Mullica Township Middle School, Elwood NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Mullica Township Middle School

Mullica Township Middle School serves grades five through eight in the unincorporated community of Elwood, a low-density, rural pocket of Atlantic County. The school is a regular public school and sits within the Mullica Township School District.

Academically, the school presents a mixed picture that varies sharply by subject. In English language arts, students across all four grade levels reach proficiency at a rate that is a clear strength for the school, with a majority of tested students meeting or exceeding the state standard in each grade from six through eight, and the fifth-grade cohort not far behind. That pattern shifts in mathematics, where the share of students scoring proficient is notably lower, and the eighth-grade group records the weakest math performance of any tested cohort in the building. Science results, measured in fifth and eighth grades, also show low proficiency rates. Across all subjects and grades combined, the school’s overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint relative to districts in Atlantic County.

The student body is about two hundred fifty children spread across the four middle-school grades. The school community is predominantly white, with about one-quarter of students identifying as Hispanic and a small share identifying as Black. More than four in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a substantial share that signals moderate economic need within the school. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source material, a gap a parent may wish to clarify directly with the school.

Elwood itself is a small, car-dependent census-designated place with no downtown or walkable commercial core. The housing stock is made up of scattered single-family homes along rural roads, and nearly every household owns a vehicle. Population has declined over recent decades, and no major housing developments or growth projects have been publicly identified. Residents look to Mullica Township for most civic services, and students who live here attend Mullica Township schools for elementary and middle grades before moving to Cedar Creek High School, which is part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District.

The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes of lasting impact for Mullica Township School District. A reader looking for information on new programs, facility updates, or shifts in academic priorities may find it helpful to contact the district office directly.

For a family considering this school, the main factor to weigh is the split between English language arts, where the school is meeting or exceeding expectations for a majority of students, and math and science, where performance is distinctly lower. A parent whose child thrives in reading and writing may see a supportive environment here. A parent whose child needs strong math and science instruction should look into how the school supports students in those subjects and whether the available course sequence aligns with their goals for the transition to high school. The school’s size and rural setting make it a particular fit for families who value a smaller, community-rooted middle school over a larger regional program.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 17 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 628%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 4 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 16%

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

English language arts

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 46%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 653%

School 53% · District 53%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 52%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 52%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Science

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 18%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

This schoolMullica Township 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 5Lower-income28%Higher-income65%37 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income68%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income39%Higher-income64%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income36%Higher-income58%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income6%Higher-income47%41 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income16%Higher-income39%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income36%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income6%Higher-income21%16 pp gap