Green Brook Middle School, Green Brook NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Green Brook Middle School

Green Brook Middle School serves grades five through eight in the Green Brook Township Public School District, a suburban township in Somerset County. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. For families considering this school, the picture that emerges from the data is one of a mid-sized middle school with a notably diverse student body and academic results that are a mixed bag: solid in English language arts in the upper grades, weaker in math, and low in science.

The student body draws from a community that is primarily residential and suburban, with limited walkability and a commercial corridor along US Route 22. Housing values in the area sit well above the national median, and the township has largely built out, with population growth slowing to near stagnation in recent years. About one in six students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that is modest compared to many districts. The student population is racially and ethnically diverse, with white students making up the largest group at about two-fifths, Asian students about one-quarter, Hispanic students about one-fifth, and smaller shares of Black, multiracial, and other groups.

On state assessments, the school's performance varies by subject and grade. In English language arts, the proportion of students scoring proficient or above rises markedly with grade level. Fifth grade shows a rate below half, but by seventh grade the rate climbs to about three-quarters, a strong result. Eighth grade dips some but remains above the majority mark. Math results follow a flatter pattern, with proficiency rates increasing modestly from grade to grade, starting below two-fifths in fifth grade and reaching just under half by eighth grade. Science results are the weakest area, with only a small share of fifth graders and a bit more than a quarter of eighth graders scoring proficient or above. The state uses New Jersey’s NJSLA assessments; the science test uses a different proficiency standard than math and English, but the scores are low by any measure. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports students in science and whether it has plans to address the gap.

Compared to other districts in Somerset County, the school’s overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint of the group. The comparison set includes 21 districts in the county, and Green Brook Middle School’s composite score lands in the lower half. This does not mean the school is failing; it means that in a county with several high-performing districts, this school’s aggregate results are not at the top tier. The English scores in the upper grades are a real strength, but the math and especially science numbers pull the overall index down.

No data was available for chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, course access, or discipline, so it is not possible to speak to those dimensions of the school environment. The district brief turned up no recent major changes, such as a new superintendent, redistricting, or program overhaul, that a parent would want to track. That silence may mean the district has been stable, but it is worth noting as a gap.

Green Brook Middle School is a single school for the district’s upper elementary and middle grades; students then attend Watchung Hills Regional High School in Warren Township for grades nine through twelve. The school’s setting is a suburban campus, and the township lacks a traditional downtown. For a family looking at this school, the central question is how much weight they place on the strong English outcomes in grades seven and eight versus the below-middle-of-the-pack overall index in a competitive county. The diversity of the student body and the relatively low poverty rate are plain characteristics of the peer environment. The housing market is expensive, which tends to concentrate a certain demographic, but the student body itself is not homogenous. A family that values a diverse, mid-sized middle school where English achievement is a clear bright spot and where science results need attention will find this school worth a closer look, and should ask the school directly about its academic support plans.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 36%

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

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 48%

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 43%

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

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 777%

School 77% · District 77%

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

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Science

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 28%

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

This schoolGreen Brook Township Public School District, 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 5Lower-income27%Higher-income46%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income72%36 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income67%47 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income9%Higher-income41%32 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income14%Higher-income52%38 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income39%Higher-income51%13 pp gap