The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in English language arts. The lowest is 14% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Leeds Avenue Elementary School
Leeds Avenue Elementary School is a regular public school in Pleasantville, New Jersey, serving students from prekindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of several elementary schools in the Pleasantville Public School District, a former Abbott district where the state covers school building and renovation costs. The school is embedded in the city’s neighborhood street grid, its name referencing the street it sits on, and it operates as part of a compact urban district rather than on a separated campus.
The student body is large for an elementary school and reflects the diversity of Pleasantville itself. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, the majority of students are Hispanic or Latino, and a large portion are Black or African American, with smaller numbers of White, Asian, and multiracial students. English learner and special education counts were not reported in the available data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations and the supports in place.
State testing results on New Jersey’s NJSLA assessments cover grades three through five in math and English language arts, and grade five in science. Across these tested subjects and grades, overall proficiency is low. In math, the share of students scoring at proficient or above is roughly two in ten in each grade. In English language arts, the picture is somewhat stronger in third and fourth grades, where about a third of students meet the bar, but fifth grade drops to about two in ten. In fifth-grade science, the proficient rate is lower still. Compared with other districts in Atlantic County, Leeds Avenue Elementary’s overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile. A parent should consider this alongside the school’s high rate of economic disadvantage when evaluating the performance data.
Because Leeds Avenue does not serve high school grades, it has no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available in the records reviewed.
Pleasantville itself is a small, dense city about a short drive from Atlantic City, with a traditional downtown along Main Street and a mix of residential neighborhoods, commercial strips, and light industrial businesses. The city has seen steady population growth over recent decades, reaching its highest decennial count in the 2020 census, though estimates suggest a slight decline since then. Home values in the area are below the statewide median, and the county housing market shows moderately priced listings and a balanced supply-demand dynamic. The school district is one of the larger public-sector employers in the city.
The district’s brief on recent changes turned up no notable referenda, curriculum shifts, or construction projects that would meet a four-year lasting-impact threshold. A parent looking for program offerings such as arts, music, or after-school enrichment will not find them detailed in the available data and may want to contact the school directly.
For a family considering this school, the core takeaway is a straightforward one. Leeds Avenue Elementary serves a diverse, high-poverty urban student body in a compact city setting. Its academic results, as measured by state tests, are below average for the county and well below the state’s broader benchmarks. The school’s strengths are harder to catalog from the public data alone; there is no evidence of specialized programs or standout non-academic offerings in the record. Parents who prioritize a neighborhood school within a district that has state-funded facilities and who are comfortable with the academic profile may find it a fit, but those seeking higher test scores or a wider array of enrichment options will want to learn more directly from the school and district.
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