The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Woodrow Wilson Middle School
Woodrow Wilson Middle School serves students in grades six through eight in the Clifton Public School District, a dense suburb roughly a 15-mile drive west of Midtown Manhattan. The school is located on Van Houten Avenue in Clifton, a city crisscrossed by major highways including Route 3, Route 46, and the Garden State Parkway, and one that functions as both a bedroom community for New York City commuters and a commercial center in its own right. Clifton’s built environment is predominantly suburban and oriented around highway corridors, though the Main Mall area serves as a de facto downtown and two NJ Transit train stations provide rail access to the region. The city’s population has been stable in recent years, with a slight decline from its 2020 census count suggested by a 2023 estimate; the district itself, according to the available data, has not seen any major recent changes in curriculum, referendums, or property tax shifts that could be confirmed from public sources.
Woodrow Wilson is a regular public school with a large enrollment for a middle school. The student body is diverse in its composition: a majority of students are Hispanic, with a substantial share of White students, smaller Asian and Black populations, and very small numbers of students identifying as two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. A notable portion of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic diversity of the community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the provided records, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the supports in place for those populations.
On the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, the school’s performance presents a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates rise across the grades: sixth grade is below the midpoint, seventh grade reaches above the midpoint, and eighth grade is similarly above the midpoint. Math proficiency rates are lower and decline across the grades, with sixth grade modest, seventh grade slightly better, and eighth grade the weakest of the three. When combining all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint among districts in Passaic County. Eighth-grade science results, which use a different proficiency standard, show a small share of students meeting the bar, a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school. Participation rates were not reported in the data, so it is unclear whether all enrolled students took these tests.
The school’s overall proficiency standing relative to other districts in Passaic County is below the midpoint. This comparison includes more than two dozen districts across the county, placing Woodrow Wilson in the middle-lower range on this aggregated metric. No graduation rate is reported, as the school serves only middle grades. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available.
Because the school is a middle school, it does not offer the advanced coursework or career pathways that a high school would, and no program offerings were included in the data. The district brief turned up little recent news of note, and the school’s own website was not part of the provided materials, so families looking for information on specific electives, clubs, or enrichment opportunities would need to seek that from the school directly.
For a family considering this school, the core picture is a large, diverse middle school in a highway-linked suburb with commuter access to New York City, where proficiency in English language arts meets or exceeds state benchmarks in the upper grades while math and science scores are lower. A parent may want to learn more about the math and science curriculum and intervention supports, as well as the availability of programs for English learners and students with disabilities, to see how well the school fits their child’s needs.
See more original research from School Decision →