Original Research by School Decision on Lafayette - Pershing
Lafayette - Pershing is a regular public school in Carneys Point, New Jersey, serving children in pre-kindergarten through kindergarten. As the entry point for the Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District, this school takes its youngest learners from the township and the neighboring borough of Penns Grove. The school occupies a building on Shell Road in a community that was originally built to house workers for the DuPont plant after World War I. Carneys Point today is a car-dependent, suburban to semi-rural township with a mix of residential neighborhoods and heavy industry, dominated by the Chemours Chambers Works facility along the Delaware River.
Enrollment at Lafayette - Pershing is modest for a school that covers only two grade levels, with roughly the same number of children in pre-kindergarten and in kindergarten. A significant majority of students come from low-income households, a rate that places the school among those with high economic need in the county. The student body is ethnically diverse: slightly under half of the children are Hispanic, roughly two-fifths are Black, and the remaining group is composed mostly of white students with a small share of multiracial and Asian students. No data on English learner or special education populations was available in the source records.
Because Lafayette - Pershing serves only pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, it does not participate in the state’s standardized testing program, and no academic proficiency results are reported. Parents will not find test scores or a graduation rate for this school — the latter does not apply, since the school has no high school grades. The school’s primary function is early childhood education and readiness.
The district that operates Lafayette - Pershing, Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional, includes five schools spanning pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. After kindergarten, children move to Field Street School for grades one through three, then to Paul W. Carleton School for grades four and five, followed by Penns Grove Middle School and Penns Grove High School. The district is one of several in Salem County, though direct academic comparisons with other elementary schools in the county are not available given the absence of testing data at this grade band.
Housing in the Carneys Point area is more affordable than in many parts of New Jersey. Home values in the township’s ZIP code are roughly within the range of the national median and well below the state benchmark. Rents have been rising, consistent with national trends, though affordability relative to local incomes remains moderate by national standards. The unemployment rate in the spring of 2026 was around the national average.
The community itself faces environmental challenges. The township filed a lawsuit against DuPont and Chemours over pollution at the Chambers Works site, a major ongoing issue. Population growth has plateaued in recent years, and no large new housing developments have been reported. Public transit exists via NJ Transit bus routes to Philadelphia, but the area is car-dependent. Seasonal community events such as the Fall Festival and Easter in the Park provide some civic life, though there is no traditional downtown center.
For a family considering this school, the primary question is about early childhood programming rather than academic outcomes measured by tests. Lafayette - Pershing serves a high-need population in a district that spans two communities with a shared industrial history. Parents may want to learn about the school’s pre-K and kindergarten curriculum, class sizes, and any early literacy or support programs, as well as how the district transitions children into the elementary grades. The absence of testing data is not a concern at this level — it simply reflects the grades served — but families should look to the district’s elementary and middle schools for information on later academic performance.
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