The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in Math. The lowest is 53% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Charles H. Bullock School
Charles H. Bullock School is one of seven elementary schools in the Montclair Public School District, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits in a township that is described publicly as both a residential commuter suburb of New York City and a commercial and cultural hub in its own right, with multiple walkable commercial nodes, six NJ Transit train stations, and a well-known creative energy. The housing market in the school’s zip code reflects that desirability: home values are well above the national benchmark, and rents are correspondingly high. The school serves a student body that is predominantly white, with Black students making up roughly a fifth of the enrollment and smaller shares of Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. A relatively small proportion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a marker of the area’s overall affluence. The school is a regular public school; it is not a charter or magnet.
Academically, Bullock School posts strong results. In the most recent state testing, a solid majority of third, fourth, and fifth graders met or exceeded the proficiency bar in English language arts, with fourth and fifth graders clearing seventy percent. Math proficiency was also strong across those grades, with each cohort above two-thirds proficient. Those scores place the school’s overall proficiency level in the top quartile relative to the many other districts in Essex County. Among the available subject results, fifth-grade science was the one area where proficiency dipped below that mark, landing just over half of students at or above the standard. A parent may want to ask the school how science instruction is structured in the upper elementary years and whether recent cohorts have shown a similar pattern.
The school is a feeder within the district’s larger system. Montclair Public Schools operate seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school, so Bullock students will eventually move to a centralized middle and high school experience. The search for recent district-level changes such as curriculum shifts, boundary adjustments, or facility referendums turned up little of lasting note, so it is not clear whether any major structural or programmatic changes are in the pipeline. Families moving into the attendance zone should confirm current feeder patterns directly with the district.
Because Bullock School serves only elementary grades, it does not have a graduation rate, nor does it report chronic absenteeism data or some other secondary-level metrics. The available civil rights indicators were also absent from the data. This means certain comparisons, such as discipline rates or special education identification, cannot be made from what is reported. The school did not provide staffing or course access data either, so the reader is left without a view into class sizes or specialist availability.
The neighborhood context matters for this school. Montclair is not a single downtown town; it has distinct pockets including Upper Montclair, Church Street, and Watchung Plaza, each with its own commercial strip. Homes near Bullock School are part of a high-value real estate market where the median list price in the county is elevated and days on market are short. For families weighing a move, the school’s academic track record is a clear positive, but the high cost of housing in the area will be a practical constraint for many.
Overall, Bullock School presents as a high-performing elementary option within a well-regarded district, set in a township with strong cultural and transit amenities. The proficiency numbers are consistently above the county median, and the student body is relatively economically homogenous by the measures available. The main open questions for a prospective parent are about the specifics of science instruction at fifth grade and the current attendance boundary, along with any pending district reorganization that could affect the middle school transition.
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