Robert Morris School, South Bound Brook NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Robert Morris School

Robert Morris School is the sole public school in South Bound Brook, a small, densely populated borough in Somerset County, New Jersey. The school serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, after which families move on to Bound Brook High School in the neighboring borough. This single-building district means the school and the town are tightly woven together; the school is located on Elizabeth Street, a short walk from the refurbished Main Street corridor where the borough hall and historic sites like the Abraham Staats House sit. The Delaware and Raritan Canal Trail runs along the borough’s edge, giving residents a recreational anchor for biking and walking.

The student body reflects the community’s diversity. A substantial share of students identify as Hispanic, with White students and Black students making up smaller but notable portions of the enrollment, and a smaller representation of Asian students and students of two or more races. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic mix in the borough. The district has publicly reported that it expanded its bilingual education program in recent years to serve a growing multilingual learner population, a programmatic shift that families of English learners may want to learn more about when considering the school. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learner designation was not available in this profile, so a parent should ask the school directly about special education and language support services.

On state assessments administered through the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment, Robert Morris School shows a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through eight are roughly in the middle range, with third grade posting the strongest result and other grades clustering near that level. Math proficiency is more uneven: through grades three through six, about half of students or slightly fewer meet the bar, but seventh grade shows a notable drop, with a smaller share reaching proficiency. Eighth grade math rebounds to a level comparable to the lower grades. Science results are lower still, with fewer than a quarter of fifth graders and fewer than one in five eighth graders scoring proficient. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, especially since science performance trails the district’s own math and ELA numbers by a clear margin. Overall, the school’s composite proficiency index sits below the midpoint relative to districts in Somerset County, a high-performing county overall, so families should expect that their child’s academic experience here may differ from what some peer districts deliver.

The housing market in South Bound Brook is moderately priced relative to the state and national benchmarks, with home values and rents below the New Jersey average. The borough has seen notable growth and redevelopment in recent years: a former industrial site along the canal was replaced with townhomes, Main Street got new sidewalks and lighting, and a condominium project has appeared along the water. This has brought new residents and a refreshed feel to the downtown. The district itself has made a major infrastructure investment through a voter-approved bond referendum to replace the roof and upgrade HVAC at Robert Morris School, construction that began in summer 2023. The district also adopted a new three-year strategic plan that launched a STEM curriculum initiative and a district-wide social-emotional learning curriculum, both affecting all grade levels. On the financial side, the school tax levy has hit the state cap in consecutive budgets, meaning property taxpayers have seen sustained increases.

Robert Morris School is a small, community-anchored K-8 option in a walkable borough that is actively redeveloping. Its academic profile is strongest in early elementary literacy and weaker in middle-grade math and science, and the overall proficiency falls below the county median. For families who value a neighborhood school with a diverse student body, recent facility upgrades, and a growing bilingual program, it fits a certain profile. Those looking for a high-performing academic environment relative to other Somerset County districts will want to examine the school’s softer spots carefully.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 47%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 46%

even with state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 46%

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

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 29%

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

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 46%

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

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 46%

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

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 44%

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

Grade 748%

School 48% · District 48%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Science

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 24%

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

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 19%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

This schoolSouth Bound Brook 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-income41%Higher-income88%47 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income60%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income65%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income45%Higher-income44%1 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income45%Higher-income53%8 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income48%Higher-income53%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income30%Higher-income75%46 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income65%34 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income65%22 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income52%Higher-income35%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income24%Higher-income37%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income54%Higher-income47%7 pp gap