Matawan-aberdeen Middle School, Cliffwood NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Matawan-aberdeen Middle School

Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School is a regular public school in Cliffwood, New Jersey, serving grades six through eight within the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District. The school itself occupies land that has been used for educational purposes for roughly a century, and it sits in an unincorporated community within Aberdeen Township, a predominantly residential, suburban area with easy access to Routes 35 and 36, the Garden State Parkway, and an NJ Transit train station that connects to New York City in about an hour.

The school's enrollment is substantial for a middle school, drawing students from across the district. Its student body is diverse, with students identifying in broad terms: more than half are white, roughly a quarter are Hispanic, and smaller shares are Black, Asian, multiracial, or other backgrounds. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, around one in five. The school does not report counts or rates for students with individualized education plans or English learners, so a parent looking for the school's profile on special education or language support services will not find it in this data.

On state assessments, the school shows a clear pattern. In English language arts, proficiency rates sit solidly above the midpoint among the county's districts, with roughly seven out of ten students scoring proficient or above in each grade level. That is a strength. In math, the picture is more mixed, with the overall proficiency index landing right around the midpoint among Monmouth County districts. Across grade six, grade seven, and grade eight, the share of students reaching proficiency hovers between roughly a third and just under half. Science results in grade eight present a notable soft spot, with fewer than two in ten students scoring proficient or above. A parent considering this school may want to ask the school directly about science instruction, curriculum, and what supports are in place for students still developing their math skills.

The school does not provide student counts for chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing ratios, so it is not possible to speak to those dimensions of the environment from this data. The district itself has no recent changes in budget, curriculum, or referendums that clear the threshold of this report, so the district appears to have been operating without major shifts.

The housing market in the area reflects a mid-priced suburban corridor. Home values in the Cliffwood zip code run below the county median, and the county overall has a competitive market with a moderate inventory and a median listing price that places it within reach of a mixed-income population. A newer development called Glassworks has brought a significant apartment complex and adjacent retail and recreation space, signaling some growth. The community itself is car-dependent, with limited street life, though the nearby Henry Hudson Trail and Aberdeen Sea Walk offer recreational routes for walking and biking.

For a family, this school offers a middle school environment with a diverse enrollment, strong English language arts results, and math and science performance that sit closer to the middle of the pack. The lack of reported data on special education and English learner populations, as well as on discipline and attendance, means families with children who have specific learning needs may want to visit the school and ask those questions directly. The surrounding community is suburban and commuting-oriented, with a relatively stable housing market and some new development.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 40%

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

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 11 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 35%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 668%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 14 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 775%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 18%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolMatawan-Aberdeen Regional 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-income49%Higher-income78%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income59%Higher-income81%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income55%Higher-income76%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income49%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income28%Higher-income54%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income22%Higher-income44%22 pp gap