The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Garfield Middle School
Garfield Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade as a regular public school in the Garfield Public School District, located in a densely populated, mixed-use city in Bergen County. The school is large for a middle school, drawing its student body entirely from within the city limits. The student population is majority Hispanic, with a substantial white enrollment and smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. A clear majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need among the families it serves. Data on the share of students with individualized education programs or English learner status was not available in the records reviewed, which is a gap a parent may want to discuss with the school directly.
State assessment results on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment place Garfield Middle School in the bottom quartile of school districts within Bergen County for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, between roughly two-fifths and just under half of students met proficiency standards depending on grade level. Math proficiency rates were notably lower, dropping below one in six eighth graders reaching the bar. Science outcomes in eighth grade were very low. These figures make clear that academic attainment across the school substantially trails what is typical in the surrounding county, a region known for high-performing schools. Families evaluating the school should weigh these results against the supports and instruction available and may want to inquire about specific improvement efforts underway.
Garfield itself is a compact city of about two square miles, with grid-pattern streets, a mix of single-family and multi-family homes, and commercial corridors along Passaic Avenue and River Drive. It sits at the junction of the Passaic and Saddle Rivers, about a dozen miles west of New York City. The city has a working-class heritage shaped by manufacturing, though its single largest historical employer, Garden State Paper, closed years ago. Today the local economy runs on small businesses, light industry, and retail. The population is notably diverse and younger than most of Bergen County, with the lowest median age in the county. Community life is dispersed across a public library, recreation center, senior center, YMCA, and Dahnert’s Lake County Park rather than concentrated in a traditional downtown. Public transit connects to the broader region via NJ Transit bus service.
Housing in Garfield reflects its location in an expensive region. Home values sit well above the national typical but are moderate by Bergen County standards, where the county-wide median listing price is higher. Rents have risen sharply in recent years. The housing market shows relatively quick sales and active inventory that has grown, suggesting stable demand. For a family considering a move to the area, Garfield offers a more attainable entry point into Bergen County homeownership than many of its wealthier neighbors, though it remains an expensive market nationally.
Within the district, one of Garfield’s elementary schools was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2023, which may signal that strong academic programs exist at the primary level. No equivalent recognition or data on program offerings was available specifically for the middle school. The school’s website and other sources did not yield information on course access, electives, or extracurriculars that would round out the picture of what a student’s day-to-day experience looks like.
This is a school in a dense, diverse, working-class city where economic need is pronounced and academic outcomes are well below the averages of the county it sits in. Families looking at Garfield Middle School will want to engage directly with the school on how it supports students who are behind grade level, what programming exists for advanced learners, and what recent steps the school has taken to raise performance. The neighborhood itself offers a walkable, urban environment with strong transit connections to New York City, at a housing price point that is relatively accessible for Bergen County, though still expensive nationally.
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