Original Research by School Decision on Spruce Street Elementary School
Spruce Street Elementary School is a regular public school in Lakewood, New Jersey, and it serves just one grade: first grade. With an enrollment of roughly that size for a single grade, it is a small, focused building whose entire purpose is the transition from kindergarten to the next step in elementary school. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller share of White students and a modest Black population. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. Data on special education identification and English learner status was not available, so those details remain unknown from the public record.
The school sits within Lakewood, a rapidly growing and densely populated township with a distinctive cultural character. The Orthodox Jewish community makes up more than half the population and strongly shapes daily life, while a significant Latino population also contributes to the township’s diversity. Lakewood has experienced explosive population growth over recent decades, driven by high birth rates and in-migration, making it one of the most populous municipalities in New Jersey. Housing values in the area are above the national benchmark, and the market remains active, with demand keeping pace with supply.
The Lakewood Township School District, which operates Spruce Street, is in the midst of a major operational shift. The district closed several schools as of mid-2025 and reconfigured the grade bands at all remaining buildings. Under the new plan, Spruce Street Elementary School is slated to become a Preschool and Kindergarten school starting in the 2025-2026 school year. That means the current first-grade program will be relocated to another school within the district. The closures and reconfiguration were driven by a steady decline in district enrollment over several years. A new multi-year strategic plan has been adopted to guide academics and operations through this transition.
Because Spruce Street serves only first grade, state assessment results are not available. New Jersey begins standardized testing in third grade, so there is no proficiency data to report. The school cannot be compared to other schools or districts on test scores, graduation rates, or chronic absenteeism for the same reason. This is not a reflection of quality; it is simply a function of the grade band. A parent looking for academic performance metrics will find no numbers here and would need to examine the elementary schools that serve the tested grades in the district.
Other typical measures are also absent from the data: discipline rates, staffing ratios, and attendance records were not reported. The school’s Title I status is not listed, though the high share of students qualifying for meal assistance makes it likely that the school receives federal support.
Spruce Street Elementary is a one-grade building in a district undergoing fundamental change. A family moving into the area with a child entering first grade should confirm directly with the district where that grade will be housed after the reconfiguration. The school itself serves a predominantly low-income, Hispanic student population in a township that is culturally distinct, fast-growing, and relatively expensive for housing. The absence of testing data means the school’s academic standing must be assessed through other means, such as conversations with the district or visits to the receiving schools. For now, the key fact is that Spruce Street’s role is shifting, and the first-grade program that currently meets there will not remain in place.
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