The top reported proficiency rate is 19% in Math. The lowest is 11% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Charles H. Stillman Elementary School
Charles H. Stillman Elementary School serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade and is part of the Plainfield Public School District in Union County. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet.
The school enrolls a student body that is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a much smaller share of Black students and a very small number of White and multiracial students. A substantial share of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The school does not report data on students with Individualized Education Programs or English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
On state assessments, which are the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, Stillman Elementary's performance is well below the midrange among districts in Union County. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above is in the teens to low twenties across grades three, four, and five. In English language arts, proficiency is in the single digits for third grade and then in the high teens to mid-twenties for fourth and fifth graders. In fifth-grade science, the share of students reaching proficiency is in the low teens. These results place the school in the bottom quartile among its county peers for overall proficiency. A parent considering this school should note that while the state tests measure student progress, these numbers suggest that a large majority of students are not yet meeting the state's standards for their grade level.
The school is located in Plainfield, a city that functions as both an urban center and a bedroom suburb for the New York metropolitan area. The city has a traditional downtown centered around its train station, which provides rail service on the Raritan Valley Line. Plainfield is majority Latino and has seen population growth, with publicly reported information describing over a billion dollars in new redevelopment projects. The city has a moderate level of walkability, with a grid street pattern and mixed-use corridors, and the school is situated in the city's residential fabric.
The housing market in the area reflects a mix of older historic homes and newer development. Home values in Plainfield’s zip code are above the national median, and the county market shows a competitive landscape with homes selling relatively quickly. The median listing price in the county is above the national figure. Rents are also substantial, and the gap between renting and buying is narrow, meaning both options carry a significant monthly cost. A family looking to move into the attendance zone should budget accordingly.
The parent district, Plainfield Public School District, recently opened a new elementary school, Charles and Anna Booker Elementary, which replaced two older schools. This capital project reshaped attendance boundaries and the district's physical footprint. No other major district-level changes were reported.
In sum, Charles H. Stillman Elementary is a neighborhood school serving a predominantly Latino and low-income student population in a city undergoing redevelopment and demographic change. Its test results are substantially below the county median, and a parent would want to understand what academic interventions and supports the school offers, as well as how the district's recent facilities investments affect this particular school. The school is for a family that values a local, community-based elementary experience and is prepared to be active in supporting their child’s academic progress in a setting where the majority of tested students do not yet meet state proficiency benchmarks.
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