Franklin Elementary School, Rahway NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Franklin Elementary School

Franklin Elementary School is a regular public school in Rahway, serving children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It sits within the Rahway Public School District, where the available information shows no major recent district-wide changes such as referendums or curriculum overhauls.

Rahway itself is a mixed-use city, primarily residential but with commercial and industrial areas and a major corporate presence. It functions as a bedroom community for New York City, roughly a 15-mile commute, yet maintains its own employment base anchored by Merck & Co.’s global headquarters and research campus, which returned to the city in 2024. The downtown has a traditional street grid centered on an NJ Transit station, with restaurants, shops, and the Rahway Arts District supporting pedestrian activity. Housing values in the area sit above the national median but are typical for Union County, and the city’s population has grown steadily, reaching its highest decennial count in the 2020 census. The compact layout and transit-oriented downtown suggest moderate to good walkability in the center, with more auto-oriented neighborhoods further out.

The student body at Franklin Elementary is diverse and economically mixed. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population draws largely from families identifying as Hispanic and Black, with smaller shares of white students and those from Asian or multiracial backgrounds.

Academically, the school’s performance on New Jersey’s state assessments (the NJSLA) places its overall proficiency index below the midpoint relative to other districts in Union County. Results vary notably by subject and grade level. In mathematics, proficiency across tested grades is modest, and a parent may want to look into what math support the school offers. English language arts presents a different picture: while proficiency is lower in third grade, it rises steadily through fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, with a clear upward trajectory. Science, tested in fifth grade, is a softer area, with a lower proficiency rate. Because the school ends at sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to consider, and data on chronic absenteeism were not available.

Information on specific programs, course access, staffing ratios, and discipline patterns was not provided, so those aspects cannot be characterized. What is clear is that Franklin Elementary operates as a neighborhood school feeding into the Rahway district’s later grades, in a city that balances suburban commuting with a revitalized downtown and a strong local employer. For families weighing this school, the academic profile suggests that while overall proficiency is below the county median, the upward trend in reading through the elementary years is a positive sign, while math and science outcomes are areas that may warrant closer discussion with the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 24% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 25% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 19%

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

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 22% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 43% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 52% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 666%

School 66% · District 51% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 18% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolRahway 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-income23%Higher-income32%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income52%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income54%Higher-income45%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income62%Higher-income74%12 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income19%Higher-income30%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income8%Higher-income28%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income17%Higher-income24%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income41%18 pp gap