Chatham Middle School, Chatham NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Chatham Middle School

Chatham Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in the School District of the Chathams, a regional district that covers both Chatham Borough and Chatham Township. The school is a regular public middle school located on Main Street in the borough, which is a high-income, primarily residential commuter town about a short drive west of New York City. The community is pedestrian-friendly, with a compact downtown and a railroad station that connects residents to Manhattan. Housing values in the area are among the highest in the state, and the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is very small, reflecting the affluence of the surrounding community.

Academically, the school’s test results present a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates were solid across all three grades, with the strongest showing in sixth grade. Math results were strong in sixth and seventh grades but dropped sharply in eighth grade, where the proportion of students scoring proficient or above was much lower. Science results for eighth graders fell in a moderate range. Overall, when looking at combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades, the school sits below the midpoint compared with other districts in Morris County. A parent considering this school would likely want to ask the school directly about the eighth-grade math results and what supports are in place to address that gap.

The student body is predominantly white, with Asian students making up the next largest group, followed by smaller shares of Hispanic, multiracial, and Black students. Enrollment is evenly distributed across the three grades, each with roughly the same number of students. Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism and discipline were not available in this profile.

A significant change is coming at the start of the next school year. The district is reconfiguring grade levels across its elementary and middle schools, and Chatham Middle School will add fifth grade, becoming a five-through-eight school. This is a lasting structural shift driven by enrollment trends and class-size considerations and will change which grade a child transfers into this building.

The school’s academic strengths are clearly in English language arts and in math at the earlier middle-school grades. The weakness in eighth-grade math is the most notable thing a parent would want to explore further, along with how the upcoming grade realignment might affect instruction and course offerings. The community context is one of high demand for housing and strong local investment in schools, which supports a well-resourced environment.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 772%

School 72% · District 72%

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 10%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 684%

School 84% · District 84%

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Science

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 41%

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

This schoolSchool District of the Chathams, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 7Lower-income20%Higher-income75%55 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income18%Higher-income70%52 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income10%Higher-income74%64 pp gap