Belleville Ps8, Belleville NJ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Belleville Ps8

Belleville PS8 is a regular public elementary school in the Belleville Public School District, serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The school is one of ten sites in the district, and it is integrated into the densely packed residential fabric of Belleville itself. The township, once a manufacturing hub, is now primarily a community of homes and local stores, and the public schools are spread across the neighborhoods rather than clustered on a single campus.

The student body is large for an elementary and middle school combined. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a marker of the community’s economic makeup. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black, white, and Asian students. English learner and special education counts were not provided in the available data; a parent may want to ask the school directly about these support programs.

State assessment results from the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments show a mixed academic picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates varied by grade, ranging from a low point in third grade to a stronger showing in fourth grade, with fifth and sixth grades falling in between. In math, the results were notably lower overall, with proficiency rates in some grades well below the level seen in ELA. Science results, tested in fifth grade only, were also low. The school’s overall proficiency index, which combines all tested subjects and grades, places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Essex County. This is a clear soft spot in the school’s profile, and a parent evaluating academic preparation will want to explore what supports are in place. Because the school serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to consider.

The school does not have course-access data, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism figures in this record, so it is not possible to speak to class sizes or the breadth of offerings. Likewise, no program information, such as arts, music, or gifted and talented tracks, was available. A parent should ask the school for details on these.

On the housing front, the Belleville area is relatively expensive. Home values in the immediate zip code have risen in the past year, and the typical rent is high, making the township a costly place for families. The broader Essex County housing market shows a limited supply of homes and a consistent number of pending sales, indicating steady demand.

In terms of district-level investment, voters approved a bond referendum in early 2022 to fund facility improvements across multiple school buildings, including roof and HVAC replacements, security upgrades, and ADA compliance. This signals a lasting financial commitment to the physical school environment, which families may weigh against the current academic performance data.

Belleville PS8 serves a large, diverse, and predominantly low-income student population in a dense, transit-connected township. The school’s academic results, particularly in math and science, are below the county median, and a family considering this school will want to investigate the specific supports for struggling students, the range of enrichment available, and how the school’s climate and safety measure up. The broader district has recently invested in its buildings, but the academic pathway through this school appears to be one where students may require additional attention to reach grade-level benchmarks.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 32% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 33% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 30% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 22% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 317%

School 17% · District 34% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 53% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 51% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 53% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 18% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 4 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-income16%Higher-income18%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income38%Higher-income50%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income32%Higher-income20%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income29%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income18%Higher-income22%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income41%Higher-income23%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income7%Higher-income0%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income10%Higher-income7%2 pp gap