Clinton Township Middle School, Clinton NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Clinton Township Middle School

Clinton Township Middle School serves grades six through eight in the Clinton Township School District, a regular public school whose students come primarily from the township and the surrounding area. The school is not a charter or magnet institution, and no Title I status was reported. Its enrollment is moderate for a middle school, and the student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up the next largest group, followed by smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

State testing results from the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment show a clear and consistent strength in English language arts. In each grade, a strong majority of students scored at or above the proficient level, with eighth graders performing especially well. This pattern places the school’s overall proficiency index in the top quartile relative to other districts in Hunterdon County, a signal that academic performance here is broadly strong compared with peers. Math results are more mixed. While seventh graders posted a solid proficiency rate, sixth and eighth graders landed at notably lower levels. Science testing, which occurs only in eighth grade, shows a softer result, with a minority of students scoring proficient. A parent interested in math and science support may want to ask the school how it addresses those subjects, particularly for students who are not yet meeting the benchmark.

Because this is a middle school serving only grades six through eight, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available, so it is not possible to gauge attendance patterns from the record. The district brief turned up no recent major changes, such as a curriculum overhaul, boundary shift, or referendum, that would alter a family’s day-to-day experience.

The community context matters here. The school sits in Clinton Township, which includes the historic town of Clinton, a small, walkable village on the South Branch of the Raritan River. The town’s compact downtown, with its two iconic mill buildings, shops, and restaurants, gives it a distinct sense of place. The Columbia Trail runs through town for walkers and cyclists. That said, the area is car-dependent for commuting; there is no direct NJ Transit bus or rail service in Clinton itself, and the nearest train stations are a drive away on the Raritan Valley Line. The housing market reflects the desirability of the region, with home values well above the national benchmark. The town has seen modest population growth and some recent adaptive reuse development, including a loft conversion and a planned residential conversion of a former bank building, but the historic district designation limits large-scale change.

For a family considering this school, the academic picture is one of strong literacy instruction and a generally high-performing environment relative to the county, with room for attention in math and science. The student body is not highly diverse, and the share of students from low-income households is small. The setting is suburban and semi-rural, with a historic downtown that gives the area character but also means that most errands and commutes require a car. The school itself appears to be a solid, middle-of-the-road option for a family that values a supportive peer environment and strong English language arts outcomes, while recognizing that not all subject areas show the same level of mastery.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 73%

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

Grade 780%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 890%

School 90% · District 90%

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

Science

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

This schoolClinton Township 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-income55%Higher-income75%20 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income47%Higher-income86%38 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income62%Higher-income92%31 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income59%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income37%Higher-income65%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income56%36 pp gap