The top reported proficiency rate is 43% in Math. The lowest is 18% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on School #5
School #5 is a regular public elementary school in Clifton, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of the neighborhood schools within the Clifton Public School District. The school’s enrollment is mid-sized for an elementary building, with a student body that spans the early grades. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is at a level often seen in districts with a mix of incomes; just under half of the students qualify, reflecting a school that serves a substantial number of families who could benefit from meal support.
Demographically, the student population is majority Hispanic and Latino, making up over half of the enrollment. White students account for roughly a third, while Asian students and Black students each represent smaller shares. This composition gives the school a culturally diverse peer environment, one that is common in many North Jersey communities. Data on the share of students with disabilities or those classified as English learners was not available for School #5, though families may want to ask the school directly about how it supports these groups.
Academically, the school’s performance on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments presents a mixed picture. Overall proficiency across the tested subjects and grades places School #5 slightly above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Passaic County. This means the school is performing better than the typical school in the county, but it is not among the top-tier schools in the region. In third grade, a solid majority of students met or exceeded expectations in math, but that number dropped noticeably for fourth and fifth graders, where fewer than half were proficient. In English language arts, the strongest results came in fifth grade, where roughly half of students were proficient, while third and fourth graders showed more modest proficiency rates. Science results for fifth graders were very low, with a small share reaching proficiency. This pattern suggests that the school’s academic strengths are not consistent across all grades or subjects; a parent may want to look into this further with the school, specifically around how math instruction changes between the early and upper elementary years and how science is taught.
As a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school, School #5 has no graduation rate to report. The building offers no high school programs or pathways, so those data points do not apply.
The school is part of the Clifton Public School District, which the district brief noted has undergone few publicly visible changes in recent years. No major curriculum shifts, referendums, or tax changes were found in the research, meaning the district has been relatively stable.
Clifton itself is a dense suburb and commercial hub roughly a dozen miles west of Midtown Manhattan, heavily interlaced with major highways. It is not a single walkable town; its neighborhoods vary from residential enclaves like Richfield to business corridors like Allwood, and its built environment is oriented around roads rather than a traditional downtown square. The city has two train stations, giving some families access to rail commuting, though much of the area is car-dependent. Housing values in the ZIP code that covers this part of Clifton are high, consistent with a suburb that competes for families who work in or near New York City. Rent levels are also elevated, making homeownership or even renting a stretch for many households.
For a family considering School #5, the school offers a neighborhood setting with a diverse student body and academic results that are a bit better than the county median but uneven across grades. The strongest early-grade math performance stands out, while the upper-grade declines and low science scores may prompt a closer look at how the school builds on its early success. The lack of available data on special education and English learner populations is a notable gap. Clifton’s housing market is expensive, and the wider area is highly suburban and highway-oriented, so the fit will depend on a family’s commute tolerance and budget as much as on the school’s academic profile.
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