Henry B. Wilson Family School, Camden NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Henry B. Wilson Family School

Henry B. Wilson Family School is a regular public school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in the Camden City School District. It sits in the South Camden neighborhood, a dense urban section of a small post-industrial city that sits directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. Camden lost most of its historic manufacturing base—Campbell Soup, RCA Victor, New York Shipbuilding—in the mid-to-late twentieth century and has since been rebuilding its economy around healthcare and education institutions. Poverty remains widespread across the city, and the school’s enrollment reflects a community with concentrated economic need.

The school serves a student body that is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with small numbers of White and Asian students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic challenges families in the district face. The school is neither a charter nor a magnet, and it operates as a traditional neighborhood school within the Camden City system.

On state assessments administered in the most recent school year, the proportions of students scoring at the proficient level or above were very low across almost every grade and subject. In mathematics, results ranged from a small share of students in fourth and seventh grades meeting the mark to none reaching proficiency in fifth, sixth, and eighth grades. In English language arts, fourth grade and eighth grade showed a modest share reaching proficiency, while the other grades saw only a handful of students score at that level. Science results in both fifth and eighth grades were similarly low, with very few students scoring proficient. Across the entire school, the combined proficiency rate places the school in the bottom quartile among the 38 districts in Camden County that had reported testing data. This is a significant soft spot, and any parent considering this school should look closely into what academic supports are in place and what recent efforts the district has undertaken to address low attainment.

Because the school serves grades only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism and discipline were not available, nor were details on course access, staffing ratios, or special education and English learner populations. A search for recent district-level changes or initiatives turned up little that was publicly documented, so it is difficult to describe any concrete shifts in programming or leadership.

Housing in the immediate area is among the more affordable in the county, with home values well below state and national benchmarks. Rents are also relatively modest. The broader Camden housing market shows a growing number of active and pending listings, and median listing prices have risen modestly over the past year, though values remain a fraction of those in more affluent suburban communities. The city’s population has continued to decline gradually, even as redevelopment projects along the waterfront attract corporate relocations and new investment. The mix of ongoing revitalization and persistent economic hardship shapes the environment that families in this school community navigate every day.

For a family weighing this school, the picture is straightforward. Henry B. Wilson Family School is a neighborhood K-8 in a district and a city facing deep and long-standing structural challenges. Its academic results are among the lowest in the county. The school likely serves as a stable, familiar institution for families in South Camden, but its performance data raise serious questions about whether students are being prepared for the academic demands of high school. A parent should seek direct information from the school about intervention programs, tutoring, and any recent instructional changes.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 32%

School 2% · District 21% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 48 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 14% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 8% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 5% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 77%

School 7% · District 7% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 2% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 32%

School 2% · District 15% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 26% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 16% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 50 pts below state median · ▼ 48 pts below county median

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 11% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 73%

School 3% · District 11% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 54 pts below state median · ▼ 41 pts below county median

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 9% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 6% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 0%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

This schoolCamden City 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 4Lower-income34%Higher-income0%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income24%Higher-income0%24 pp gap