Belleville Ps5, Belleville NJ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Belleville Ps5

Belleville PS5 is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in the Belleville Public School District. The school is one of ten campuses in the township, integrated into the residential neighborhoods rather than set on a single outlying site. The student body is moderately sized for its grade band, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of White, Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on the share of students with individualized education programs and those classified as English learners was not reported, so a parent wanting a full picture of special education or language support should ask the school directly.

On state assessments administered through the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment, reading and writing scores were stronger than math scores across the tested grades. In third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, the proportion of students meeting the proficient-or-above benchmark in English language arts reached a solid level, particularly in fourth and fifth grades. Math proficiency fell from grade to grade, with the highest rates in third grade and a sharp drop by sixth grade. Science, assessed only in fifth grade, showed a much lower proficiency rate, though it is worth noting that New Jersey uses a different set of performance levels for science than for math and ELA. Overall, the school’s combined academic performance across all tested subjects and grades was below the midpoint relative to other districts in Essex County. This context matters for a parent comparing options within the county, though a single school index does not capture the grade-by-grade variation that families may find more useful when considering their child’s particular year.

Because the school stops at sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report; students move on to the district’s middle and high schools. Data on chronic absenteeism were also not available, so it is not possible to gauge attendance patterns from this information.

Belleville itself is a densely populated residential township in Essex County that has shifted away from its historical manufacturing roots. Major employers are largely public sector, including the school district and the township government. The housing market in the area reflects typical patterns for the region, with home values and rents in a range that many families in the county would recognize. In early 2022, voters approved a bond referendum for district-wide facility improvements that included roof replacements, HVAC upgrades, security enhancements, and accessibility work. That investment means the physical plant at PS5 and other buildings has received recent attention, though the narrative does not specify which items directly affected this particular school.

For a family living in Belleville or considering a move there, PS5 offers a neighborhood elementary experience with a diverse student body and an academic profile that combines stronger literacy results with math and science outcomes that lag behind. The district’s recent commitment to infrastructure upgrades may provide reassurance about the learning environment. A parent whose child needs strong early literacy support may find the school’s ELA performance encouraging, while one focused on math or science preparation might want to investigate what resources the school provides in those areas beyond the state test results. The absence of English learner and special education data at the school level means any family with those specific needs should contact the school directly to understand the available services.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 32% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 33% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 619%

School 19% · District 22% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 34% · ▲ 22 pts above district

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

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 53% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 51% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 655%

School 55% · District 53% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 18% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below 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-income50%Higher-income69%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income67%Higher-income65%2 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income59%Higher-income69%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income53%Higher-income59%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income38%Higher-income69%31 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income50%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income24%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income22%Higher-income12%10 pp gap