The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in Math. The lowest is 20% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Phillipsburg Elementary School
Phillipsburg Elementary School serves third through fifth grade in the Phillipsburg School District, the sole public school district for the historic Delaware River town of Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The school occupies a building on Warren Street and is classified as a regular public school.
The student body reflects the community’s demographic breadth. Census data for the school shows a mix of white students, a substantial share of Hispanic students, a significant Black student population, and smaller numbers of Asian students and students identifying as two or more races. A large majority of students come from households meeting eligibility criteria for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of economic need.
Academically, the most recent state assessment results for New Jersey’s NJSLA tests place the school’s overall performance in the bottom quarter among schools in Warren County. This is a softer standing, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand the academic support in place. In math, the share of students reaching proficiency in the three tested grades remained modest across all three grades. In English language arts, proficiency rates were also low, though there was a notable year-over-year increase from grade three to grade five within the school. Science testing, administered only in fifth grade, showed a small minority of students scoring proficient. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.
The school’s academic picture is tied to the broader district context. Phillipsburg School District’s secondary composition is facing a potential change. Publicly reported information indicates that the Borough of Bloomsbury, which currently sends its high school students to Phillipsburg High School under a sending-receiving arrangement, is pursuing a move to join the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District. If that shift takes effect, it would reduce the high school’s enrollment and could reshape programs and class sizes at the secondary level. This development has no direct daily impact on the elementary school’s third, fourth, and fifth graders, but it is a long-term factor for any family planning a multiyear stay in the district.
The town of Phillipsburg itself is a moderately dense, historically industrial municipality on the Delaware River. Its population saw modest growth after a prior decade of decline. The town’s official website cites a growing base of small and mid-size businesses and a focus on tourism and recreation. An Urban Enterprise Zone covers parts of town, applying a reduced sales tax rate at eligible merchants to encourage commerce. Housing costs in the 08865 ZIP code, which serves Phillipsburg, are below the statewide median, though they have been rising incrementally. For families weighing a move, the local housing market is moderately active, with a mix of older homes in the historic core and more recent construction on the outskirts.
The school does not appear in the available data as having program listings, such as magnet or specialized academy offerings. No information on staffing ratios, discipline rates, or chronic absenteeism was available for this report. These are gaps a parent may wish to fill by contacting the school directly. Given that the school serves only the upper elementary grades, it lacks the course access measures and postsecondary metrics that apply to high schools; that absence reflects its grade structure, not a missing indicator.
For a family considering Phillipsburg Elementary, the school offers a regular public elementary education in a district that is financially accessible relative to many New Jersey communities. The town provides a walkable historic downtown, riverfront recreational assets, and a modest sense of civic place. The academic numbers are the main concern, and any parent would be well served to schedule a visit, sit in on a classroom, and ask about the school’s instructional strategies and intervention programs. The elementary school is one feeder into a secondary system that could look noticeably different by the time today’s third grader reaches high school, depending on how the Bloomsbury departure unfolds.
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