Heritage Middle School, Livingston NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Heritage Middle School

Heritage Middle School serves seventh and eighth graders in Livingston, a suburban township in Essex County that is among New Jersey’s highest-income communities. The school is one of two middle schools in the Livingston Board of Education School District and feeds into Livingston High School. With an enrollment that qualifies as large for a two-year middle school, Heritage sits in a district that voters recently backed with a referendum to expand full-day kindergarten districtwide—a sign of ongoing investment in the educational pipeline.

On state assessments, Heritage posts results that are strong overall, particularly in English language arts. In both seventh and eighth grade, a large majority of students score proficient or above on the NJSLA, a level that places the school’s composite proficiency index well above the midpoint among Essex County districts—in fact, in the top quartile. Seventh-grade math also shows a high proficiency rate, while eighth-grade math is notably lower, with roughly half of students meeting the bar. Science, tested only in eighth grade, lands around that same midpoint. A parent might want to ask the school about the dip in eighth-grade math and how the middle school curriculum prepares students for high school math pathways.

The student body is racially and economically mixed in ways that reflect the broader township. White and Asian students each make up around two-fifths of the enrollment, with Black and Hispanic students each comprising a modest share. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals is very low, aligning with Livingston’s affluent profile. The school does not report data on students with disabilities or English learners, so families seeking those specifics would need to contact the district.

Livingston itself is a car-dependent suburb with a highly educated, commuter-heavy population. Housing values and rents are elevated relative to national and state benchmarks, and the market has been active, with pending sales, new listings, and a median days on market that is fairly short. The school’s attendance zone draws from a well-established residential area of single-family homes. For families considering relocating for the school system, the district’s recently adopted budget includes a property tax levy increase, and the approved referendum will add classroom space at elementary schools to support universal full-day kindergarten by 2026—a marker of the community’s willingness to invest in its schools.

Heritage Middle School’s academic record is strongest in literacy, solid in seventh-grade math, and more uneven by eighth grade. The school’s performance relative to other districts in Essex County is strong, and the community context is one of affluence, diversity, and active voter support for school improvements. Families who place a premium on high ELA outcomes and a well-resourced suburban setting will find a lot to like here. Those concerned about the math trajectory or the lack of public data on some student support populations may want to dig deeper with the school directly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 778%

School 78% · District 78%

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 55 pts above county median

Grade 849%

School 49% · District 49%

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 788%

School 88% · District 88%

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 886%

School 86% · District 86%

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Science

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above county median

This schoolLivingston Board of Education 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 7Lower-income60%Higher-income89%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income46%Higher-income87%41 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income47%Higher-income79%32 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income50%30 pp gap