The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on School 5
School 5 is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Paterson, New Jersey, part of the Paterson Public School District. It is one of many neighborhood schools in a city that is dense, historically industrial, and deeply diverse. Paterson, once the “Silk City” built around the Great Falls of the Passaic, today is home to a large Hispanic population, a substantial South Asian and Arab immigrant community, and a smaller but present Black and white population. The city remains economically challenged, with a poverty rate that has historically been among the state’s highest. The school itself sits on Totowa Avenue in a residential area of two- and three-family homes, close to commercial strips and major highways.
The student body reflects the city’s composition. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by a sizable Asian population, a smaller Black cohort, and a very small number of white and multiracial students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic context families are working within. The school serves just over seven hundred students, a size typical for an urban elementary. Data on the share of students with disabilities or who are English learners was not reported, so a parent may want to ask about the school’s special education and language support services directly.
On state assessments, results lag behind many peers. Across math, English language arts, and science, the proportion of students scoring proficient is below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Passaic County. In the most recent testing year, proficiency rates for all tested grades fell in a range that is noticeably lower than county medians. The strongest area was fourth-grade English language arts, where roughly a third of students met the proficiency bar, while fifth-grade science was a particular soft spot, with fewer than one in five students reaching the state’s threshold. These numbers give a clear signal that academics are an area of focus for the school. A parent exploring options may want to learn more about what instructional supports are in place—tutoring, intervention programs, or extended learning time—to help students who are behind. Participation rates for testing were not reported, which is itself a gap worth noting; it is possible that a share of students were not tested, though the reason is not given in the available data.
The Paterson Public School District recently adopted a new five-year strategic plan covering 2025 through 2030 that prioritizes student achievement and post-graduation readiness. This plan will shape curriculum and programming in the coming years. In spring 2025, the school board approved a budget that includes a tax levy increase, the maximum allowed under a state waiver, meaning local property taxes will rise to support district operations. For families living in Paterson, this is a direct financial consideration.
The housing market in the area has seen steady activity. Home values in the zip code around the school are moderately above the national median, and the county’s inventory of homes for sale has grown compared to the prior year, giving buyers somewhat more choice. Still, affordability is a concern: estimated monthly mortgage payments outpace typical rents, and the price-to-income ratio is high relative to national averages. Paterson’s population has been growing slowly, reversing earlier declines, and development has focused on adaptive reuse of historic mill buildings and the continued buildout of the Great Falls National Historical Park as a cultural anchor. These are long-term signals about the city’s direction but do not directly change the day-to-day experience of a family at School 5.
For a parent or resident, School 5 is a typical urban elementary serving a high-needs, diverse student population. Its academic performance is below the county average, and while the district has a fresh strategic plan, the results so far suggest that raising achievement will be a multiyear effort. Families who value a school with a community feel and a student body that reflects the city’s rich diversity will find that here. Those who are concerned about test scores and want a stronger academic track record should investigate whether the school offers targeted interventions and what progress it is making under the new district priorities.
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