Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center

Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center is a cozy elementary campus in Atco, New Jersey, run under Waterford Township School District. The school caters to 257 students in grades pre-K through K. Compared to the state average of about 405 students per school, that is 37% smaller than typical.

Waterford Township School District runs 3 schools in total, collectively educating 909 students. Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center is one of those campuses.

Demographically, Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center shows that White students make up the majority at 75%. Other groups include 12% Hispanic, 7% Black, 5% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 55% White, putting the school's mix considerably more White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center has 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 11.4:1, putting Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 31% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Camden County runs at roughly 50%, so the school's eligibility rate is lower than the surrounding baseline.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Camden County indicate the typical household earns roughly $88,755 per year, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center is one of 158 public schools in Camden County (combined enrollment of about 82,104 students).

Waterford Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 2.7 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 5 other public schools.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 7%: 276 students in 2018 compared to 257 in 2025. The White share of enrollment fell from 82% to 75% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 12.1:1 in 2018 to 10.3:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.