The top reported proficiency rate is 84% in Math. The lowest is 63% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Ridgewood Avenue School
Ridgewood Avenue School serves grades three through six in Glen Ridge, a small, landlocked borough in Essex County known for its gas lamp-lit streets and slate sidewalks. The school is one of five in the Glen Ridge Public School District and is the sole upper elementary building, receiving students from three smaller primary schools that serve pre-kindergarten through second grade. Glen Ridge is a compact, primarily residential community with no significant commercial district; residents rely on neighboring towns for shopping and dining. The borough is walkable and bikeable, and its train station on the Montclair-Boonton Line provides a direct connection to New York City. Growth has been modest and constrained by the borough’s fully developed, roughly two-square-mile footprint. In 2025, voters approved a bond referendum for district-wide capital improvements including HVAC, roof repairs, safety upgrades, and ADA accessibility, along with separate ballot items for gym and roof work at the high school and an elementary school.
The student body at Ridgewood Avenue School is predominantly white, with a substantial share of Asian students and smaller shares of Hispanic and Black students. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that is notably low relative to many public schools. The school is a regular public school and does not have charter or magnet status; data on Title I status and on special population counts such as students with IEPs or English learners was not available.
Academic performance on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment places Ridgewood Avenue School in a strong position relative to other districts in Essex County. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades lands in the top quartile among county districts. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through six are solid, with third grade the lowest and fourth grade the highest. In English language arts, results show more variation: third grade is the softest spot, while fourth and sixth grades show very strong proficiency. Fifth-grade science proficiency is a relative weak point, sitting below the school’s math and ELA results. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand the science curriculum and how it supports student performance in that subject.
Because Ridgewood Avenue School serves only grades three through six, it does not have a graduation rate to report. The school environment and access data, including discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance, were not available in the provided information.
The housing market in Glen Ridge reflects the area’s high desirability. The typical home value is well above the national and state benchmarks, and the median listing price in Essex County as a whole sits at a level that is expensive relative to national averages. The county’s housing market shows moderate activity, with active listings and new listings up year over year, while pending listings have dipped slightly. The median days on market are short, indicating a relatively fast-moving market. Combined with the approved school bond that will raise property taxes, the cost of living in Glen Ridge is a serious consideration for families.
For families considering Ridgewood Avenue School, the picture is clear. This is a high-performing upper elementary school in a sought-after, established residential community with a strong tax base and a high home-price floor. The academic results are consistently above the county median, particularly in math and upper-grade ELA, though the third-grade ELA results and the fifth-grade science results are weaker points to explore. There is no graduation rate or high school programming to evaluate here, as the school’s role is confined to the middle elementary years. The district is in the middle of a major facilities upgrade funded by a recent bond, so families moving in will see construction and improved infrastructure over the next several years. The school fits families who can afford the area’s housing costs, value strong academic proficiency in a small, walkable suburban setting, and want a straightforward public elementary pathway leading to the district’s middle and high school.
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