The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Math. The lowest is 37% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Hillside Elementary School
Hillside Elementary School is one of six K-4 neighborhood schools in the Mount Laurel Township School District, serving families in a predominantly residential suburban community that has grown steadily since the 1960s. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, and students then move to a single upper elementary school for grades five and six before attending a district middle school. High school is part of the separate Lenape Regional High School District. This dispersed campus arrangement is typical of the township’s post-1960s development pattern, where schools and civic facilities are spread across separate sites rather than clustered around a traditional downtown.
The student body at Hillside is diverse in its racial and ethnic composition. White students make up the largest group, while Asian, Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students each form meaningful shares of the enrollment. A moderate share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, giving the school a socioeconomic profile that is not notably high-poverty but also not uniformly affluent. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the data reviewed; families with children receiving special education services or language support may want to inquire directly with the school about services and staffing.
On state assessments administered through the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment in the most recent testing year, Hillside’s overall proficiency across math and English language arts in grades three and four fell below the midpoint when compared with other districts across Burlington County. In math, roughly two of every five students in both grade levels met proficiency standards. In English language arts, the share of proficient students was lower in third grade and higher in fourth, but the combined picture places the school in a range where a parent may want to look into classroom instruction, curriculum, and student support further with the school or district. Testing participation data was not reported, which sometimes occurs when all eligible students were tested but the field is not recorded; a family could clarify with the school.
Mount Laurel itself has a reputation as a family-oriented community with easy highway access to Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore. Housing in the area carries a price tag roughly in line with the national average; home values have risen modestly in recent years, and the rental market is active. The township’s population has grown steadily, and its history includes the landmark Mount Laurel Doctrine, which shaped affordable housing policy across New Jersey. The district has approved a voter referendum for capital improvements, and property taxes increased in a recent budget cycle, both factors that may matter to homeowners.
Because Hillside serves only early elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or high school outcome data to report. The school is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet, and all students in its attendance zone are assigned on a geographic basis. For a family seeking a neighborhood school in a growing suburb where the student body reflects a mix of backgrounds and where academic performance on state tests sits in a middle range relative to nearby districts, Hillside offers a straightforward elementary entry point within a larger feeder system. The district’s other five K-4 schools serve different parts of the township, so the experience a child has may vary by which geographic zone a family lives in.
See more original research from School Decision →