The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 55% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Little Falls Township Public School # 3
Little Falls Township Public School # 3 is a regular public school that serves exactly two grade levels: third and fourth. It is one of three elementary buildings in the Little Falls Township Public School District, sitting between a primary school that serves pre-kindergarten through second grade and an upper elementary building that covers fifth through eighth grade. This makes School # 3 a transitional building, a brief but important bridge between early primary and the longer upper-elementary stretch. Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The narrative of School # 3 is academic only, and readers should know the school’s narrow grade band means no high school outcomes are available.
The student body is relatively small, with roughly a hundred students per grade year. The majority of students are white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate degree of economic diversity. Data on special education and English learner populations was not reported in the sources we had, so a parent who wants a full picture of student support should ask the school directly. The school carried no charter, magnet, or Title I designation in the data.
On state assessments, School # 3 shows a mixed picture that varies by subject and grade. In mathematics, about half of students scored at the proficient level or above in both third and fourth grades, a consistent result. In English language arts, the fourth-grade proficiency rate was noticeably higher than the third-grade rate. That jump from third to fourth grade in ELA is the kind of pattern a parent might want to explore: whether it reflects curriculum changes, teaching, or cohort differences. When placed against other districts in Passaic County, School # 3’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls in the top quartile. That is a clear strength. The school sits above the midpoint of the county’s districts, which includes a range of communities from high-poverty urban districts to more affluent suburbs.
Little Falls is a primarily residential township in Passaic County, roughly 20 miles west of New York City. The town has three distinct subdivisions—Great Notch in the east, the downtown “Center of Town,” and Singac along the Passaic River in the west—each with its own character. The economy includes light industrial and office-based businesses, and Montclair State University, located within the township, is a significant local employer. Home values and rents in the area are well above the national typical, reflecting the township’s position in the New York metropolitan area and likely presenting an affordability challenge for many families. The housing market has been active, and the township is engaged in planning for affordable housing obligations. Commuting options include NJ Transit rail service from the Little Falls and Montclair State University stations on the Montclair-Boonton Line.
The district itself reported no recent major changes in budget, curriculum, or facilities in publicly available sources. For a school that spans only two grades, the practical question for a family is often about the experience of moving through the district’s three elementary buildings: what the transition looks like, how the curriculum aligns from School # 2 to School # 3 to School # 1, and what enrichment or academic supports are available. Those details were not in the data we had; a parent considering this school would benefit from speaking directly with the school or the district. The academic performance, especially on the county comparison, is solid. The limitations in available data on student support populations and broader school environment mean that the full story of how School # 3 operates day to day will come from a visit.
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