Richard Butler School, Butler NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Richard Butler School

Richard Butler School serves students in fifth through eighth grade as the middle-level school in the Butler Public School District, a three-school system embedded in the small, densely settled borough of Butler in Morris County. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and sits within the borough’s compact residential fabric rather than on a separate campus. Enrollment is modest for a mid-grade school, and the student body is majority white with a sizeable Hispanic population; about a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a moderate share for the region.

Academically, the picture that emerges from state assessment results is mixed and varies noticeably by subject and grade. In English language arts, a majority of students score at proficient or above in every tested grade, with particularly strong results in grades six and seven, where the share reaching proficiency is well above the state’s midpoint. This is a clear strength. Math performance is more uneven: fifth and seventh graders score at roughly half proficient or better, but sixth grade results fall below that threshold, and eighth grade math shows a sharp drop, with only a modest share of students meeting the standard. Science results follow a similar pattern, with relatively stronger performance in fifth grade and a weak showing in eighth grade, where the proficient share is small. Overall, when combining all tested subjects and grades, the school’s composite proficiency index lands in the bottom quarter among districts in Morris County, a high-performing county overall. A parent considering Richard Butler School may want to explore the school’s approach to math and science instruction in the upper grades, especially as students approach the transition to high school.

Because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing were not available in the source material, so those dimensions cannot be described here. That does not mean the school’s environment or support systems are weak; it simply means the public data record for this school is incomplete on those fronts.

The community context matters. Butler is a small borough with a historic industrial past, now primarily residential, with a traditional Main Street and everyday services within walking distance for many families. The housing market across Morris County is expensive, with home values well above national averages and a competitive market that has seen steady demand. For families moving into the borough, the schools are physically integrated into the neighborhood. The district itself did not have publicly reported recent changes or initiatives that would be relevant to a parent choosing a school.

For whom does Richard Butler School fit best? A family that values a small, neighborhood-based middle school in a compact borough with a walkable core and a mix of older and newer homes may find the setting appealing. Academically, a student who is strong in reading and writing will find reinforcement in the school’s better ELA results. A parent whose child struggles with math or science, particularly in the later middle grades, will want to understand what interventions or support the school provides. The school’s overall performance places it in a lower tier relative to many other Morris County districts, but the county itself includes many of the highest-performing schools in New Jersey, so the comparison is a steep one. Within that context, Richard Butler School offers a typical middle school experience in a tight-knit community, with clear academic strengths in language arts and areas that merit further inquiry in math and science.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 41%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 753%

School 53% · District 53%

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

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 19%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 72%

▲ 18 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 775%

School 75% · District 75%

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

Grade 866%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Science

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 36%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 14%

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

This schoolButler 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 5Lower-income33%Higher-income71%37 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income59%Higher-income80%21 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income59%Higher-income86%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income46%Higher-income75%29 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income44%Higher-income46%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income20%Higher-income54%34 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income28%Higher-income70%43 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income5%Higher-income26%21 pp gap