The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in English language arts. The lowest is 63% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Florence M. Burd
Florence M. Burd is a regular public school serving preschool through fourth grade in the Andover Regional School District, located in Newton, the county seat of Sussex County. Because the school only covers early and elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or secondary-level program data to consider; the academic picture is limited to math and English language arts state assessments in grades three and four.
On the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment, performance varies by grade and subject. In grade three, math proficiency is below the school’s own fourth-grade results and lags behind the English results for the same grade, a gap a parent may want to ask about. Fourth-grade math, however, is notably stronger, and fourth-grade English is solid as well. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile among districts in Sussex County, which is a meaningful strength. Still, the grade-level variation means that a child’s experience with the material may differ depending on the year and subject, and the reported figures reflect a single testing cycle; a parent could ask the school how instruction addresses the third-grade math results.
The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic group and smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Just under one in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a modest share. Enrollment across the grades is fairly even, with around four dozen students per grade level, suggesting class sizes that are manageable. Data on special education and English learner populations were not available in the source materials; if those are important to a family, the school should be able to supply them directly.
Newton itself is a compact, walkable town built around a historic downtown core, with the Spring Street Commercial District, the Newton Town Green, the Sussex County Courthouse, and the Newton Theatre forming its civic and cultural spine. Major employers include county government, Newton Medical Center, and Sussex County Community College, which sits on a separate campus on the town’s outskirts. Housing values in the zip code are above the national median but below the New Jersey state average, and the Sussex County market has seen a modest uptick in both active listings and median listing price, indicating a fairly active but not overheated market. Rents are also relatively elevated compared to incomes, which is a consideration for families who rent rather than own.
The Andover Regional School District appears to have had no major referendums, curriculum overhauls, or property-tax shifts in the recent period that rose to the level of public record in the search conducted. That suggests stability, but it also means there is little publicly reported information about district-level priorities or upcoming changes. A parent looking for the district’s strategic direction may need to contact the central office directly.
Several data gaps are worth noting. No chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, or course-access figures were available. Civil rights data were absent as well. The school serves only through fourth grade, so after that, students would move to a different building within the district; families with older children should investigate the full K-12 pathway. Taken as a whole, Florence M. Burd presents as a solid elementary school within a stable county-seat town, with above-average proficiency relative to its county peers, though the uneven grade-level results invite follow-up.
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