The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in Math. The lowest is 35% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Nellie F. Bennett Elementary School
Nellie F. Bennett Elementary School serves the community of Point Pleasant, a Jersey Shore borough on the Barnegat Peninsula in Ocean County. Point Pleasant is a year-round residential community with a seasonal tourism overlay, distinct from neighboring Point Pleasant Beach. The borough is compact, bounded by the Manasquan River and Beaver Dam Creek, and the Point Pleasant Canal, part of the Intracoastal Waterway, divides it in half. The schools sit within the residential fabric rather than on an isolated campus.
Bennett is a regular public school serving preschool through fifth grade, one of four schools in the Point Pleasant Borough School District. Its enrollment is substantial for an elementary school serving this grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and multiracial students. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is small, a figure that indicates a generally low level of economic disadvantage among the families served. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about special education supports and language services.
On the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, the school posted results that place it notably above the midpoint among districts in Ocean County. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls in the top quartile for the county, a strong performance. In math, proficiency rates are solid across the three tested grades, with the strongest showing in fourth grade and slightly lower marks in third and fifth. In English language arts, the pattern is similar: fourth graders perform well, while third and fifth grade results, though still above the county median for a school, are a bit softer. Fifth grade science proficiency is lower than the math and ELA results, and that is a subject where a parent may want to follow up with the school about the science curriculum. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent a stable pattern or a recent shift.
Because the school ends at fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was also not available in the provided records. These gaps are typical for an elementary school, where the relevant outcome metrics are proficiency rates rather than graduation or dropout measures.
The housing market in the Point Pleasant area reflects its shore location and desirability. Home values and rents are well above national levels, making this an expensive place to buy or rent. The county-level data shows a relatively balanced market with a moderate number of active listings and pending sales, and homes typically sell in just over a month. For families considering a move to the attendance zone, this is a high-cost market that may require a significant housing budget.
The district itself did not have any recent major changes or initiatives publicly reported in the available research, so a parent may want to check the district website or attend a board meeting for any updates on curriculum, facilities, or programming.
For a family looking at this school, the profile is clear. It is an elementary school with strong academic results relative to its county peers, serving a largely white and economically comfortable student body. The community is a year-round Jersey Shore town with a compact layout and a mix of residential neighborhoods and seasonal commercial activity. The main academic soft spot is fifth grade science, which lags behind the math and ELA results. A parent who values a school with above-average proficiency in the core subjects and a low level of economic need among peers would find Bennett a strong fit. A parent who wants detailed multi-year trends or specific information on special education and English learner services would need to ask the district directly, as those details were not in the available data.
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