E Raymond Appleby Elementary School, Spotswood NJ

Original Research by School Decision on E Raymond Appleby Elementary School

E Raymond Appleby Elementary School is one of four schools in the Spotswood Public School District, serving students in second through fifth grade. It sits in Spotswood, a small, primarily residential borough in Middlesex County that is largely built out and has seen a modest population decline over the past decade rather than growth. The borough’s character is stable and quiet, with a traditional street grid and a limited commercial strip along Main Street. NJ Transit bus service connects the borough to Manhattan, making it a commuter suburb, but there is no substantial downtown pedestrian district. The school itself is integrated into the residential fabric rather than located near a civic center.

Academically, the school participates in the state’s standardized assessments in math, English language arts, and science. Performance varies by grade and subject. In math, roughly one-third to two-fifths of students met the state’s proficiency benchmark across the three tested grades, with the share increasing slightly from third to fifth grade. In English, the picture is more uneven: fourth graders posted a higher proficiency rate, while third and fifth graders were lower, each around one-third. In science, the share of fifth graders reaching proficiency was notably lower. When combined across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint among districts in Middlesex County, placing it in the lower half of that comparison group. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks and whether there are targeted interventions in reading or math.

The student body is relatively small, with an enrollment that fits the grade band. The majority of students are white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. About one-fifth of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a lower share than many schools in the region. The data does not include counts of students with individualized education programs or English learners, so a parent should inquire directly about the school’s special education and multilingual services.

Housing in the area is expensive relative to national norms, with typical home values in the zip code above the state median and well above the national figure. The county housing market is active, with a moderate inventory of listings and homes typically selling within about a month. For a family considering a move to Spotswood, housing affordability is a factor to weigh, though the cost aligns with much of central New Jersey. The district itself has not reported any major recent changes such as curriculum overhauls, referenda, or tax shifts, according to available public information.

The school offers no specialized programs listed in the data, and information on discipline, attendance, and staffing is absent. These gaps limit what can be said about student support structures. What is clear is that E Raymond Appleby Elementary operates as a conventional neighborhood school in a stable, residential community with moderate academic results relative to its county peers. It likely fits families who value a small-town setting, a manageable commute to New York, and a school that follows a standard elementary curriculum, but those seeking strong academic growth data or extensive enrichment programs may want to investigate further.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 35%

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

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 51%

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 14%

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

This schoolSpotswood 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-income23%Higher-income41%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income43%Higher-income52%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income33%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income23%Higher-income41%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income20%Higher-income45%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income45%Higher-income43%2 pp gap