The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Math. The lowest is 27% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Benjamin Franklin Elementary School
Benjamin Franklin Elementary School is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the Edison Township School District. It sits on Woodbridge Avenue in Edison, a township that straddles the line between residential suburb and commercial hub. The area is car-dependent and lacks a single downtown core, with life spread across the Oak Tree Road South Asian commercial strip, the Menlo Park Mall, and the Raritan Center Business Park. Edison is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in New Jersey, driven heavily by Asian American immigration, and is among the state’s most diverse communities. The school’s student body reflects that diversity: the largest ethnic group is Asian students, followed by Hispanic, Black, and White students, with smaller shares of multiracial and Native American students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a middle-income range rather than an affluent one.
The school’s academic performance on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment shows a mixed picture. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through five hover around the midpoint of the tested cohort, meaning roughly half of students meet the state’s Levels 4-5 benchmark. English language arts follows a similar pattern, with grade four reaching proficiency at about half of students, while grades three and five fall a bit below that mark. Science, tested only in fifth grade, shows a lower proficiency rate. Overall, when combining all tested subjects and grades, Benjamin Franklin Elementary performs above the median of schools in Middlesex County, according to a comparison of districts within the county. That positioning indicates that the school is solidly middle-of-the-pack within a competitive region, not among the highest-performing but clearly not at the lower end either. Parents looking for a school that lands in the upper half of a large and diverse county will find that here.
The school itself is a regular neighborhood elementary school with no charter or magnet status. It enrolls several hundred students, a size that allows for grade-level sections. The grade breakdown indicates a fairly balanced distribution from kindergarten through fifth grade, with first grade being the largest cohort. Data on special populations such as students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records, so parents who need that information for placement decisions should contact the school directly. Similarly, information on discipline, attendance, chronic absenteeism, and staffing ratios was missing from this profile, making it hard to assess school climate from the data alone.
In terms of the surrounding housing market, the area around the school is moderately priced for New Jersey but still above national averages. Homes in the zip code carry values in the mid-range for Middlesex County, and rents are substantial but not out of line with the broader region. The county’s real estate market has seen an increase in active listings and a modest rise in listing prices, suggesting a somewhat more fluid market than in recent years. For families considering moving into the attendance zone, this is a suburban environment where a car is necessary for most errands, and where the major commuter rail connection to New York City via the Edison station on the Northeast Corridor line provides a viable option for those who work in Manhattan.
At the district level, the Edison Township School District has kept its school taxes level since 2021, a point of stability that matters to homeowners. The district did not provide a school-level graduation rate because it serves only elementary grades, so that metric does not apply here. No program offerings such as gifted and talented, arts, or STEM pathways were reported in the data for this school. Families should verify what enrichment or intervention programs are available, as the public data did not cover them.
Overall, Benjamin Franklin Elementary is a diverse, middle-performing school in a fast-growing and culturally rich suburb. It fits families who want a standard elementary experience in a community with extensive ethnic and economic variety, and who are comfortable with a school whose test scores land in the middle range of a highly competitive county.
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