Samuel M Ridgway Middle School, Edgewater Park NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Samuel M Ridgway Middle School

Samuel M Ridgway Middle School serves students in grades five through eight in Edgewater Park, a residential suburb of Philadelphia located in Burlington County. The township is small, car-dependent, and lacks a traditional downtown; civic life centers on a municipal complex and the two schools in the Edgewater Park Township School District. Ridgway is the district’s only middle school, and for high school, students attend Burlington City High School through a sending-receiving relationship. The school itself is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet.

The student body of this middle school reflects the diversity of the community. White students make up the largest single group, followed by Black students and then Hispanic students, with smaller shares of students who identify as Asian or two or more races. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, marking the school as serving a predominantly economically disadvantaged population. No data on special education or English learner enrollment was available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.

Academically, the picture is uneven. On the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, proficiency rates in mathematics are low across all four tested grades, and they drop sharply by eighth grade, where very few students meet the standard. English language arts results are somewhat stronger, particularly in the upper grades, where a notable share of seventh and eighth graders reach proficiency. Science proficiency is low in fifth grade and extremely low in eighth grade. Compared with other districts in Burlington County, Ridgway's overall proficiency across subjects and grades falls in the bottom quarter. This is an area a parent exploring the school would want to understand more deeply, especially if they are considering whether the academic trajectory positions students well for high school coursework.

The school's size is typical for a middle school serving this small township, with a few hundred students spread across four grades. No information was available on staffing ratios, course offerings, discipline rates, or chronic absenteeism, so a family would need to follow up with the school to get a fuller picture of the day-to-day environment.

Edgewater Park itself has a stable population and has recently completed a land-use plan that signals active thinking about future development. Housing in the area is priced below the state median, and the county housing market shows moderate activity. The community is primarily residential, with most residents likely commuting to Philadelphia or other employment centers. The absence of a walkable downtown means families rely on cars for most errands, though NJ Transit bus routes provide some public transit connections.

For a family considering this school, the key factors are clear. Ridgway serves a high-need student population and its state test results, especially in math and science, are lower than those of most Burlington County districts. The school itself sits within a small, close-knit district that sends its older students to a neighboring city’s high school. A parent would benefit from visiting the school, asking about academic interventions and enrichment, and learning how the school supports students who arrive below grade level. The answer will depend on what kind of academic pathway a family expects and what additional resources they can bring to the table.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 8%

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 82%

School 2% · District 2%

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

English language arts

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 34%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 13 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Science

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 12%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 82%

School 2% · District 2%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

This schoolEdgewater Park 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 5Lower-income34%Higher-income33%1 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income22%Higher-income27%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income28%Higher-income66%38 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income45%Higher-income41%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income35%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income11%Higher-income3%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income19%Higher-income32%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income2%Higher-income3%2 pp gap