School 12, Paterson NJ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on School 12

School 12 serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade in Paterson, a dense, historically industrial city where residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors mix with remnant manufacturing. The school is part of the Paterson Public School District, which provides the curriculum and administrative framework. Paterson itself is a city of substantial immigrant communities and economic challenges, and the school’s student body reflects that context: the enrollment is heavily Hispanic and Black, and a large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

On state assessments, the results are very low. In math, only a handful of students in each grade reached proficiency; the rates are in the low single digits for most grades, with a slight uptick by eighth grade but still far below typical levels. English language arts results are similarly low, though a pattern emerges by the upper grades where the share of students meeting the bar edges upward—still well under a third. Science results show the same pattern, with very few students scoring at proficient or advanced. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Passaic County. This is a clear soft spot, and a parent may want to look into what academic supports and interventions the school offers, as the data suggests the majority of students are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks.

Because School 12 ends at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to consider, and data on chronic absenteeism was not available in the source material. The school’s environment and program offerings, such as course access and staffing ratios, were also not reported. A family considering this school would want to ask the district or school directly about class sizes, tutoring, special education services, and English learner supports, as those details are not captured here.

The community context matters. Paterson has a dense urban fabric with walkable commercial corridors and a historic downtown. Housing in the area has seen modest price appreciation, and the district recently adopted a new five-year strategic plan focused on student achievement and post-graduation readiness. A school board budget approved in 2025 included a property tax levy increase, which directly affects district residents. For a family weighing their options, School 12 sits in a district with clear stated ambitions for improvement, but the test results indicate the school is in the early stages of that work. This is a school where the academic pathway is not yet defined by strong proficiency numbers, so understanding the specific instruction and intervention strategies in place would be essential before enrolling.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 23% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 50 pts below state median · ▼ 41 pts below county median

Grade 44%

School 4% · District 20% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 15% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 66%

School 6% · District 13% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 14% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 8% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 33%

School 3% · District 22% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 412%

School 12% · District 27% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 24% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 612%

School 12% · District 28% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 712%

School 12% · District 30% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 34% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 10% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 82%

School 2% · District 4% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 5 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income15%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income8%Higher-income25%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income15%Higher-income0%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income17%Higher-income38%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income5%Higher-income0%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income4%Higher-income0%4 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income4%Higher-income13%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income12%Higher-income0%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income9%Higher-income12%3 pp gap