Christopher Columbus Middle School, Clifton NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Christopher Columbus Middle School

Christopher Columbus Middle School sits in Clifton, a dense suburb roughly midway between Manhattan and the western reaches of Passaic County. Clifton is a city of highways and neighborhoods: Routes 3, 46, 19, 21, and the Garden State Parkway cut through it, giving many residents a car-dependent commute, while two NJ Transit train stations at Delawanna and Athenia offer rail access to New York. The Main Mall area functions as the downtown, and the housing market reflects the region's pressure. Home values and rents are high, and the area shows strong demand with a limited supply of listings.

The school itself serves grades six through eight and is a regular public school within the Clifton Public School District. The enrollment is large for a middle school, drawing students from across the city. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with white students making up the next-largest group, followed by much smaller shares of Asian, Black, multiracial, and Native American students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator that a majority of families face economic constraints.

For a parent weighing academic fit, the state assessment results are the central fact. Christopher Columbus Middle School's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile among districts in Passaic County. The pattern is consistent across subjects. In English language arts, about a third of sixth graders and a similar share of seventh graders scored proficient, while eighth graders reached a moderately higher level. Math results were lower across all three grades, with the eighth-grade math proficiency figure notably depressed. Science scores, assessed only in eighth grade, were the weakest area. A parent looking at these results will want to investigate how the school supports students who are below grade level and what strategies the school is using for improvement.

Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to consider. Data on chronic absenteeism was not available, and civil rights breakdowns by student group were missing from the record, so a parent who wants to understand how different populations are performing should ask the school directly for that information.

The district brief turned up no parent-relevant changes such as recent referendums, curriculum shifts, or boundary adjustments. The district appears to have been stable in that sense, though the absence of news does not mean nothing is happening; it means nothing surfaced in the search.

On the community side, Clifton's population grew steadily through the decades up to 2020, with an estimate since then suggesting a very slight decline. The city was incorporated more than a century ago and has a long history as an agricultural hub, though that character is long gone. The housing inventory in the county has been tight, with the median list price remaining high and homes selling quickly. Clifton offers a mix of older neighborhoods and commercial corridors, and for a family considering a move here, the housing cost will be a major factor alongside the school's academic profile.

For a family that values a diverse, urban-suburban environment with strong transit access to New York, Christopher Columbus Middle School sits in a convenient location. The academic data, however, shows a school that is struggling relative to others in Passaic County. A parent considering this school should ask about interventions, tutoring, and how the school is working to raise proficiency, especially in math and science.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 28% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 32% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 20% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 36%

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

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 45% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 47% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Science

Grade 88%

School 8% · District 11% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

This schoolClifton 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 6Lower-income33%Higher-income46%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income34%Higher-income47%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income37%Higher-income61%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income19%Higher-income37%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income41%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income12%Higher-income19%7 pp gap