John A. Carusi Middle School, Cherry Hill NJ

Original Research by School Decision on John A. Carusi Middle School

John A. Carusi Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in the Cherry Hill School District, a large suburban district in Camden County. Situated in a township known for its mid-century suburban growth and commercial corridors, Carusi is a regular public school with a substantial enrollment for a middle school. The school draws from neighborhoods that reflect the broader Cherry Hill community, which has become increasingly diverse in recent decades.

On state assessments administered through New Jersey’s NJSLA, Carusi’s results present a mixed picture. In English language arts, students across grades six through eight show stronger proficiency rates, with the highest share meeting expectations in sixth grade. The eighth-grade ELA rate is lower but still above a simple majority. Math tells a different story. Proficiency declines sharply as students progress: sixth grade approaches a moderate level, seventh grade drops, and eighth-grade math proficiency falls to a very low rate. Eighth-grade science proficiency is also weak. When the school is compared with other middle schools across Camden County using a composite index that averages proficiency across all tested subjects and grades, Carusi lands above the county midpoint. That positioning suggests that while some subjects lag, the school’s overall academic profile sits in the middle tier of its county peers, not at the bottom. A parent considering Carusi may want to investigate math support and intervention programs, especially as students approach the high school transition.

The student body is diverse. White students make up the largest single group, followed by Hispanic students, then roughly equal shares of Asian and Black students, with a smaller number of multiracial students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic need that is moderate by suburban standards. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners were not available, so a family seeking specialized support services should ask the school directly for those figures. The enrollment is large enough that class sizes and building capacity are likely considerations for day-to-day experience.

Cherry Hill itself is a car-dependent, built-out suburb without a traditional downtown. Its commercial life centers on the Cherry Hill Mall and highway retail strips. The housing market reflects a desirable Philadelphia suburb: home values are well above national levels and have been rising, and rents follow a similar pattern. The township’s Asian American population, including a notable Korean American business corridor, has grown rapidly, and the public library is described as the heart of the community. The district’s own profile did not yield specific recent changes in curriculum, facilities referendums, or pedagogy that would affect a middle school family’s decision, so the operating environment appears stable but not in the midst of a notable shift.

For a family comparing middle schools, Carusi offers a large, diverse peer environment in a community with strong housing demand and a solid overall academic standing relative to other Camden County districts. The clear academic weakness in secondary math and science, particularly by eighth grade, means that how the school addresses those subjects, through intervention programs, teacher support, or course placement practices, is worth a direct conversation with the administration. The strengths in English language arts through the middle grades are a genuine bright spot. This is a school that fits a family looking for a conventional middle school experience in a well-regarded suburban system, with the understanding that math achievement will require active monitoring.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 49% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 39% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 18% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 66% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 762%

School 62% · District 66% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 67% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 28% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

This schoolCherry Hill 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 6Lower-income54%Higher-income70%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income45%Higher-income70%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income36%Higher-income56%19 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income28%Higher-income43%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income18%Higher-income36%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income6%Higher-income7%1 pp gap