John Marshal School No. 20, Elizabeth NJ

Original Research by School Decision on John Marshal School No. 20

John Marshal School No. 20 serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade in Elizabeth, a densely populated urban city that is the Union County seat. The school is part of the Elizabeth Public Schools district, which the available information shows has had no parent-relevant changes in recent years that were publicly reported. Elizabeth itself blends residential neighborhoods with major retail destinations and heavy industrial and port infrastructure, anchored by the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal and Newark Liberty International Airport. The city is highly diverse, with residents representing many countries and language groups, and has experienced population growth and economic development over the past several decades.

The school's student body is composed predominantly of Hispanic and Black students, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. John Marshal School No. 20 is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet, and it does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.

On state assessments, the school's results vary notably by grade and subject. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above is relatively low across all tested grades, with a pattern that shows a decline from third grade through sixth grade, then a modest uptick in seventh grade. The math results place the school well below the typical performance level for its district peers. In English language arts, the pattern is more uneven. In third and fourth grades, proficiency rates are low, but they rise in fifth grade, climb further in sixth and seventh grades, and reach a substantially higher level in eighth grade. This suggests that for some students, reading and writing skills strengthen markedly by the upper middle school years. In science, the proficiency rates are very low for both the fifth and eighth grade tests, a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school.

When compared across all districts in Union County, John Marshal School No. 20's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls in the bottom quartile. That comparison is based on a county-wide set of districts, not a narrower peer group, so it reflects where this school stands relative to a broad mix of communities, some much more affluent. The data shows that the school serves a high-poverty population, and state testing results are one measure; a parent considering the school would want to understand what academic interventions and supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks.

Because the school only goes through eighth grade, students move on to a high school elsewhere in the Elizabeth district after graduation, so the high school academic pathway is a separate decision. The district's high schools would have their own profiles regarding Advanced Placement, dual credit, and career programs, but that information is not part of this school's data.

The school environment data, including discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance, was not available for this profile, which limits a full picture of the school's climate. The available demographic and testing evidence points to a school where a large majority of students come from low-income households and where academic proficiency on state tests is a challenge in most subjects and grades, with the notable exception of stronger ELA performance in the upper grades. A family considering this school would want to visit, speak with teachers and administrators about how the school addresses these challenges, and understand what resources are available to support students at every grade level.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 37% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 32% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 33% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 614%

School 14% · District 26% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 716%

School 16% · District 21% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 30% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 37% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 40% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 53% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 740%

School 40% · District 56% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 866%

School 66% · District 55% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Science

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 15% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 9% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolElizabeth Public Schools, 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 4Lower-income16%Higher-income9%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income34%Higher-income20%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income31%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income67%Higher-income58%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income24%Higher-income13%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income15%Higher-income17%1 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income12%Higher-income27%15 pp gap