Joseph E. Soehl Middle School, Linden NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Joseph E. Soehl Middle School

Joseph E. Soehl Middle School serves students in grades six through eight and is one of two middle schools within the Linden Public School District in Union County. The school is located in a city with a strong industrial and residential mix. Linden is home to the Bayway Refinery, one of the largest refining facilities in the country, and has a notable Polish-American cultural presence that shows in local businesses and an annual festival. The city's population has grown in recent decades, and it offers rail connections to Manhattan via NJ Transit, as well as access to major highways. The district, which includes eleven schools spread across the city, has expanded its full-day pre-kindergarten program, a change that matters for families with young children considering the area.

Soehl Middle School enrolls a student body that is diverse. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by Black students, with smaller proportions of White students, students who identify as two or more races, and Asian students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a common measure of household economic need. Data on the shares of students with disabilities and English learners were not reported here, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those programs and supports. The school is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet.

On state assessments, the pattern is consistent across grades. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above across grades six through eight falls in a range that is noticeably lower than the average. The same holds in mathematics, where proficiency rates are lower still, and the figures decline across the three grades. In eighth-grade science, the share of students reaching the proficient benchmark is below one in ten. Compared to other districts in Union County, Soehl Middle School's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quarter. A parent should look into this further with the school to understand how the curriculum and supports are structured and where interventions are targeted.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to examine. Chronic absenteeism data was also not provided. These gaps are typical for a middle school setting, but a parent may wish to ask the school about attendance trends and what is being done to keep students engaged.

Housing in the area carries a typical price that sits above the national median, and rents are comparably high. The local market shows a moderate pace of sales and a limited inventory of homes. County-level data on the housing market indicates that homes are generally selling within about a month of listing, with median prices rising over the past year. For families moving into the district, the cost of housing will be a significant factor.

Overall, Soehl Middle School serves a diverse, economically mixed student body in a city with a distinct industrial character. Academic proficiency on state tests is well below the median for Union County, especially in math and science. A family considering this school will want to learn more about how the school addresses academic gaps, what enrichment or intervention programs exist, and how the school supports students in the transition to high school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 614%

School 14% · District 15% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 713%

School 13% · District 13% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 9% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 36% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 34% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 41% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

This schoolLinden 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 6Lower-income35%Higher-income52%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income34%Higher-income38%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income37%Higher-income39%2 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income12%Higher-income19%7 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income12%Higher-income16%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income13%Higher-income10%3 pp gap