Hackensack Middle School, Hackensack NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Hackensack Middle School

Hackensack Middle School serves fifth through eighth grade and sits in the city of Hackensack, the dense, diverse county seat of Bergen County. The city itself is a mix of residential high-rises, single-family homes, garden apartments, industrial areas, and a vibrant downtown, all packed into a compact footprint about a dozen miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan. The school is a regular public school and part of the Hackensack School District. There is no charter or magnet designation, and no Title I status was reported.

The student body is large for a middle school and predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of Black students and smaller numbers of white, Asian, and multiracial students. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not provided. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.

On state assessments, the picture varies by subject. In English language arts, roughly a third of students met the proficiency bar across grades five through eight, with the strongest showing in grades six and seven. In math, the results are markedly lower, with proficiency rates in the teens for fifth, sixth, and seventh grade, and a bit lower still for eighth grade. Science results, which use a different proficiency standard, are also low, with about one in seven fifth graders and one in ten eighth graders meeting the bar. When compared with other middle schools across the county, the overall proficiency index places this school in the bottom quartile among districts in Bergen County. A parent considering this school may want to look into this further with the school, particularly around math instruction and support.

The community context matters here. Hackensack is a city in motion, having recently reached its highest population count on record. The housing market reflects the pressures of an inner suburb near New York City, with home values and rents that are high by national standards but sit below the county median. A walkable downtown, two NJ Transit train stations, and a bus transfer hub mean that many families can rely on transit. Major employers include Hackensack University Medical Center, county government, and Fairleigh Dickinson University. The district itself had no major parent-relevant changes publicly reported in the recent period.

This is a school that serves a large, economically diverse student body in a dense urban setting. The academic results on state tests are below the county median, particularly in math and science, while English language arts shows somewhat stronger but still modest performance. Families who value a school that reflects the demographic and economic diversity of a small city will find that here. Those seeking a school with high aggregate test scores may find the results a concern and will want to explore the school's academic interventions and support structures directly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 46 pts below county median

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 714%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 12%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 10%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

This schoolHackensack 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-income39%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income34%Higher-income45%12 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income48%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income28%Higher-income45%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income12%Higher-income25%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income19%Higher-income21%2 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income10%Higher-income21%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income11%Higher-income15%4 pp gap