Lopatcong Township School District, NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Lopatcong Township School District

Lopatcong Township School District serves students from preschool through eighth grade in Warren County, New Jersey. The district is a mid-sized elementary and middle system feeding into a high school elsewhere; because it ends at grade eight, there is no graduation rate to report. Families considering this district will want to understand how their children perform during these foundational years and what recent changes mean for the experience.

State test results from the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments offer a detailed look at how students are doing. In mathematics, the share of students meeting proficiency standards fluctuates by grade but generally trends upward through the middle years. The strongest showing is in sixth grade, where a clear majority of students score at or above the proficiency threshold. The lower elementary grades have more modest results, with about half of third graders and just over two-fifths of fourth graders reaching that bar. By seventh and eighth grade, well over half of students are proficient. These math results position the district’s overall proficiency index in the top quartile among Warren County’s districts, a notable strength.

English language arts tells a somewhat different story. Performance in the early grades is softer: roughly two-fifths of third, fourth, and fifth graders meet the standard. The picture brightens considerably starting in sixth grade, where nearly three-fifths of students are proficient. Seventh and eighth graders post the strongest scores, with a substantial majority reaching proficiency. The trend suggests that the district’s literacy instruction may gain traction as students progress, something a parent might want to explore further by asking about specific interventions or curricula used in the primary years.

Science results, tested in grades five and eight, are significantly lower than math and ELA. Only a small share of students score at proficient levels in both tested grades. This is a soft spot, and families may want to ask the district how it is building science knowledge before the tested grades, especially given a recently aligned curriculum that emphasizes hands-on, three-dimensional learning aligned to the 2023 state standards.

The district’s chronic absenteeism rate sits above the midpoint among Warren County districts, meaning a larger-than-median share of students miss enough school to be considered chronically absent. This is worth noting as a factor that can affect academic progress.

Enrollment is distributed fairly evenly across grades, with slightly larger cohorts in the middle school years. The student body is diverse: a slight majority of students are white, with a significant share of Black students and Hispanic students, and a smaller but present Asian population. Economic data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available, so it is not possible to gauge the overall poverty level from this source.

Housing in the areas served by the district includes the Phillipsburg and Stewartsville ZIP codes. Home values and rents are moderate relative to the rest of New Jersey, with weighted estimates below the state benchmark. The county’s housing market is showing modest price increases, and inventory remains a bit tight. A family moving here would find a market that is not among the state's most expensive but has been rising.

The district has made several recent changes. It expanded its preschool program starting in 2023, adding seats for three- and four-year-olds funded by state Preschool Expansion Aid, using the Tools of the Mind curriculum. This is a concrete new option for families with young children. The 2024-25 budget increased spending while maintaining all existing programs and adding a school psychologist to expand mental health support. The budget led to a property tax increase for the average-assessed home. The district also overhauled its core subject curricula to align with the 2023 New Jersey Student Learning Standards, affecting what every student learns across all subjects. These actions signal a district investing in early education, mental health, and curricular rigor, even as per-pupil spending sits in the lower range among county districts.

Overall, Lopatcong Township School District offers a solid middle-performing elementary and middle school experience with clear strengths in middle-grade math and a trajectory of improving ELA scores. Parents will want to pay attention to the early-grade literacy and science results, and consider the chronic absenteeism rate. The recent preschool expansion and curriculum alignment are concrete developments that could shape the experience for incoming families.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

722

Grades

PK–08

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 16%

Black 20%

White 53%

Asian 9%

Two+ 2%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

38%

Gr 4

23%

45%

Gr 5

29%

38%

Gr 6

53%

61%

Gr 7

62%

72%

Gr 8

71%

80%

Math

Gr 3

33%

56%

Gr 4

27%

49%

Gr 5

71%

52%

Gr 6

47%

68%

Gr 7

44%

63%

Gr 8

41%

57%

Science

Gr 5

20%

Gr 8

23%

Schools in this District

2 schools are officially reported under this district.

Lopatcong Township Middle School

Lopatcong Elementary School

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

51%

Grade 3

42%

Grade 4

57%

Grade 5

63%

Grade 6

57%

Grade 7

53%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

38%

Grade 3

38%

Grade 4

36%

Grade 5

59%

Grade 6

69%

Grade 7

78%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

17%

Grade 5

19%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$379,137

Year-over-year change+2.3%

Range across 2 ZIP codes$340K to $505K

vs. state typical0.66x

vs. national typical1.03x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (2 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
08865	Phillipsburg	$340K	+1.8%	76.1%
08886	Stewartsville	$505K	+3.8%	23.9%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,906/mo

Year-over-year change+4.5%

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (1 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
08865	Phillipsburg	$1,906	+4.5%	76.1%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,913/mo

Home price / national median income4.5x

Annual rent / national median income27.3%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$7/mo

Market Activity: Warren County

Median listing price$450,000

Median listing price YoY+5.9%

Median price per sq ft$236

Median price per sq ft YoY+0.4%

Median days on market28.8 days

Median days on market YoY+10.6%

Active listings239

Active listings YoY+0.8%

New listings144

New listings YoY+12.5%

Pending listings162

Pending listings YoY+8.0%

Hotness: median listing price$441,725

Hotness: median listing price YoY+4.6%

Supply score95.7

Supply score YoY-0.7%

Demand score83.3

Demand score YoY+1.1%

Median listing price (12 months)

Median price per sq ft (12 months)

Median days on market (12 months)

Active listings (12 months)

New listings (12 months)

Pending listings (12 months)

Hotness: median listing price (12 months)

Supply score (12 months)

Demand score (12 months)

Comparison

State typical home value$571,373 (+3.4% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.