The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in English language arts. The lowest is 57% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Stony Lane Elementary School
Stony Lane Elementary School is one of the regular public elementary schools serving Paramus, New Jersey, a borough that blends quiet residential streets with an extraordinary concentration of retail and corporate activity. The school welcomes children from kindergarten through fourth grade, with a total enrollment that is small for those grade bands. About half the student body is white, roughly a quarter is Asian, and the remaining share is mostly Hispanic, with small numbers of Black students and students of two or more races. The proportion of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is modest, placing the school in a relatively higher-income context.
Paramus itself is car-dependent and organized around two heavily trafficked highway corridors lined with shopping malls, including one of the largest in the country. There is no traditional walkable downtown; civic and commercial life centers on these roads and their indoor shopping centers. Homes in the Paramus ZIP Code carry very high values, reflecting the borough’s desirability as a bedroom community within reach of New York City, about a moderate drive northwest of Midtown. The district’s most recent budget included a modest property tax increase, and the district has expanded its preschool offerings across elementary campuses, pointing to a sustained investment in early childhood education.
State assessment results from the NJSLA tests given in third and fourth grade show a mixed picture that parents may want to examine by grade and subject. In third-grade math, a strong majority of students met or exceeded the state standard. Fourth-grade math was a different story, with a notably lower proficiency rate. English language arts results moved in the opposite direction: third-grade reading was solid, and fourth-grade reading was stronger. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed it above the midpoint among districts in Bergen County, a large county with many well-regarded schools.
Because Stony Lane serves only through fourth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available. Civil rights data on discipline, staffing, and course access were also absent from the records reviewed, so a parent interested in those areas would need to follow up directly with the school or district office. The school did not report counts for students with disabilities or English learners, so the extent of those supports is not clear from the data on hand.
For a family considering Paramus, Stony Lane sits within a district that has been stable in enrollment and funding, with the typical annual tax adjustments. The school’s small size and relatively homogeneous economic profile may appeal to families seeking a close-knit elementary experience in an affluent suburb. The variation in test scores between subjects and grade levels suggests that academic strengths are not uniform, and a parent visiting or speaking with the principal could clarify how the school addresses those differences. The broader Paramus environment offers extensive shopping and highway access but little pedestrian life, which matters for families who value walkability or a traditional downtown.
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