The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 3% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Union Avenue Middle School
Union Avenue Middle School, serving grades six through eight, is one of the regular public middle schools within the Irvington Public School District. Irvington is a densely populated, heavily developed township in Essex County, New Jersey, a predominantly Black and Latino community with a relatively low median household income and a core commercial district centered on Springfield Avenue and the Irvington Bus Terminal, which acts as a major transit hub connecting residents to Newark and New York. The school is embedded within these residential neighborhoods, not set apart on a large suburban campus.
The state assessment picture for Union Avenue Middle School shows results that are a clear area of concern for any family evaluating academic footing. Proficiency rates on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, across all three tested grades and all three subjects, sit well below the typical mark for Essex County and the state overall. In math, the share of students scoring at or above proficient is in the single to low double digits depending on grade, with the eighth-grade result particularly low. In English language arts, around one in three students meets proficiency. In eighth-grade science, the proficiency rate is similarly very low. Compared to other districts in Essex County, Union Avenue Middle School falls in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. These are substantial soft spots. A parent considering this school would want to investigate further with the school and district to understand what academic intervention and support systems are in place and what progress looks like from year to year. No chronic absenteeism data was available in the materials reviewed, and the school has no graduation rate to examine because it serves only middle grades.
The school enrolls several hundred students, a size that is typical for a middle school in a dense urban district. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a reliable marker of a high-need student population. The student body is overwhelmingly Black and Latino, reflecting the township itself.
The housing context in Irvington shows home values that are notably lower than the Essex County median, and rents that are comparable to a mortgage payment in the area given current interest rates. The township is essentially built out, so growth comes through redevelopment and infill. Irvington had the ninth-highest property tax rate in New Jersey in 2020, and the district has held multiple consecutive budgets with no increase to the local tax levy, which may matter for resident homeowners weighing affordability alongside school outcomes.
Recent publicly reported district-level changes bear on the experience at this school. The district added three new pre-K classrooms for the 2025-26 school year, expanding early childhood capacity, which suggests a district investing in earlier entry points rather than exclusively at the middle level. The 2024-25 budget also funded expanded STEM programs and new science labs and technology equipment at multiple schools, so some resource flow is reaching the buildings even if the assessment results are not yet reflecting that investment. In a separate move that earned local news coverage, the Board of Education voted in April 2025 to request a state audit of its special education services, citing concerns about out-of-district placements and staffing challenges. For a family with a child who receives special education supports, that audit request is a notable signal worth following.
No course access data, staffing ratios, or discipline figures were available in the materials provided, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about class sizes, teacher experience and retention, and the range of elective or enrichment offerings available to middle school students. With a heavily developed, high-density township, a high-need student body, and state test results that have considerable room for improvement, this school fits a family that is plugged into the school community and actively engaged in advocating for their child's academic support, or one that is weighing the school in the context of other available choices within and outside the district.
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