South Amboy Elementary, South Amboy NJ

Original Research by School Decision on South Amboy Elementary

South Amboy Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in a small, compact bayfront city in Middlesex County. The school is the district’s only elementary campus, feeding into South Amboy Middle High School, and it is embedded within a densely populated city of roughly a square mile where homes, civic buildings, and schools sit close together. That proximity means most families can walk or take a short drive, and the city’s NJ Transit rail station and ferry terminal to Manhattan make this a commuter-oriented community with a growing waterfront redevelopment push.

Enrollment at the elementary school is moderate for a K-5 building, and the student body reflects the city’s demographics: just over half of students are Hispanic, more than a third are white, and smaller shares are Black, Asian, or multiracial. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a middle-to-working-class population overall. The city has seen steady growth through the last decade, and a recent school facilities referendum passed in early 2025, which the superintendent has said will fund infrastructure upgrades. That may matter to families considering the long-term condition of the building and grounds.

State test results from the NJSLA assessments for the most recent school year show a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through five generally fall near the lower end of expectations, with a bit of variation by grade. In math, the rates are lower still, and in fifth-grade science the share of students reaching the proficient level is notably small. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages performance across tested subjects and grades, places it below the midpoint relative to other districts in Middlesex County. A parent considering this school may want to ask how the school supports students who are below grade level and whether there are targeted interventions in place.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on special education and English learner populations were not available in this profile, nor were figures on chronic absenteeism. Those are meaningful gaps for a family trying to get a full picture of student support, and a parent may want to ask the school directly for those numbers.

No information was provided about program offerings such as gifted and talented, arts, or extracurriculars at this level. Given the school’s pre-K-to-fifth-grade span, families with young children will find a straightforward neighborhood elementary experience. The city’s downtown Broadway corridor offers some local retail and services, and the waterfront park provides a recreational anchor. The housing market in the area has seen moderate price appreciation and active listing counts, and rents have risen slightly, consistent with a region that remains in demand for commuters.

This is a school where academic performance on state tests is an area for attention, particularly in math and science. The recent referendum signals that the district is investing in its physical plant, and the school is part of a small district where the elementary and secondary campuses are tightly linked. For a family weighing this school, the central questions are likely about academic support, class size, and the specific interventions the school uses to move students toward grade-level proficiency. The community itself is walkable, connected to transit, and undergoing redevelopment, which may appeal to families who want an urban-feeling small city with easy access to New York.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 41%

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

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 25%

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

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 33%

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

English language arts

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 32%

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

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolSouth Amboy 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-income55%32 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income52%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income41%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income59%26 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income27%2 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income41%12 pp gap