five5.3 mi · 576
Frequently asked questions
About Thomas Richards Early Childhood CenterHow large is Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center?
Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center enrolls approximately 257 students in grades PK-KG.
What age range does Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center serve?
Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center serves students from grade PK through grade KG.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center is approximately 10.3:1 (25 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center?
At Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center, the student body is approximately 75% White, 12% Hispanic, 7% Black, 0% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center in?
Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center is part of Waterford Township School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.