Kisthardt Elementary School, Hamilton NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Kisthardt Elementary School

Kisthardt Elementary School is a regular public school in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, serving students from prekindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Hamilton Township Public School District, the largest suburban district in the county. The school is located off Harcourt Drive in a residential area of the township, a large, auto-dependent suburb of Trenton that lacks a true downtown and is instead a collection of neighborhoods and commercial corridors.

The student body at Kisthardt is diverse. Hispanic students make up the largest share of enrollment, followed by Black students and White students, with a smaller number of students of two or more races and a very small Asian population. A substantial majority of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of economic need. The school's enrollment is moderate for an elementary school serving these grades.

State testing data for the 2024-25 school year shows that academic proficiency rates at Kisthardt are low across the tested subjects. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above was a small fraction in third grade, rose somewhat in fourth grade, and reached a notably higher level in fifth grade, where roughly one-third of students met the bar. In math, proficiency rates also varied by grade, with a small share in third grade, a similar share in fourth grade, and roughly one-third in fifth grade. In science, which is tested in fifth grade, the share of students scoring proficient or above was modest. When looking across all tested subjects and grades, overall proficiency at Kisthardt places it in the bottom quartile among elementary schools within Mercer County.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism was not available in the provided information. Information on the school's staffing, discipline, and course access was also absent from the data supplied.

In the broader district context, the Hamilton Township Public School District had a bond referendum planned in 2022 to fund security upgrades, HVAC work, and other capital projects across its schools, a significant facilities investment that could affect conditions for students. The outcome of that vote was not confirmed in the available materials.

Hamilton Township itself saw its population reach an all-time high in the 2020 census, with a slight decline reported in an estimate a few years later. The township is primarily residential and suburban, with major highways traversing the area, and it features extensive parkland, including a large municipal park, a large county park, the Grounds for Sculpture, and other recreational spaces. Housing in the area is valued below the New Jersey state benchmark, and the local rental market is typical of the region.

For a family considering Kisthardt Elementary, the school offers a standard public elementary education within a district that has recently pursued major capital improvements. The academic performance data points to an area where parents would likely want to engage with the school to understand the specific instructional supports and interventions available. The student population is economically diverse, reflecting the broader community. The school's setting in a large suburban township means car travel is the primary mode of getting around, with dispersed commercial areas rather than a walkable downtown. Families who value proximity to extensive parkland and highway access to the broader region may find Hamilton Township a convenient fit, while those seeking a dense, pedestrian-oriented environment would not find that character here.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 36% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 29% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 30% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 36%

School 6% · District 35% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 43% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 42% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 18% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

This schoolHamilton 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-income32%Higher-income46%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income23%Higher-income58%35 pp gap