Joseph R. Bolger Middle School, Keansburg NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Joseph R. Bolger Middle School

Joseph R. Bolger Middle School serves the borough of Keansburg, a small, densely populated community on the Raritan Bay coast of Monmouth County. Keansburg has a history as a resort town with a boardwalk and amusement area, and it retains a walkable, grid-style street pattern. The borough has seen a population decline over the past two decades, though recent estimates show a slight uptick. The housing market in the surrounding area is moderately priced relative to the county, which itself has seen a median listing price that is higher than the national benchmark. The school is the sole middle school in the Keansburg School District, serving grades six through eight.

The student body is diverse. A substantial share of students come from Hispanic and White backgrounds, with Black students making up a considerable portion and smaller numbers of Asian, two-or-more-race, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school’s enrollment is moderate for a middle school.

State testing results from the most recent school year provide the available picture of academic performance. In mathematics, the share of students scoring at or above proficiency standards was very low across all three tested grades. The same pattern held for eighth-grade science, where a very small fraction of students met the proficiency benchmark. English language arts results were somewhat higher than math and science but still fell well below a majority of students reaching proficiency. The strongest single grade-subject combination was seventh-grade English language arts, where roughly a third of students scored proficient or above. Overall, compared to other districts in Monmouth County, Bolger Middle School’s proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile across tested subjects and grades. Participation rate data for these tests was not available.

The school does not serve grades that have a graduation rate, so that measure does not apply. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, course access, and staffing were not available in the materials provided. The district brief turned up no recent major changes like construction projects, curriculum overhauls, or budget shifts that would be directly relevant to a parent considering the school.

For a family weighing this school, the core academic picture is the central consideration. The proficiency numbers are low by state and county standards, particularly in math and science. A parent would want to investigate what academic support and intervention programs are in place, how the school addresses the gaps these results reveal, and what options exist for students who need acceleration or remediation. The lack of data on special education and English learner populations is a gap worth following up on directly with the school. On the other hand, the school is the single middle school in a compact, walkable borough, which means it draws its students from a defined community where a family’s address determines assignment. For some families, that neighborhood-school connection is a priority. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, with no special admissions criteria.

In short, this is a school with a student body reflecting the broader community, operating in a setting where housing is more affordable than much of Monmouth County, but where state test results represent a significant soft spot. A family considering this school should plan to talk with administrators and teachers about how the school is working to raise student achievement and what supports are in place for students who are behind.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

Grade 714%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 6%

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

English language arts

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 50 pts below county median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Science

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 7%

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

This schoolKeansburg 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-income14%Higher-income35%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income14%Higher-income30%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income37%Higher-income29%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income29%Higher-income34%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income9%Higher-income26%17 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income5%Higher-income26%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income17%Higher-income4%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income7%Higher-income5%2 pp gap