Charles Dewolf Middle School, Old Tappan NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Charles Dewolf Middle School

Charles DeWolf Middle School is a regular public school in Old Tappan serving grades five through eight. It is the only middle school in the Old Tappan Public School District, a small Bergen County district. The school is housed in a suburban setting, with its campus located near the elementary school and a little league field.

Academically, the school posts results that place it in the top quartile among all districts in Bergen County when overall proficiency is averaged across tested subjects and grades. That is a high bar, and this school clears it. Performance on state English language arts assessments is especially strong; in every grade tested, a large majority of students scored at the proficient or advanced level, with the eighth-grade cohort marking the highest rate. Math proficiency is also solid, with roughly three-quarters of students or more meeting the bar in each grade. Science results are more mixed. In fifth grade, just over half of students reached the proficient level, and in eighth grade the share was under half. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, especially since science performance trails the otherwise high pattern.

Because the school ends at grade eight, there is no graduation rate to report, and the state does not assess high school outcomes here. Chronic absenteeism data was not available for this school.

The student body is relatively small for a middle school serving four grades. Demographically, the largest groups are students who identify as white and as Asian, each making up a substantial share of enrollment. A much smaller number identify as Hispanic, as two or more races, or as Black. Information on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, as well as counts of students with disabilities or those learning English, was not available in the data provided.

The surrounding community of Old Tappan is a primarily residential borough in northern Bergen County with a low population density and no traditional commercial downtown. The road network centers on Old Tappan Road and DeWolf Road, where the school is located. Daily errands are effectively car-dependent. Recreational amenities include several parks, a nine-hole golf course open to the public, and the Lake Tappan reservoir along the western border. For high school, Old Tappan students attend Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, a separate campus that also serves students from neighboring municipalities.

Housing in the area is expensive. Home values are well above both the national and state medians, and the local market has been active, with listings moving relatively quickly. In Bergen County as a whole, the median listing price and price per square foot have held at elevated levels. A family considering a move to Old Tappan should be prepared for a significant investment in housing.

The district itself did not report any major recent changes or initiatives in the available information. The borough has seen slow, steady population growth in recent decades, with modest infill housing rather than large new developments.

Charles DeWolf Middle School fits families who place a high priority on academic achievement and who want a small, suburban school setting with strong English and math results. The lower science scores are a point to investigate, but the overall proficiency picture is among the strongest in Bergen County. The community is quiet, residential, and car-oriented, with high housing costs and a regional high school arrangement that draws from several towns.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 72%

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 780%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 54 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 580%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 691%

School 91% · District 91%

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 786%

School 86% · District 86%

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 895%

School 95% · District 95%

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Science

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 849%

School 49% · District 49%

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

This schoolOld Tappan Public 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.