The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Thomas Sharp Elementary School
Thomas Sharp Elementary serves a small kindergarten-through-fifth-grade population in the residential West Collingswood neighborhood of Collingswood, New Jersey. The school is a regular public elementary school within the Collingswood Public School District. For a family evaluating this school, the academic picture is mixed and varies noticeably by grade level.
In English language arts, third graders as a group performed well, with a proficiency rate that parents would generally see as a bright spot. The same cohort’s performance in fourth and fifth grade was lower, with fifth-grade ELA proficiency falling well below the third-grade mark. In mathematics, third graders posted a proficiency rate that, while not high, was stronger than what the same students showed in fourth and fifth grade, where math proficiency dropped sharply. Fifth-grade science testing showed a very low proficiency rate. These results mean that a parent considering this school should be aware that academic performance declines as students move through the grades, and that the school’s overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint relative to other districts in Camden County. The school serves grades that are tested by the state, so these results represent the full picture of available standardized performance data.
The student body is diverse. A little under half of the students are white, with Black and Hispanic students each making up a substantial share, and a smaller portion of students identifying as two or more races. Asian students make up a modest presence. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the record, so a parent wanting a full picture of special populations should ask the school directly.
West Collingswood is a quiet, primarily residential neighborhood of older single-family homes on tree-lined streets. It functions as a commuter suburb, with easy access to Interstate and U.S. Highway routes and a short drive into Center City Philadelphia. The neighborhood does not have its own downtown; instead, residents look to downtown Collingswood to the east for restaurants, shops, and community events. Newton Lake Park and Knight Park Playground provide nearby outdoor recreation. Property values in the area are moderate relative to New Jersey as a whole, and the rental market reflects a similar positioning. The housing market in Camden County has shown a notable increase in active listings and a rise in median listing prices, though the pace of sales remains brisk.
Thomas Sharp is a neighborhood school serving a small enrollment. Its grade band covers prekindergarten through fifth grade. Because it does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not appear to be a magnet or charter school. No information was available on disciplinary rates, course access, or staffing ratios, so those are gaps a family would want to investigate on a tour or by contacting the district.
The Collingswood Public School District itself does not appear to have undergone any major parent-relevant changes recently, such as significant budget shifts or curriculum overhauls, based on what was publicly available. A family moving into the area would be joining a district that has been stable in terms of its operational profile.
This school fits a family looking for a small, community-grounded elementary experience in a walkable, established suburb with strong transit access to Philadelphia. The academic data suggests that while early reading results are a relative strength, math and later-grade performance are areas where a parent would want to engage with the school about support and intervention strategies. The decline in proficiency from third to fifth grade is a pattern worth discussing with the principal and classroom teachers to understand what steps the school is taking to address it.
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