Belleville Ps3, Belleville NJ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Belleville Ps3

Belleville PS3 is a regular public elementary school in the Belleville Public School District, serving kindergarten through sixth grade. It is one of ten schools scattered across the township, not a single campus, so students attend a neighborhood school. The school is a small one for its grade band.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of White, Black, and Asian students, as well as a handful of students who identify as two or more races or as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. A substantial majority of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a higher-poverty context than many of its peers.

State testing results from the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments show a picture of uneven performance across grade levels and subjects. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above rises steadily from a lower level in third grade to a stronger level in sixth grade, where roughly three-fifths of students met the bar. In math, the pattern is less consistent, with proficiency rates varying from grade to grade and the highest showing being a modest share of fifth graders meeting the standard. Science results, which are tested only in fifth grade, are softer, with roughly one-quarter of students scoring proficient or above. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages these rates across all tested subjects and grades, sits below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Essex County. A parent may want to discuss with the school how achievement varies across grades and what supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting state benchmarks.

Because the school ends at grade six, there is no graduation rate to examine. The school also did not report data on chronic absenteeism, special education placement, or English learner services in the available records, which limits what can be said about student support systems. The district, publicly reported, passed a bond referendum in early 2022 to fund facility improvements including roof replacements, HVAC upgrades, security enhancements, and ADA compliance projects across multiple school buildings, an investment that affects the physical learning environment and local property taxes.

Belleville itself is a densely populated, residential township that has moved away from its industrial past. The streets are lined with homes and local stores, and the built environment is compact. Major roadways like Route 21 have cut off the historic connection to the riverfront, but Branch Brook Park, which borders the township and is known for its cherry blossom display, offers a notable civic anchor. The population has grown steadily over recent census periods, and the township maintains its residential character. The Belleville Public School District is one of the larger local employers, alongside the township government. Housing values and rents in the area reflect a market where the typical home value sits above the national median but below the state median, and the typical rent consumes a large share of a median household income. The housing market in Essex County shows a low supply of available homes and steady demand, with homes selling relatively quickly.

For a family considering this school, the primary considerations are the demographic and economic context of the school community, the uneven academic results across subjects and grades, and the fact that students will move on to a separate middle and high school after sixth grade. The physical infrastructure of the district is in the process of being upgraded, which is a tangible benefit. Families who value a neighborhood school in a dense, walkable township with a strong Hispanic community may find PS3 a natural fit, but those looking for consistently high proficiency rates across all tested areas will want to examine how the school supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks and how the academic trajectory changes in the upper grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 32% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 33% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 30% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 22% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 34% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 53% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 51% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 53% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 18% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

This schoolBelleville Public 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 3Lower-income36%Higher-income33%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income56%1 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income69%Higher-income54%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income24%Higher-income27%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income44%1 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income33%3 pp gap