Roosevelt Elementary School, Rahway NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Roosevelt Elementary School

Roosevelt Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade in Rahway, a mixed-use city in Union County with a traditional street-grid downtown, an active arts district, and direct rail access to Newark and Manhattan. The school is part of the Rahway Public School District. Enrollment draws from a diverse student body, with the largest share of students identifying as Hispanic, followed by Black, White, and smaller groups of Asian, two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school sits in a city that has seen steady population growth and is anchored by Merck & Co.'s global headquarters and research campus. Property values in the area have moved upward, and rents have risen, reflecting demand in a region with strong transit connections and a growing employment base. The housing market remains competitive, with limited inventory relative to buyer interest.

On state assessments administered through the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment, Roosevelt's students showed a pattern across elementary grades. In English language arts, proficiency rose notably from third grade through sixth grade, with the highest share of students meeting proficiency in sixth grade. In mathematics, results were lower across all tested grades. In fifth-grade science, a smaller share of students met the state's proficiency standard. Compared with other schools in districts across Union County, Roosevelt's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed in the bottom quartile.

Because Roosevelt serves only through sixth grade, the school does not report a graduation rate; that metric applies to high schools. Data on chronic absenteeism and on special population counts, such as students with disabilities and English learners, was not available in the record reviewed. The district brief did not identify major recent changes such as curriculum overhauls, boundary shifts, or tax referendums that would affect school operations.

For a family considering Roosevelt, the academic picture is one where most students have not yet reached the state's proficiency benchmark, particularly in math. The upward trend in English language arts across grades may signal that students build skills as they move through the school, and a parent may want to ask the school directly about how it supports literacy growth beyond the tested years. The school's setting in a walkable, transit-connected city with a significant corporate and arts presence offers a range of community resources, but the academic fit depends on a family's priorities for enrichment and intervention.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 321%

School 21% · District 24% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 25% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 19% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 614%

School 14% · District 22% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 26% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 43% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 52% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 51% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Science

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 18% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 3 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-income22%Higher-income36%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income36%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income43%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income64%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income16%Higher-income27%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income9%Higher-income23%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income10%Higher-income11%1 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income16%Higher-income11%6 pp gap