The top reported proficiency rate is 86% in English language arts. The lowest is 41% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Fieldstone Middle School
Fieldstone Middle School, located in Montvale, serves grades five through eight and is one of two schools in the Montvale Board of Education district. The middle school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it is small enough that a parent can expect a setting where students move through a single building during the key pre–high school years. Since the district has only an elementary school and this middle school, the progression through grades is contained and straightforward.
Academically, the school’s performance profile is uneven in ways that matter to families trying to decide where to land. English language arts results stand out as a clear strength. Across all four tested grades, a very large majority of students met the state’s proficiency standard. That is a strong signal that instruction and support in reading and writing are serving most students well. Mathematics results are more moderate. In each grade, roughly half to just over half of students were proficient. The rates are not low in a statewide sense, but they are noticeably below the school’s own ELA outcomes. A parent considering Fieldstone may want to ask about the math curriculum, the availability of extra support, and how the school approaches students who are not yet at the proficient level in math.
Science results come in two forms. At fifth grade, about half of students met proficiency on the state science assessment. By eighth grade, that share was markedly lower, with fewer than a third of students reaching proficiency. This pattern raises a natural question for a parent: how is science taught and supported through the middle school years, and what happens when students leave Fieldstone for high school at Pascack Hills, which is part of a separate regional district? The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages performance across tested subjects and grades, places it above the midpoint among districts in Bergen County. That is a meaningful point of reference because Bergen County contains many districts with strong reputations and high achievement.
The student body reflects the affluent community it serves. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals that the school operates in a low-poverty context. The racial and ethnic composition is predominantly White and Asian, with a much smaller share of Hispanic students and a minimal presence of Black students. This profile can matter to a family thinking about the peer environment and the range of experiences their child will encounter.
Montvale itself is a northern Bergen County suburb with a mix of quiet residential streets and large corporate headquarters. The borough has seen steady population growth and has a notable concentration of employers, including Sharp, Benjamin Moore, and Ingersoll Rand. Housing costs are high, running well above state averages, so the school serves a community where the financial resources for education are ample. The borough lacks a walkable downtown core; retail is concentrated in a strip mall anchored by Wegmans. The district has two schools, and high school students attend a regional school shared with nearby towns. No recent district changes—curriculum shifts, tax referendums, or major pedagogy updates—were reported in public sources, so the educational program appears to have been stable.
Several common data categories are absent here. There is no information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or course access. A parent may want to investigate those areas directly with the school. The school’s special education and English learner counts were not reported, which is an important gap for any family with a child who might benefit from those services.
Overall, Fieldstone Middle School offers a strong literacy-focused academic foundation in a materially advantaged, suburban setting. The community is growing, the housing market is expensive, and the district is small. A family moving to Montvale should expect high peer performance in reading and should look closely at how the school supports math and science, which appear to be areas where the school is not as strong as its affluent context might imply.
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