Thelma L. Sandmeier Elementary School, Springfield NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Thelma L. Sandmeier Elementary School

Thelma L. Sandmeier Elementary School is one of two schools in Springfield that serve grades three through five, forming the upper elementary tier of the Springfield Public School District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it sits within a suburban township in Union County that is crisscrossed by major highways and lined with residential neighborhoods and commercial strips. The school’s grade band means it does not serve the earliest primary years, which are housed separately, and it does not extend into middle school, so families will need to plan for transitions at both ends.

On state assessments, Sandmeier’s students post results that are a clear strength for the school. Across math, English language arts, and science, the overall proficiency index places Sandmeier above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Union County. Within the school, the pattern shows rising proficiency as students move through the grades. In both math and ELA, the share of students meeting the state’s proficiency bar is highest in fifth grade and lower in third grade. This upward trajectory is a positive signal for a school that has each cohort for three years. Fifth-grade science results, where just under half of students reach proficiency, are a softer area that a parent may want to look into further with the school, though science testing is confined to a single grade and covers different content than the other subjects.

The student body is diverse but leans heavily toward one background. A majority of students are white, while the remaining enrollment includes students who are Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multiracial, along with a small number who are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is low, a sign that the school draws from a relatively affluent community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available records, which is a gap that interested families may wish to ask about directly. No information on chronic absenteeism or discipline was available either.

Springfield itself is a car-dependent suburb with a population that grew modestly over the past few decades and then held roughly steady. Housing is expensive, with home values and rents well above national medians, which shapes the peer environment at the school. The district’s five campuses are spread across the township rather than clustered in a downtown. Sandmeier shares the three-through-five grade span with James Caldwell Elementary; the two schools draw from different attendance zones, but the overall district experience is similar for families living in Springfield.

No recent major changes or initiatives at the district level were identified in publicly reported sources, so a parent evaluating the school should consider it as a stable, established program with consistent academic expectations. For a family looking for an upper elementary school in a suburban setting where test results are solid and improving across the grades, Sandmeier fits well. The school’s size is moderate for its grade band, and the low proportion of students in poverty suggests a school where peer and family resources are substantial. The main open questions are around the support systems for students who need extra help, since that information was not in the available data.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 62% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 62% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 63% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 351%

School 51% · District 53% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 65% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 69% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Science

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 41% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

This schoolSpringfield 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 5Lower-income46%Higher-income75%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income74%37 pp gap