The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Elwood Kindle Elementary School
Elwood Kindle Elementary School no longer operates. It was one of two elementary schools closed by the Pitman Boro School District after the 2022‑23 school year as part of a reconfiguration driven by a loss of state aid. For families researching the history of Pitman schools, Kindle’s record – particularly its final year of state testing – offers a window into what the school offered before it was consolidated into the district’s new grade‑span structure.
The school served as a regular public elementary school in Pitman, a small, walkable borough in Gloucester County. Pitman is a compact residential town with a historic Methodist camp‑meeting layout, a commercial strip along Broadway, and a school district that is officially a “walking district” – no buses are used, and schools sit within the residential grid. Kindle was located on Washington Avenue, within that grid.
In its last year, 2022‑23, the school tested students in grades three through five on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments. Results were mixed across subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, the school showed solid performance in the upper elementary grades: the majority of fourth and fifth graders met or exceeded the state’s proficiency benchmark. Third‑grade ELA was also above the halfway mark. In mathematics, the picture was softer. About half of third graders reached proficiency, but that share dropped in fourth grade and was lower still in fifth grade. Science, tested only in fifth grade, saw fewer than half of students meeting the state’s threshold. These numbers represent the school’s final academic snapshot; because the school is now closed, there are no trend lines or later comparisons to examine.
Enrollment, demographic, and free‑ or reduced‑price lunch data were not available in the records for Kindle’s final year. The same is true for discipline, staffing, course access, and attendance figures. Readers should note that the absence of these fields is a gap in the available data, not necessarily a reflection of the school itself – and because Kindle has closed, no further data will be reported.
The closure was part of a district‑wide reconfiguration announced in April 2023. Facing reduced state aid, the board voted to close both Elwood Kindle Elementary and W. C. K. Walls Elementary. Beginning in fall 2023, Memorial School became the early‑primary building for pre‑K through first grade; the former Pitman Middle School was renamed Pitman Elementary School and now houses grades two through six; and Pitman Junior/Senior High School took grades seven through twelve. This restructuring means that children who would have attended Kindle now attend one of the reconfigured schools depending on their grade level.
Pitman itself is a town of modest scale and gradual demographic change. Its population has declined slightly over recent decades, though estimates show a small uptick in the early 2020s. The borough’s housing market is moderately priced relative to state benchmarks, and its compact footprint makes it one of the more walkable communities in South Jersey. A long‑planned light‑rail stop (the Glassboro–Camden Line) has faced repeated delays, but if completed would add a transit connection at the edge of town.
For a parent or resident looking at this school today, the story is not about choosing Kindle – it is already closed. The relevant question is how the district’s reconfiguration has affected the remaining schools. The two schools that now cover the elementary years – Memorial (PreK–1) and Pitman Elementary (2–6) – inherited the student populations that formerly attended Kindle and Walls. Anyone considering Pitman’s schools would want to look at the current academic performance, staffing, and program offerings at those two buildings, as well as at the junior/senior high school. The district brief available here notes only the reconfiguration itself; further investigation into current test results and school climate would be necessary to understand what the Pitman Boro School District looks like after the 2023 restructuring.
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