Richmond Avenue School, Atlantic City NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Richmond Avenue School

Richmond Avenue School serves students from prekindergarten through eighth grade, making it a single-building pathway through elementary and middle school within the Atlantic City School District. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it draws from the residential areas of Atlantic City, a seaside resort town where a large tourism and gaming economy sits alongside established neighborhoods. The contrast between the Boardwalk casino corridor and the city’s lower-income residential blocks is a defining feature of the community. A substantial share of students at Richmond Avenue School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which aligns with the broader economic conditions of the city.

The student body is diverse. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by a sizable Asian population and a smaller Black student presence. White and multiracial students each account for a modest portion of the enrollment. This composition reflects the surrounding community, and families considering the school will encounter a genuinely multiethnic peer environment.

On the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, Richmond Avenue School’s proficiency rates in English language arts are generally solid across the tested grades. In several elementary grades, the share of students meeting or exceeding expectations is notably strong. The middle school grades show a gradual decline in ELA proficiency, though the rates remain at a moderate level. Math proficiency follows a clearer downward trend. Students in the earlier elementary grades post competitive results, but by sixth grade and continuing through eighth grade, the share of students scoring proficient drops steadily, settling at a lower rate by the end of middle school. Science results, which are tested in fifth and eighth grades, show weaker performance, with a relatively small share of students scoring proficient. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports students who struggle in math and science as they move into the upper grades, and whether there are targeted interventions or extended learning opportunities in the middle school years.

Because Richmond Avenue School serves only prekindergarten through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not offer high school level programs such as Advanced Placement or career and technical education pathways. Students who complete eighth grade here will move on to Atlantic City High School for ninth through twelfth grades.

The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile relative to other school districts in Atlantic County. This is a meaningful point of comparison because it positions Richmond Avenue School’s academic results as stronger than many of its peers within the same county, though the gap between elementary and middle school math performance is something to watch.

The district has conducted a bond referendum, which publicly reported on, but specific details about what projects or priorities the bond would fund were not available in the data reviewed. A parent might want to contact the district or the school directly to learn about any facility improvements, technology investments, or program expansions tied to that referendum.

Housing in Atlantic City is more affordable than the state benchmark, with home values and rents well below the New Jersey median. The county housing market shows a moderate number of active listings and a typical pace of days on market. For families looking to buy or rent near the school, the market offers options that are relatively accessible compared to much of the state, though the city’s mix of older housing stock and seasonal tourism properties means the quality and condition of available homes varies block by block.

Richmond Avenue School offers a consistent, neighborhood-based education from early childhood through eighth grade, with the strongest academic results appearing in elementary grades, particularly in English language arts. Families who value a diverse, nonselective school environment and want a single school for their child’s pre-high school years will find a clear option here. Those concerned about the drop in middle school math and science proficiency may want to learn more about how the school prepares its older students for the transition to high school coursework.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 21% · ▲ 37 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 20% · ▲ 48 pts above district

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

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 19% · ▲ 41 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 18% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 741%

School 41% · District 17% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 12% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 368%

School 68% · District 27% · ▲ 41 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 485%

School 85% · District 32% · ▲ 53 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 34% · ▲ 32 pts above district

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

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 35% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 758%

School 58% · District 37% · ▲ 21 pts above district

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

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 36% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 11% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 4% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

This schoolAtlantic City School District, 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 6Lower-income55%Higher-income100%45 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income54%Higher-income80%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income73%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income40%Higher-income46%6 pp gap