Hillside Intermediate School, Bridgewater NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Hillside Intermediate School

Hillside Intermediate School serves fifth and sixth graders within the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, a mid-sized suburban district in Somerset County. The school is a regular public school and does not have charter or magnet status. Because it serves only two grades and no high school grades, there is no graduation rate, chronic absenteeism rate, or other high-school-level outcomes to report. The school has no Title I designation, meaning it does not draw federal funding for high-poverty supports.

The student body is diverse but leans predominantly white and Asian. A small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure well below the national average and consistent with an affluent community. Special education and English learner counts were not reported in the available data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about support services for those populations.

Academically, Hillside posts mixed results on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments. In English language arts, a majority of both fifth and sixth graders score at or above proficiency, with sixth graders performing at a notably higher level than fifth graders, though both grades show solid results relative to state averages. Math proficiency is lower, with about half of sixth graders and a slightly higher share of fifth graders meeting the bar; the difference between the two grades is modest. Science results, tested only in fifth grade, are noticeably weaker: well below half of students scored proficient. This is a softer area, and a parent may want to discuss science instruction with the school.

When compared to all other school districts in Somerset County, Hillside's overall proficiency across its tested subjects and grades places it below the midpoint in the county. This positions the school in the middle of a competitive county that includes some of the state's highest-performing districts. A family moving into the area with a focus on strong academic outcomes may want to examine how the school addresses its weaker areas, particularly math and science, relative to its peers.

Bridgewater itself is a large, developed suburban township that functions as a regional commercial hub and a commuter base for New York City, with a dense network of highways and transit rail service. The housing market reflects this desirability. Homes and rents are priced substantially above state and national averages, and while the township has seen steady growth over recent decades, it is largely built out, with limited remaining developable land. A typical mortgage payment in the area is high, and rents are also elevated relative to typical incomes. This is an expensive place to live, and school quality is a major factor in the local housing calculus.

The district recently passed a large bond referendum for renovations to the high school, covering HVAC, security, and accessibility, which will carry a recurring property-tax cost. A new K-12 literacy and math curriculum aligned with New Jersey standards has also been phased in, affecting classrooms at Hillside directly. These are significant, parent-relevant changes that will shape the instructional environment. A family considering the district should factor in the tax increase and the curriculum shift as ongoing realities.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 57% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 53% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 567%

School 67% · District 63% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 670%

School 70% · District 72% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 41% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

This schoolBridgewater-Raritan Regional 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 5Lower-income48%Higher-income70%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income78%46 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income65%35 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income13%Higher-income60%47 pp gap