The top reported proficiency rate is 89% in Math. The lowest is 81% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Deerfield School
Deerfield School serves kindergarten through fourth grade in Short Hills, a census-designated place within Millburn Township in Essex County, New Jersey. It is one of five elementary schools in the Millburn Township School District, which funnels all fifth-graders to the district-wide Washington School before moving on to Millburn Middle School and Millburn High School. That feeder pattern is a structural element families evaluating Deerfield should be aware of: enrollment here automatically leads to a shared fifth-grade experience with students from the other elementary schools.
Deerfield’s academic results position it as a high-performing school. On state assessments, proficiency rates for third graders were very strong in both math and English language arts. Fourth-grade math also posted a high proficiency rate. The single area that gives a parent something to inquire about is fourth-grade English language arts, where the proficiency rate was meaningfully lower than the third-grade ELA result. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades sits in the top quartile among districts in Essex County, indicating that Deerfield, and the Millburn district by extension, is operating at an elevated level compared with most of its county neighbors.
The student body is predominantly Asian, with a substantial White enrollment and a smaller share identifying as two or more races. Hispanic and Black enrollments are thin, and no American Indian or Native Hawaiian students were reported. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education, and English learner status were not available in the profile, so a family cannot assess economic need or the level of these support services from this record. The school does not have a Title I designation, and no charter or magnet status applies.
Short Hills itself is a highly affluent, largely built-out community originally planned in the late nineteenth century with an emphasis on nature and low density. The housing market reflects that affluence: home values are among the highest in the nation, and rents are correspondingly steep. Most housing consists of single-family homes on plots historically limited to half an acre, and the town’s commercial activity centers on the upscale Mall at Short Hills and a small business district near the train station. Many residents commute to Manhattan via NJ Transit’s Morris & Essex Line, a connection that has deepened the area’s desirability. Population growth has been modest in recent decades, and no major new housing developments were noted in the available records.
Because Deerfield serves only the primary grades, there are no high school graduation rates or postsecondary readiness metrics to report. State testing data is limited to the grades tested, and no chronic absenteeism or discipline figures were available for the school. For a parent deciding whether Deerfield fits, the picture is one of exceptionally strong early academic foundations, a student body that is diverse in the sense of Asian and White representation but not economically diverse by the standard measures, and a peer environment shaped by the wealth and stability of Short Hills. The dip in fourth-grade ELA warrants a conversation with the school about curriculum or support structures at that grade level. Otherwise, the school’s profile is consistent with a district that routinely performs among the top tier in the county.
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