The top reported proficiency rate is 14% in English language arts. The lowest is 2% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Paulsboro Junior High School
Paulsboro Junior High School serves only seventh and eighth graders in the Paulsboro School District, a small, compact public school system that sits across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. The school itself is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet. It enrolls a student body that is deeply diverse: roughly half of the students are Black, about a quarter are Hispanic, and about a fifth are White, with small shares of Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and multiracial students. A substantial majority of students come from low-income households, as measured by free and reduced-price meal eligibility. The district participates in the federal Community Eligibility Program, which means every student at the school receives breakfast and lunch at no cost, regardless of family income, a lasting benefit for all families.
Academically, the school faces very significant challenges on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments. The state testing data shows that the share of students scoring at the proficient level or above was very low in both subjects and both tested grades. In seventh-grade math, around five percent of students tested met the proficiency threshold; in eighth-grade math, none of the students tested did. English Language Arts results were somewhat higher but still low, with roughly one in ten seventh graders and fewer than one in five eighth graders reaching proficiency. In eighth-grade science, only a very small share of test takers scored at a proficient level. When compared to the broader set of districts in Gloucester County, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile. A parent looking at these results would want to understand what supports the school offers for students who are below grade level and what academic interventions are in place.
Because Paulsboro Junior High School ends at eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report here, nor any data on chronic absenteeism. The school’s own program offerings and course access information were not available in the data we received, so it is not possible to speak to what electives, honors, or enrichment options exist for these middle-grade students.
Paulsboro is an old industrial borough, compact in size and dense in population. The Mobil refinery, historically the dominant employer, still operates a research lab in town, and the Port of Paulsboro is a notable part of the local economy. Broad Street is the main commercial corridor, and the borough is connected to Philadelphia by bus and train. The Tinicum Island Rear Range Lighthouse and Fort Billingsport are civic and historic anchors. The town has seen a modest population increase in recent years, and the borough’s own website describes the community as building momentum and welcoming new opportunities. The housing market in this part of Gloucester County reflects home values that are well below the state average, which may make the area more accessible for buyers.
The district itself has an additional feature worth noting: it is an approved New Jersey Interdistrict Public School Choice district for grades three through twelve. That means students from outside Paulsboro can enroll in the district’s schools at no cost, which can affect the peer environment and overall enrollment composition. For a family already living in Paulsboro, this also means the school draws from a wider pool than just the immediate borough.
This is a school where the academic numbers are a clear area of concern. For a parent or guardian considering this school, the most pressing question is how the school identifies and addresses the academic needs of students who are not yet on grade level. The free meal program, the diversity of the student body, and the choice enrollment option are relevant factors, but the low proficiency rates are the central fact about the academic program as it currently stands. A parent would want to speak directly with the school about its approach to instruction and intervention before making a decision.
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