The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Dr. Leroy Mccloud Elementary School
Dr. Leroy McCloud Elementary School serves students in grades three through five in Englewood, a city in Bergen County, New Jersey. It is a regular public school and part of the Englewood Public School District. The school is named for a longtime local educator, and its location on Tenafly Road places it in a residential section of the city.
Englewood itself is a predominantly residential community with a walkable downtown along Palisade Avenue, historic homes, and a mix of single-family and multifamily housing. Flat Rock Brook Nature Center offers trails and environmental education, and NJ Transit bus routes connect the city to New York City and surrounding towns. Housing costs in the area are elevated relative to national benchmarks, with home values and rents well above typical levels. The school serves a student body of moderate size for an elementary campus that covers only three grade levels.
The student population is diverse. A substantial majority of students are Hispanic, with a notable share of Black students and a smaller share of White students, along with small numbers of Asian, Native American, and multiracial students. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a community with significant economic need.
Academically, state assessment results from the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments place Dr. Leroy McCloud Elementary in a difficult position. Across math, English language arts, and science, the share of students scoring at or above proficient levels is well below typical levels. In math, performance across grades four through six shows that roughly one in five or fewer students met the state benchmark, with a decline in the upper grade. In English language arts, about a third of students scored proficient, a somewhat brighter picture but still below the state average. Science results were particularly low. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages performance across all tested subjects and grades, falls in the bottom quartile when compared with other districts across Bergen County. This is a challenging academic context, and a parent considering this school would want to look into how the school supports students who are not yet at grade level.
The district has taken recent steps that may affect the school’s academic direction. A new K-5 literacy curriculum based on the science of reading was adopted in 2023, replacing a prior balanced literacy approach. That change aligns with a statewide emphasis on evidence-based reading instruction. The district also approved a five-year strategic plan covering 2023 to 2028, with focus areas that include academic excellence, social-emotional learning, equity, and community engagement. The 2024-25 district budget included a tax levy increase, a detail that may matter to local homeowners.
No disciplinary, staffing, or attendance data were available for this school, so a full picture of the school environment is incomplete. Because Dr. Leroy McCloud serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not offer the advanced course pathways that a parent would look for at the high school level.
For families considering this school, the central facts are these: the student body carries high economic need, the academic proficiency levels are low relative to county peers, and the district has recently invested in new reading instruction and a strategic plan that names improvement goals. A family moving to Englewood with elementary-age children will want to visit the school, ask about interventions for struggling students, and understand how the new curriculum is being implemented. The Englewood community offers city amenities, access to transit, and historic character, but the housing market is expensive, and the school’s academic results are a serious consideration.
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