Joseph D. Sharp Elementary School, Cherry Hill NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Joseph D. Sharp Elementary School

JosephD. Sharp Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Cherry Hill, a large suburban township in Camden County. It is a regular public school and part of the Cherry Hill School District. The school’s academic performance on New Jersey’s state assessments is a clear strength. In mathematics, students in grades three, four, and five posted proficiency rates that are well above typical levels; the same holds for English language arts, where results are consistently strong across all tested grades. Fifth-grade science results, while somewhat lower than the math and ELA marks, still show a majority of students meeting the state’s proficiency standard. Looking at the full picture of tested subjects and grades, Sharp Elementary stands in the top quartile when compared with other schools among the county’s many districts. That is a high-performing school by any measure.

The student body is about four hundred and forty children. The school is notably diverse, with the two largest groups being White and Asian students. Asian enrollment is substantial, making up roughly a third of the school, and the remainder includes Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. About one in seven students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a relatively low rate that points to an overall middle- to upper-middle-income community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not provided; that gap may reflect how the school reports or tracks these populations, and a parent may want to ask the school directly about the supports available.

Cherry Hill itself is a sprawling, car-dependent township with no traditional downtown. Its commercial life is built around the Cherry Hill Mall and retail corridors along major highways. The area has seen steady population growth over the past decade, with particularly rapid growth in the Asian American community. Housing values in the school’s zip code are well above the national median, consistent with a desirable Philadelphia suburb that draws families who value strong schools. The local housing market shows active competition, with homes selling relatively quickly and prices rising. This is an expensive place to buy a home, and the school’s strong reputation is likely a factor.

The school runs from kindergarten through fifth grade, meaning students move on to a Cherry Hill middle school and then one of the district’s two comprehensive high schools, both of which have strong academic reputations. No districtwide changes—such as a recent referendum, curriculum overhaul, or boundary shift—were reported in publicly available materials, so families should assume the district’s programs and structures are stable absent further inquiry.

Sharp Elementary is a good fit for families who place a high priority on strong academic foundations in elementary school and who are able to afford the area’s housing costs. The school’s high proficiency rates across math and reading, combined with its diverse but relatively affluent peer environment, suggest a setting where most students are meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations. Families who value a traditional suburban elementary experience with strong results will find Sharp a compelling option. Those seeking specific support for English learners or special education should seek additional information directly from the school, as that data was not available in the records reviewed.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 379%

School 79% · District 62% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 58% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Grade 582%

School 82% · District 61% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 53% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 62% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 586%

School 86% · District 64% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Science

Grade 567%

School 67% · District 41% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 39 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 4Lower-income83%Higher-income79%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income86%Higher-income86%1 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income67%Higher-income82%15 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income79%Higher-income82%4 pp gap