School 2, Paterson NJ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on School 2

School 2 is a regular public school in Paterson, serving kindergarten through eighth grade. It operates as part of the Paterson Public School District, a large urban system that serves the city. The school sits on Passaic Street in a dense, walkable residential area of Paterson, a city known for its historic industrial past, the Great Falls, and a heavily immigrant population. Paterson is New Jersey’s third-largest municipality, with a high poverty rate and a population that has grown modestly in recent years after decades of decline. The housing market in the surrounding zip code shows home values near the national median for the region, though affordability remains tight relative to local incomes. Rents have been rising, and the county housing market shows a modest increase in active listings and a median listing price somewhat above the national benchmark.

School 2’s enrollment is relatively small for a K-8 school, with roughly equal class sizes across grade levels. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a notable share of Black students and a smaller Asian presence; white students make up a very small fraction. About two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a family looking into this school may want to ask about those programs directly.

On state assessments, the school’s results show a mixed picture that varies sharply by subject and grade. In mathematics, proficiency rates across all tested grades fall below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Passaic County. The proportion of students meeting proficiency in math is modest in third and fourth grade and drops to lower levels in grades five through eight, with no grade reaching more than about three in ten students. In English language arts, the pattern is different. Younger grades show moderate proficiency, but from sixth grade onward the share of students scoring proficient or above rises substantially. Seventh and eighth graders in particular post proficiency rates well above the school’s overall average, a strength that stands out relative to the rest of the school’s performance. Science results are very low; in fifth grade a very small share of students were proficient, and in eighth grade none reached the proficiency threshold. A parent may want to discuss with the school how science instruction is structured, especially at the middle school level.

Because School 2 ends at eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report here. The school does not offer high school coursework, so there are no AP or dual-credit programs. The district, however, has recently adopted a new five-year strategic plan focused on improving student achievement and post-graduation readiness, which will shape curriculum district-wide in the coming years. Also, the school board approved a budget that includes a tax levy increase for the district, the maximum allowed under the state’s cap. This may affect local property taxes for Paterson residents.

For families considering School 2, the primary takeaway is a school that serves a high-need community with uneven academic results. The upper-grade ELA performance is a clear bright spot and suggests that some students are making strong progress in reading and writing as they move through the school. But math and science attainment lag behind, and overall proficiency across subjects places the school below the midpoint among the county’s districts. The school’s location in Paterson means students attend school in a dense urban environment with active commercial streets, significant immigrant community life, and access to civic anchors like the Great Falls National Historical Park. The district is large and undergoing strategic changes, and families may want to learn directly from the school about supports for students who are struggling in math and science, as well as the availability of programs for English learners and students with disabilities, given that those data were absent from the available records.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 23% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 20% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 15% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 13% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 719%

School 19% · District 14% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 8% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 22% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 27% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 24% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 28% · ▲ 25 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 776%

School 76% · District 30% · ▲ 47 pts above district

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

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 34% · ▲ 38 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Science

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 10% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 4% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

This schoolPaterson 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.