Prospect Park School No. 1, Prospect Park NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Prospect Park School No. 1

Prospect Park School No. 1 is the larger of two schools in the Prospect Park Public School District, serving students from prekindergarten through eighth grade, though the vast majority of its enrollment is in prekindergarten through sixth grade, with only a small number of students in the seventh and eighth grades. It is a regular public school situated within a small, densely populated residential borough in Passaic County. Prospect Park itself is a compact community, a dry town where alcohol sales are prohibited, with a predominantly Hispanic population and a young median age. The school is located within the borough's residential fabric, not on a separate campus, and is a short walk for many families given the town's small footprint.

The student body is diverse. The largest group is Hispanic, which makes up a substantial majority of enrollment. Black and Asian students each make up a modest share, and White students account for a small portion. A significant share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with meaningful economic need.

On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, student performance across math, English language arts, and science was low. In math, the share of students scoring at proficient levels was very small across every tested grade from third through sixth. English language arts results were similarly low, though sixth graders showed a somewhat higher proficiency rate than in the earlier grades, a noticeable uptick within an otherwise low pattern. In fifth-grade science, the share of students meeting proficiency was very small. Looking across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Passaic County. A parent considering this school will want to investigate what academic supports and interventions are in place.

Because the school serves only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. For high school, students from Prospect Park attend Manchester Regional High School, a regional school shared with the neighboring towns of Haledon and North Haledon.

The district operates two schools within the borough: Prospect Park School No. 1 and a separate middle school building that serves seventh and eighth graders. The district brief turned up no recent curriculum changes, referendums, or property-tax shifts in available search results, so no lasting parent-relevant changes from the recent period can be described here.

Housing in the area commands a premium typical of New Jersey's northern suburbs. The typical home value in the borough's zip code is above the national benchmark and in line with the state median, and rents are similarly elevated. The Passaic County housing market shows active and pending listings in a range that suggests steady demand. For a family moving into the district, the cost of housing is a meaningful consideration.

The borough itself has a distinct character. It is nearly fully built out given its very small land area, and growth has been modest in recent decades. The Prospect Park Quarry, operated by Tilcon, is a longstanding industrial landmark and local employer. Hofstra Park provides the primary recreational space. NJ Transit bus routes connect the borough to Paterson and other surrounding municipalities. There is no standalone public library within the borough.

Prospect Park School No. 1 serves a young, diverse, and economically varied student body in a compact urban setting. Its state test results are low across all subjects and grades, which is the central academic fact a parent will want to explore further. The school does not offer high school grades, so families will need to plan for the transition to Manchester Regional High School. The borough is a tight-knit, walkable, and built-out community with a strong industrial heritage and housing costs that reflect the broader regional market.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 315%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 2%

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 4%

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 8%

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 5%

▼ 49 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 622%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Science

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 4%

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolProspect Park Public School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income10%Higher-income4%6 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income7%Higher-income14%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income6%Higher-income0%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income25%Higher-income16%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income16%Higher-income14%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income4%Higher-income23%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income3%Higher-income0%3 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income6%Higher-income0%6 pp gap