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Avalon School District

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Coordinates: 39°05′42″N 74°43′29″W / 39.095134°N 74.724706°W / 39.095134; -74.724706
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Avalon School District
Avalon Elementary School and Free Public Library
Address
235 32nd Street
Avalon
, Cape May County, 08202
Coordinates39°05′42″N 74°43′29″W / 39.095134°N 74.724706°W / 39.095134; -74.724706
District information
GradesPreK-8
SuperintendentKathleen Fox
Business administratorLinda Fiori
Schools1
Students and staff
Enrollment92 (as of 2023–24)[1]
Faculty11.4 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio8.1:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupFG
Websitea.avalonstoneharborschools.org
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 K-8
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$43,77571$18,891131.7%
1Budgetary Cost44,0997114,159211.5%
2Classroom Instruction26,645718,659207.7%
6Support Services6,360702,167193.5%
8Administrative Cost1,834551,54718.6%
10Operations & Maintenance7,906711,612390.4%
13Extracurricular Activities49367104374.0%
16Median Teacher Salary71,7516961,136
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-8 districts with up to 400 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=71

Avalon School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Avalon, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3][4] Based on data from the 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending prepared by the New Jersey Department of Education, the Avalon district's total per pupil spending of $43,775 was the highest of any regular school district.[5]

Starting with the 2011-12 school year, in an agreement with the Stone Harbor School District, public school students in grades K-4 from both communities attend school at Stone Harbor Elementary School in Stone Harbor while all students in PreK and in grades 5-8 attend school in Avalon as part of a reciprocal sending/receiving relationship.[6][7]

As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 92 students and 11.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.1:1.[1] In the 2016–17 school year, Avalon had the smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 43 students.[8]

The district had been classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth-highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.[9]

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend Middle Township High School in Cape May Court House, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Middle Township Public Schools, together with students from Avalon, Dennis Township, Stone Harbor and Woodbine.[10][11] As of the 2023–24 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 825 students and 66.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1.[12]

Operations

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The Avalon and Stone Harbor school districts operate like a single school district and can move teachers between the two schools, even though they are legally two separate districts. In terms of their student populations both districts having among the lowest numbers in New Jersey.[13] The student sharing agreement means the Avalon and Stone Harbor districts retain foreign language and extracurricular programs they would not otherwise have.[13]

In 2017, Avalon School District was the New Jersey school district with the smallest student population.[14]

Schools

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Avalon Elementary School had an enrollment of 92 students in the 2023–24 school year in PreK and grades 5-8.[15]

The school has a ceramic kiln for its art room and an outdoor track which non-school individuals may use. It shares space with the Avalon Public Library. In 2016 the school had 60 students. About 40% of the combined Avalon and Stone Harbor students were from out of district and paid tuition, with many coming from the Cape May Courthouse area.[13]

Administration

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Core members of the district's administration are:[16]

  • Kathleen Fox, superintendent
  • Linda Fiori, business administrator and board secretary

Board of education

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The district's board of education, comprised of five members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration; a member from Stone Harbor represents that district on the Avalon board. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats up for election each year held (since 2012) as part of the November general election. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.[17][18][19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d District information for Avalon School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
  2. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ School Performance Reports for the Avalon School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  4. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Avalon School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  5. ^ O'Dea, Colleen. "Interactive Map: Per-Pupil Costs Vary Widely in New Jersey's Schools", NJ Spotlight, May 16, 2014. Accessed December 9, 2014. "Avalon, a small K-8 district in Cape May County, ranked most costly among non-special services districts, with a total of $43,775 for each of 106 students."
  6. ^ Avalon Elementary School 2016 School Report Card, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 12, 2017. "The district has entered into a 'send-receive' agreement with the neighboring district on the island to consolidate the instructional programs in the two schools. Stone Harbor houses the K-4 programs for both districts and Avalon houses grades 5-8. This expanded agreement has enriched our programs and has provided a rich social environment for our students."
  7. ^ About Us, Avalon Stone Harbor Schools. Accessed February 26, 2024. "The Avalon and Stone Harbor Elementary School districts were consolidated starting with the 2011-12 school year. Students in grades K-4 from both communities attend the school in Stone Harbor, while students in PreK and grades 5-8 go to the school in Avalon."
  8. ^ Guion, Payton. "These 43 N.J. school districts have fewer than 200 students", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 2017. Accessed January 30, 2020. "Based on data from the state Department of Education from the last school year and the Census Bureau, NJ Advance Media made a list of the smallest of the small school districts in the state, excluding charter schools and specialty institutions.... 1. Avalon Borough; Enrollment: 43; Grades: 5-8; County: Cape May; Town population: 1,334"
  9. ^ District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 1, 2024.
  10. ^ Middle Township High School 2015 School Report Card, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 30, 2016. "Middle Township High School is a four-year, accredited, comprehensive high school situated in central Cape May County. The school serves the communities of Middle Township, Dennis Township, Avalon, Stone Harbor, and Woodbine Borough."
  11. ^ Home page, Middle Township Public Schools. Accessed May 30, 2016. "The high school is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades. In addition to students from Middle Township, students from Avalon, Dennis Township, Stone Harbor and Woodbine attend the high school as part of sending/receiving relationships."
  12. ^ School data for Middle Township High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Grote, Dan (January 9, 2016). "As enrollment shrinks and taxes rise, school merger talk resumes". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  14. ^ Lowe, Claire (October 5, 2017). "Can school consolidation help improve education and save money in Cape May County?". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  15. ^ School Data for the Avalon Elementary School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
  16. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Cape May County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  17. ^ New Jersey Boards of Education by District Election Types - 2018 School Election, New Jersey Department of Education, updated February 16, 2018. Accessed January 26, 2020.
  18. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Avalon School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed February 26, 2024. "The Borough of Avalon School District is a Type II district located in the County of Cape May, State of New Jersey. As a Type II District, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The board is comprised of five members elected to three-year terms. Effective with the 2012 fiscal year, the election of Board Members was moved to the general election in November resulting in the members whose term would have expired in April of 2012 being carried over to December 31, 2012. The purpose of the district is to educate students in grades K-8."
  19. ^ Boards of Education, Avalon Stone Harbor School. Accessed February 26, 2024.
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