The top reported proficiency rate is 82% in Math. The lowest is 76% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Riverside School
Riverside School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Princeton, New Jersey, as part of the Princeton Public School District. It is a regular public elementary school, one of several such schools in the district. The school sits on Riverside Drive, in a residential section of Princeton, a community that blends small-town character with the presence of a major university, corporate research facilities, and cultural institutions.
The student body at Riverside is relatively small for an elementary school that serves all grades from PK through five. Its demographic composition is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of Asian students and smaller but present shares of students who are two or more races, Hispanic, and Black. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, well below the typical rates seen across public schools in the state. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not reported in the available information, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about its special education and English language support services.
On the 2024-25 New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, Riverside posted strong results. In third-grade math and English language arts, most students scored at or above the proficient level, and that pattern held in fourth and fifth grades as well. Fourth-grade ELA was particularly high. In fifth-grade science, about three-quarters of students met the state’s proficiency standard. Taken together, overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades placed Riverside in the top quarter of schools relative to other districts in Mercer County. This is a school where academic performance is a clear strength, and the results are consistent across tested grade levels.
Because Riverside is an elementary school only, there is no graduation rate to report, and metrics like chronic absenteeism were not available in the data provided. The school’s program offerings also were not detailed in the available information, but given its grade band, the academic focus is on building foundational skills in math, reading, and science rather than on advanced placement or career pathways.
The housing market around Riverside is expensive. Home values and rental costs in the school’s zip code are well above national and state medians, and the ratio of home price to income is elevated. This reflects Princeton’s broader market: the community is largely built-out, with significant open-space preservation, historic neighborhoods, and a compact downtown. Major employers include Princeton University, the Institute for Advanced Study, and Educational Testing Service, among others. Rail service via NJ Transit and Amtrak connects Princeton to New York City and Philadelphia. The school itself is a neighborhood elementary, drawing families who live within its attendance zone in the district.
Riverside School offers a strong academic foundation in a small elementary setting. The student body is not economically diverse, and the housing costs in the area are high, which shapes the peer environment. For families who can afford to live in this part of Princeton, the school provides a consistently high-performing academic experience through the elementary years. A parent looking for a school with strong test results in a supportive, well-resourced district will find that here.
See more original research from School Decision →