School #4, Clifton NJ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on School #4

School #4 is a regular public elementary school in Clifton, part of the Clifton Public School District, serving children from pre-K through fifth grade. With a relatively small enrollment for its grade band, it operates as a neighborhood school in a city that functions as both a dense suburb and a regional commercial hub for North Jersey, about a short drive from Midtown Manhattan. The school sits in a ZIP code where housing values and rents are consistent with the broader Passaic County market, and the surrounding community is heavily oriented around highway corridors and commuter rail.

The student body reflects the diversity of Clifton. A substantial share of students come from households with economic need, as indicated by the free or reduced-price lunch rate. In terms of racial and ethnic composition, the largest group is Hispanic, followed by White students, with smaller shares of Asian, Black, multiracial, and Native American students. The school serves a young population, so there is no graduation rate to report, and state testing data is only available for grades three through five, which are the tested grade levels.

On the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, School #4’s proficiency rates across math, English language arts, and science are below what many families might expect. The share of students scoring proficient or above in math and ELA varies by grade but generally sits in a range that is modest compared with state averages. Science proficiency in grade five is notably low. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages these results, places it below the midpoint among districts in Passaic County. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say whether performance is improving or declining. A parent considering this school may want to talk with the administration about what academic supports and interventions are in place for students who are below grade level.

Information about certain school characteristics was not provided. Data on students with disabilities and English learners, as well as discipline, staffing, and attendance figures, are missing. These are important factors for understanding the full picture of student support; a parent should feel comfortable asking the school directly about these topics.

Clifton itself is a populous municipality with distinct neighborhoods, two train stations, and extensive highway access. The city’s growth and development have been steady over the long term, though recent population estimates suggest a slight leveling off. The public search for district-level changes, such as curriculum updates or facility referendums, turned up little of lasting impact in the recent period.

School #4 is a small, high-poverty elementary school in a commuter suburb with a diverse student body. Its academic results are an area where families will want to seek further information from the school and district about how the school supports student learning and whether there are programs or resources in place to raise proficiency rates.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 47% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 39% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 36% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 34% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 44% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 43% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 19% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below 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.