The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Bee Meadow School
Bee Meadow School serves children from preschool through fifth grade in Whippany, an unincorporated community within Hanover Township in Morris County. It is a regular public elementary school and part of the Hanover Township School District. For a family considering this school, what matters most is the academic foundation it provides in the early and elementary years and the context of the community it sits in.
Whippany itself is a suburban place with a mix of residential neighborhoods and a notable concentration of corporate office space. Major employers such as Barclays, Bayer HealthCare, and CAE Inc. are located here, and the area has seen growth driven by corporate relocations. The built environment is suburban, with local roads and the Whippany River running through, rather than a dense, walkable downtown. Public schools, including Bee Meadow, are distributed across the community rather than clustered on one campus. Civic anchors include the Morris County Library, the Whippany Railway Museum, and the Black Meadows Preserve. This is a community that feels established and professionally oriented, and the school reflects that stability.
Academically, Bee Meadow's state testing results show a mixed picture that a parent will want to look at closely. In mathematics, proficiency rates for third and fourth graders were solid, while fifth-grade math proficiency was notably weaker, sitting below the midpoint among the county's districts for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, third and fourth graders again showed healthy proficiency rates, but fifth-grade ELA proficiency also fell off. Science testing, which is administered only in fifth grade, showed a low proficiency rate. Because the school serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The overall proficiency index for the school places it below the midpoint relative to districts in Morris County, a county with many high-performing districts, so this is a meaningful benchmark. The dip in fifth-grade results, particularly in math and science, is something a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand what supports are in place for upper-elementary students.
The student body is modest in size. The demographic composition is predominantly white, with Asian and Hispanic students each making up a substantial minority, and limited shares of students who are Black or of two or more races. A small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available from the source used here, so a family with a child who has an identified need should confirm supports directly with the school. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not reported.
The housing market in Morris County is competitive. Home values in the area are well above national benchmarks, and the median listing price for the county places homeownership out of reach for many households. Rents are also high relative to income. This is an expensive market, and the cost of housing shapes who can live here, which in turn shapes the school's peer environment.
Overall, Bee Meadow School offers a solid elementary foundation for many families, particularly in the early grades, but the drop in fifth-grade proficiency and the school's position relative to other Morris County districts are points worth investigating. The community is suburban, professional, and relatively affluent, and the school fits that context. A parent considering this school should ask about how the school supports students as they move from primary to upper elementary grades.
See more original research from School Decision →