Original Research by School Decision on Margaret C. Clifford School
Margaret C. Clifford School in Swedesboro is a public elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through kindergarten, making it a dedicated entry point for the youngest learners in the Swedesboro-Woolwich School District. Because the school serves only the earliest grades, there are no state assessment results, no graduation rate, and no chronic absenteeism data to report — those measures do not apply to a PK through KG building, so a reader should not interpret their absence as a reflection on the school.
The school enrolls a modest number of students, all in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. The student body is diverse: the largest racial group is white, with notable shares of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students also represented. Roughly one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a standard measure of economic need and places this school near the lower end of that metric in its community context. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source material.
Swedesboro itself is a small historic borough, entirely surrounded by Woolwich Township in Gloucester County. It has a compact downtown along Kings Highway with restaurants, boutique shops, and community events, including an annual Wine Festival. The borough has seen slow but steady population growth in recent years, and a notable share of households include children under 18, reflecting a family-oriented character. Housing in the Swedesboro ZIP code carries a value that is higher than the national typical home but below the state typical home, and the county housing market shows active listings and pending sales at a steady pace, with median days on market staying relatively low.
A significant governance change is underway that directly affects families at Margaret C. Clifford School. A K-12 regionalization effort could dissolve the Swedesboro-Woolwich School District and consolidate it with Kingsway Regional, East Greenwich, and South Harrison into a single unified K-12 district. In early 2024, the Kingsway Regional Board approved a withdrawal petition, initiating a process that requires state Department of Education approval and likely a voter referendum in the affected communities. If completed, this would restructure school governance and potentially redraw attendance zones for families across Swedesboro and Woolwich Township. This is a publicly reported development that parents moving into the area or already enrolled should watch closely.
The school itself, as a pre-kindergarten and kindergarten building, provides the foundational experience for children just entering the public school system. Its academic program and environment cannot be evaluated through test scores or graduation rates, as those metrics do not apply to this grade band. A parent considering this school will want to visit, talk to staff about the early learning curriculum, and understand how the school prepares children for the transition to first grade within the district. The broader context of a potential district consolidation adds another layer for families to explore with the school and district administration.
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