Thomas Paine Elementary School, Cherry Hill NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Thomas Paine Elementary School

Thomas Paine Elementary School sits within the Cherry Hill School District in Camden County, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular neighborhood public school. The school is modest in size for an elementary building, with an enrollment that draws from the surrounding suburban neighborhoods of this large township. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse: families of white background make up a plurality, and there are substantial shares of Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multiracial students. More than a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate level of economic diversity in the building. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not reported.

On state assessments administered through the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment, Thomas Paine students posted results that placed the school in the top quartile for overall proficiency when measured against other districts in Camden County. That is a clear strength. In third grade, roughly two-thirds of students met the proficient or advanced benchmarks in both math and English language arts. By fourth grade, the rates dipped: about half in ELA and just under half in math. Fifth-grade performance recovered somewhat, with a majority proficient in ELA and just over half in math. Science testing in fifth grade, with a different proficiency standard, showed just under two-fifths of students reaching the bar. These results suggest that the school performs solidly relative to its county peers, but the year-to-year variation within the building is something a parent may want to understand better by discussing grade-level trends with the school.

As an elementary school, Thomas Paine does not produce a graduation rate, and chronic absenteeism data was not available for this school. The district brief turned up no recent policy changes or referendums that would alter the day-to-day experience for families, so the school's programming appears stable.

Cherry Hill itself is a large, car-dependent suburban township that grew rapidly in the mid-20th century and remains a desirable location within commuting distance of Philadelphia, Camden, and Trenton. There is no traditional downtown; the Cherry Hill Mall functions as the de facto commercial and social center. The township maintains extensive parkland and cultural sites such as the Barclay Farmstead Museum and the Croft Farm Arts Center. Housing values in the area are moderately above national benchmarks, and the rental market is similarly positioned, reflecting the area's suburban appeal and access to employment centers.

For a family weighing this school, the takeaway is that Thomas Paine offers a solid academic foundation relative to other districts in the county, set within a diverse and economically mixed elementary environment. The housing market in Cherry Hill is competitive but not extreme for the region. A parent who wants to probe further might ask about the dip in fourth-grade scores and about how the school supports students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks, as well as the availability of enrichment or intervention programs, none of which were detailed in the available data.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 62% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 58% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 61% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 53% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 62% · ▼ 7 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 64% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Science

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 41% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 11 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 3Lower-income62%Higher-income69%7 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income70%42 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income65%29 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income54%Higher-income68%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income17%Higher-income64%47 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income56%6 pp gap