The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in Math. The lowest is 57% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Raritan Valley School
Raritan Valley School serves first through fourth graders in the Hazlet Township Public School District, a regular public elementary school set in a community that functions largely as a commuter base for New York City. The school sits in a township where owner-occupied housing dominates and car travel is the norm, with no traditional downtown core. The local housing market shows a median home value that is well above the national benchmark, and a significant share of households would need to spend a substantial portion of income on rent, pointing to a place where homeownership is common but not easily reached by every family.
The student body of roughly 250 children is predominantly White, with a Hispanic or Latino population making up the next largest racial or ethnic group. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is modest, a marker that aligns with the broader community’s economic profile. The school serves only the early elementary grades, so there is no high school graduation rate to report and no state testing data for any grades beyond fourth. This is simply because the grade band ends at fourth, not because of any institutional shortcoming.
On state assessments, the school’s performance in math and English language arts sits above the midpoint when compared with other districts across Monmouth County. In third grade, roughly three out of every five students scored at a proficient level or above in math, while in fourth grade the figure was a bit lower. In English language arts, about three out of five fourth graders reached the proficient threshold, and third graders came in at a similar level to their fourth grade peers in that subject. These are solid results for a school of this grade range, placing Raritan Valley in a middle-to-strong position relative to its county peers. A parent looking at the numbers will see a school where a majority of students are meeting grade-level expectations, though a meaningful share are not, which is a common picture across New Jersey elementary schools.
The Hazlet district’s elementary school landscape includes several other buildings that feed into a single middle school and then Raritan High School. No recent district-level changes were found in publicly available information, so a parent would want to check with the district directly about any current strategic plans or upcoming shifts in curriculum or facilities. The township’s population has been relatively stable with a slight long-term decline, and the built environment is largely developed, so major enrollment swings are unlikely. The school is not a charter, magnet, or Title I school based on the available data, which leaves it as a straightforward neighborhood public elementary school.
For a family trying to understand whether this school fits, the key considerations are grade span and peer setting. Because Raritan Valley only goes through fourth grade, children will transition to a different school for fifth grade, which is common in this district. The academic picture is above average for the county, but not at the very top. The community is suburban, car-dependent, and commuter-oriented, with housing costs that reflect proximity to the New York metro area. A parent who values a stable, midsized elementary school with decent proficiency rates in a residential setting will find this a reasonable match. Someone looking for the highest possible test scores or a wide array of specialized programs should ask the district what course offerings and enrichment exist, since the data available here does not detail those.
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