Columbus School, Lodi NJ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Columbus School

Columbus School is a regular public elementary school in Lodi, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of five elementary schools in the Lodi School District, a small Bergen County system that feeds into Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Lodi High School. The school is located on Westervelt Place in a densely built residential section of the borough.

The student body, which enrolls in the mid-hundreds for this grade band, is majority Hispanic, with a substantial share of white students and smaller numbers of Asian and Black students. Just over half of all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the school's economic profile. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.

On state assessments, Columbus School’s results vary noticeably by grade and subject. In math, proficiency rates follow a declining pattern across grades three through five, starting at a level that reaches a majority of students and ending at roughly half. The trend in English language arts is the opposite: third-grade proficiency is below a majority, fourth grade climbs to about two-thirds, and fifth grade reaches a strong majority. Science results for fifth graders, the only tested science grade, show about a third of students meeting the state's proficiency standard, though New Jersey's science assessment uses a different proficiency threshold than ELA and math. Taking all tested subjects and grades together, the school's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint of the district-level comparison set relative to districts in Bergen County. This gives a mixed academic picture: the upward trajectory in reading by fifth grade is a strength, while math and science show room for growth.

Columbus School is a neighborhood elementary school with no special designations such as charter or magnet status. The locale is Lodi, a compact suburban borough with a traditional street grid and commercial corridors along major routes. Felician University, a small Catholic institution, is located here, and the borough has a family-oriented character with a moderate share of households with children. Housing values in the area are above the national median, and rental costs are similarly elevated. The county's housing market has seen an increase in active listings and relatively fast sales, suggesting moderate turnover and continued demand.

The Lodi School District has approved consecutive annual budgets with modest tax levy increases, meaning that a homeowner with a borough-average assessed property sees a small additional school tax each year. The district has also filed a long-range facility plan identifying a substantial amount of needed improvements across all schools, including roof replacements, HVAC upgrades, and security enhancements. While the planning is preliminary and future funding mechanisms are not yet specified, it signals that infrastructure costs could become a subject of local discussion.

Information on course offerings, class sizes, staffing ratios, and attendance patterns was not available in the material reviewed. A parent exploring Columbus School may want to request details on gifted and intervention programs, class sizes, and the specific supports available for students who need extra help. The school's website and direct conversations with the administration would fill those gaps.

For a family considering Lodi, Columbus School offers the typical experience of a mid-sized, economically diverse elementary school in a dense suburban setting. The reading gains by fifth grade are a clear highlight, while the weaker areas in math and science are worth understanding through a visit or conversation. The steady tax increases and planned facility upgrades are ongoing district realities that any resident should factor in.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 59% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 48% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 48% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 63% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 467%

School 67% · District 72% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 582%

School 82% · District 71% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 29% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

This schoolLodi 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 3Lower-income41%Higher-income50%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income66%Higher-income69%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income83%Higher-income80%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income59%Higher-income62%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income66%Higher-income41%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income69%26 pp gap