Leonia Middle School, Leonia NJ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Leonia Middle School

Leonia Middle School serves grades five through eight as a regular public school within the Leonia Public School District, located in a small, historic Bergen County borough just west of the George Washington Bridge. The school is one of three in the district and sits in a walkable, tree-lined community where schools, the public library, and recreational facilities are close to the central business district rather than on isolated campuses.

State assessment results paint a mixed picture across subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, the school posts consistently strong proficiency rates. Seventh and eighth graders perform especially well, with a large majority of students meeting or exceeding state standards. Fifth and sixth graders also show solid results, though slightly below the upper grades. The overall pattern suggests that reading and writing instruction is a clear strength, with students generally building skill as they move through the middle grades.

Math tells a different story. Fifth graders perform well, with most at or above proficiency. By sixth and seventh grade, rates remain respectable but decline. Eighth grade math is a notable soft spot: fewer than half of students reach the proficient level. The drop is sharp enough that a parent considering this school may want to ask the administration about math curriculum and support, especially for the transition to eighth grade. Science results follow a similar arc: fifth grade shows a moderate proficiency rate, while eighth grade science falls to a low level, with only a little over a third of students meeting the standard. The pattern across math and science points to a school that handles early middle school well but struggles to maintain performance in the later grades.

Overall, when all tested subjects and grades are averaged together, the school’s proficiency index lands below the midpoint among districts in Bergen County. That aggregate mask the real variation: ELA is a genuine asset, while math and science need attention.

The student body is diverse and relatively small for a four-grade middle school. The largest racial or ethnic group is Asian, followed by Hispanic, white, and smaller shares of students who are Black, two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native. About one in six students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that is moderate compared with many New Jersey districts. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent should ask the school directly about special education and multilingual supports.

Leonia itself is a primarily residential suburb with a modest commercial strip on Broad and Grand Avenues. Housing values are high, well above statewide averages, reflecting the borough’s desirability as a commuter town with direct bus service to Manhattan. The housing stock consists mainly of older single-family homes, and the population has been stable in recent years. The borough is largely built out, with no major new developments identified. The district has not reported any recent changes in curriculum, budget, or policy that would affect families choosing the school.

Because the school ends at grade eight, there is no graduation rate to report. Students move on to Leonia High School, which is part of the same district and located nearby.

In sum, Leonia Middle School offers strong English language arts instruction in a diverse, suburban community with high housing costs and limited growth. Families who value walkability and proximity to New York City may find the setting appealing. The math and science results in the upper grades, particularly eighth grade, are areas where a parent would want to understand what the school offers for intervention and advanced coursework.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 759%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 776%

School 76% · District 76%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 879%

School 79% · District 79%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Science

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 37%

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

This schoolLeonia Public 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-income30%Higher-income73%43 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income67%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income70%Higher-income78%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income77%Higher-income79%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income78%36 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income66%27 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income51%Higher-income62%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income48%Higher-income35%13 pp gap