Margaret Mace Elementary School, North Wildwood NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Margaret Mace Elementary School

Margaret Mace Elementary School serves the barrier-island resort city of North Wildwood, New Jersey, as its single public school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The school is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet school. It is embedded in the residential-commercial fabric of Atlantic Avenue rather than set apart on a campus, a reflection of the small size of the year-round community. The city itself is a seasonal tourism destination, with a population that is slowly declining year over year. The school’s enrollment is modest for a PK-8 span, and the student body is predominantly White, with a notable share identifying as Hispanic and a similar share as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

State testing data is available for this school. In mathematics, across grades three through eight, proficient performance on the NJSLA assessment shows a varied picture. Results for the youngest tested grade reach the midpoint of the possible range, while results in several other grades fall below that level. The lowest math proficiency was recorded in grade five. English language arts (ELA) results follow a similar pattern: the highest performing grade hits a solid benchmark, and several other grades cluster below that. Grade five ELA is a weak point. In science, the school tested grade five and grade eight. The grade five cohort saw a small share reach proficiency, while the grade eight cohort produced no proficient results across all students tested. A parent considering the school may want to look into the academic support structures available, particularly in the middle grades and in science.

The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Cape May County. This county-level comparison set is the available benchmark; the school’s position suggests that its composite performance is in the middle range of its peers, not at the top or the bottom. Because Margaret Mace serves only through eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report. The school does not serve high school grades, so that metric simply does not apply here. Similarly, data on chronic absenteeism and on special populations such as students with IEPs and English learners was not available in the provided records, so a parent may wish to ask the school directly about those supports and attendance patterns.

The district context offers little to flag. A search for recent district-level changes of lasting impact turned up nothing significant to note. The district is a single-school operation, and the city’s declining year-round population shapes a stable, low-turnover environment. The North Wildwood housing market reflects the area’s desirability as a shore destination; the typical home value is above the state average and well above the national average. The affordability picture is stretched, with the estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home at a figure that is high relative to national median household income. Renting cost data was not available.

For families, this is a small, community-grounded school in a seasonal resort town. The academic picture is mixed, with ELA showing some stronger grades and math and science presenting soft spots, especially in the upper elementary and middle school years. The school’s peer performance relative to other Cape May County districts lands in the middle of the pack. The absence of high school on site means that families will need to plan for Wildwood High School in neighboring Wildwood City after eighth grade. The city’s character is quiet and residential in the off-season and heavily tourist-oriented in the summer, which shapes both the local economy and the pace of daily life. The declining population and lack of new housing development suggest a mature, slow-changing community rather than one experiencing growth pressures.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 50%

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 45%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 43%

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

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 35%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 22 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 55%

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 4 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 0%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

This schoolNorth Wildwood 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-income27%Higher-income30%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income40%13 pp gap