Garfield Elementary School, Kearny NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Garfield Elementary School

Garfield Elementary School is a regular public school in Kearny, Hudson County, serving children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It is one of seven schools in the Kearny School District, and it sits within the town’s residential street grid, not on an isolated campus. For a family considering this school, the central question is what kind of academic and community environment it offers, and the data paints a clear picture of a school with a high proportion of students from low-income households, a diverse student body, and academic proficiency levels that are a consistent area of concern.

Enrollment at Garfield is moderate for its grade band. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial White minority and smaller shares of Asian and Black students. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a large share of families face economic challenges. The school’s location in Kearny places it in a dense, mixed-use town where residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors like Kearny Avenue, and industrial zones coexist. Housing costs in the area are high relative to national averages, reflecting the broader Hudson County market, and rental prices are similarly elevated. This economic context matters for families weighing housing affordability alongside school options.

Academically, the state assessment results show that Garfield’s students, across tested grades three through six, perform below the midpoint on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments in both math and English language arts. In science, the fifth-grade results are similarly low. When compared with other districts in Hudson County, Garfield’s overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile. That is a straightforward signal: academic achievement at this school is an area that warrants attention. The data does not include information on students with Individualized Education Programs or English learners, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about how special education services and English language development are structured and resourced. Chronic absenteeism data is also missing, which is another gap worth exploring in conversation with the school.

Because Garfield serves only through sixth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report. The school’s grade band means that students will transition to a middle school within the district after sixth grade, so families should also consider the full K-12 pathway when evaluating options.

The town of Kearny provides the broader context. It is a historically industrial community that has evolved into a town with a strong soccer tradition, a rising film and television production hub at Kearny Point, and a traditional northeastern small-town feel in its residential sections. The school buildings are distributed throughout the neighborhoods, and Garfield is no exception: it is part of the town’s fabric rather than set apart. District-level changes in recent years appear to have been limited, with no major referenda, curriculum overhauls, or construction projects publicly reported in the period reviewed.

For a parent or resident, Garfield Elementary offers a neighborhood school setting in a diverse, economically mixed town. The student body is largely Hispanic and predominantly low-income, and the academic results are below county averages. Families who value proximity, walkability, and a school that reflects the community’s demographics may find it a natural fit. Those for whom academic performance is the primary factor will want to investigate further, including speaking with the school about current instructional strategies, support programs, and how proficiency trends have changed over time. The available data provides a starting point, but several important pieces are absent, so direct engagement with the school is essential.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 40% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 27% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 26% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 27% · ▲ 7 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 36% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 38% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 39% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 47% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 23% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

This schoolKearny, 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 3Lower-income22%Higher-income41%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income36%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income46%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income30%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income30%Higher-income47%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income18%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income27%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income20%18 pp gap