The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on North Hanover Township Upper Elementary School
North Hanover Township Upper Elementary School serves grades four through six and sits in Wrightstown, a very small Burlington County borough whose economy and character are shaped by the adjacent Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The school is part of the North Hanover Township School District, which recently opened a new primary facility on the base that reduced the number of building transitions for students, a change that matters for military-connected families who move frequently. For a parent trying to understand what this school offers, the picture comes largely from its assessment results and the community context.
On the 2024-25 New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, the school’s English language arts proficiency rates were solid across all three tested grades. Reading and writing results hovered in a range that places the school above the midpoint among Burlington County districts on a combined proficiency index. Math results were more uneven. Fourth-grade math proficiency was lower than the school’s own ELA results, fifth-grade math was roughly even with the school’s overall pattern, and sixth-grade math fell to a notably lower level. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed a smaller share of students meeting the state’s proficiency criteria. The pattern suggests a building where literacy instruction is a relative strength and where math performance, particularly as students reach the upper grade, is an area a parent may want to look into further with the school.
The school’s enrollment is moderate for a building covering three grades. The student body is majority white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Black, or Asian. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that places the school’s economic need below the state average but still present at a meaningful level. Data on special education identification and English learner status was not available, so a parent who needs information on those programs should ask the school directly.
Wrightstown itself is a compact borough, barely a square mile in area, with a population that has been volatile over decades, tied to changes at Fort Dix. The median household income is lower than in many Burlington County suburbs, and the poverty rate is higher. The housing stock is small and older, with very few new developments. The local economy depends heavily on the base and on a concrete products plant. Students here live in a community that is auto-oriented and lacks a traditional downtown school setting. The school building itself is located on Monmouth Road, outside the borough’s small commercial core.
Because this is a grades four-through-six school, there is no graduation rate to report, and no high school program offerings such as Advanced Placement or career-technical pathways. The school does not serve grades that would produce those metrics. The district’s students move on to a regional high school arrangement after eighth grade, so the academic program at North Hanover Township Upper Elementary is focused entirely on the upper elementary and early middle school years. That means the school’s job is to build foundational skills in math, reading, writing, and science before students head into a more complex secondary environment. The ELA results suggest that foundation is reasonably strong for many students. The math results, particularly in sixth grade, point to a challenge the school may still be working through.
For a family weighing this school, the key considerations are straightforward. Literacy instruction is a clear strength. Math performance is more variable and warrants a conversation with the school about how it supports students who are not yet proficient, especially in the upper grade. The student body reflects a community with military connections and a modest economic profile, which many families would find comfortable and diverse in a natural way. The building itself is part of a district that has invested in new facilities on the base, which signals ongoing attention to the learning environment. There is no high school on this campus, so a parent also needs to look ahead to the district’s receiving high school to complete the picture.
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