Tuscan Elementary School, Maplewood NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Tuscan Elementary School

Tuscan Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Maplewood, a part of the South Orange-Maplewood School District. The school is a regular public elementary school, and its enrollment is larger than what many neighborhood elementary schools draw, giving it a bustling, full-feel student body. The student population is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of students who identify as Hispanic, Black, or multiracial, and a small Asian population. A very low proportion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a relatively affluent demographic context.

On the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, Tuscan's results are strong across the tested grades. In English language arts, proficiency rates are well above what is commonly observed at the state level, with the fourth-grade cohort reaching a particularly high mark. In math, students also post solid results, with the third and fifth grades performing especially well and fourth grade not far behind. Science scores for fifth graders, the only grade tested in that subject, are somewhat lower than the school's own performance in reading and math. A parent may want to ask the school about the science curriculum and how it prepares students for the state assessment, but the overall picture is one of a school where most children are meeting or exceeding state standards in the core elementary subjects.

Looking at the school relative to other districts across Essex County, Tuscan's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile. This is a strong academic standing, and it aligns with the profile of an elementary school serving a community with high housing values and deep investment in its schools.

Tuscan is a neighborhood school under the district's Intentional Integration Initiative, which redistricts elementary boundaries and buses students so that the socioeconomic mix at each elementary school mirrors the district as a whole. This policy fundamentally reshaped how elementary attendance works, and it means that the school's composition is not driven purely by the immediate surrounding neighborhood. For families moving into the district, understanding the assignment process is essential.

The community context is that of an established inner-ring suburb. Maplewood is a primarily residential town with a compact downtown, strong transit connections to New York City via NJ Transit rail, and a network of parks including the Olmsted Brothers-designed Memorial Park. The housing market carries a high price point, with home values well above both the county and national medians. In recent years, the district has put forward consecutive budgets with rising tax levies to cover staffing, special education, and facility costs, so the cost of living for a family in the district reflects both the high home prices and ongoing property tax growth. A major school facilities bond referendum was rejected by voters, and the district has since shifted to a more conservative facilities plan focused on essential maintenance.

Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available. The school also did not report chronic absenteeism or discipline data, so a complete picture of student support and school environment requires follow-up with the school directly. What is clear is that Tuscan is an academically strong elementary school in a well-resourced, high-cost district with a deliberate integration policy and a community that is closely engaged with its schools.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 378%

School 78% · District 71% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 467%

School 67% · District 58% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 579%

School 79% · District 61% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 68% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 485%

School 85% · District 74% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 580%

School 80% · District 74% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Science

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 50% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

This schoolSouth Orange-Maplewood 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-income20%Higher-income79%59 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income40%Higher-income82%42 pp gap