Jordan Road Elementary School, Somers Point NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Jordan Road Elementary School

Jordan Road Elementary School serves students in fourth through eighth grade in Somers Point, a compact bayfront community in Atlantic County. The school sits within the Somers Point School District, which is the single public school system for this residential city on the Great Egg Harbor Bay. Somers Point is described, in publicly reported material, as having a historic bay village feel, with marinas, restaurants, and Shore Medical Center as its largest employer. The city is relatively small in area and features a Bay Front Historic District, bayfront parks, and the Somers Point Bike Path, which was repurposed from a former rail right-of-way. Recent infrastructure work includes a major reconstruction of the Route 52 causeway and a Garden State Parkway bridge replacement.

The student body at Jordan Road is diverse and economically varied. White students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic students and then Black students, with smaller shares of multiracial and Asian students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community where many families face economic challenges. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about special education and language support services.

State testing results from the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment show a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades four through eight fall mostly in a range that, for several grade levels, sits above the school’s math performance but remains below what many families might hope for. Fourth grade had the highest ELA proficiency, with a rate that was meaningfully higher than the other tested grades. Sixth and eighth grade also had rates that were close to that level, while fifth and seventh grade were lower. In math, proficiency was substantially lower across all grades, with eighth grade posting the weakest result. Science results, which are tested in fifth and eighth grade, were also low. When compared to other districts in Atlantic County, Jordan Road’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. A parent considering the school should be aware that these numbers reflect a school where meeting state benchmarks in core subjects is a challenge for most students.

Because Jordan Road is a middle school and does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and Title I status was not indicated in the data. No information on course access, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism was available, which leaves gaps in understanding the full support environment. The district brief noted that no parent-relevant changes were found in recent publicly reported material, and a past grade reconfiguration fell outside the typical window considered here. That stability could be a neutral for families who prefer continuity, but it also means there are no publicly described recent initiatives to point to.

Housing in the area reflects a market where home values are below the New Jersey state benchmark but above the national median. Monthly mortgage costs for a typical home purchase would be substantial, and the local market shows a mix of supply and demand conditions that are neither exceptionally tight nor slack.

For a family weighing this school, the picture is straightforward. Jordan Road serves a diverse, economically mixed population in a small city with a defined sense of place. Academic achievement across tested subjects is materially below state averages, and proficiency in math and science is especially low. A parent will want to have a direct conversation with the school about academic support, intervention programs, and what the path looks like for students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards. For families who place a high priority on a strong academic record as measured by state tests, this school likely will not meet that priority. For those who value a neighborhood school within a stable district and a community with a bayfront identity, the setting itself has clear strengths, though the academic numbers warrant close attention.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 16 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 12%

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 726%

School 26% · District 26%

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

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 15 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 21%

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

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 39%

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

Grade 731%

School 31% · District 31%

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

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 38%

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

Science

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 12%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 5%

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

This schoolSomers Point 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-income43%Higher-income62%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income52%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income14%Higher-income33%20 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income50%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income39%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income31%Higher-income52%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income27%Higher-income69%43 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income24%Higher-income37%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income8%Higher-income17%9 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income27%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income21%Higher-income32%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income0%Higher-income27%27 pp gap