The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 40% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on John Greenleaf Whittier Elementary School
John Greenleaf Whittier Elementary School serves students from kindergarten through fourth grade in Teaneck, a suburban township within the New York metropolitan area. As a regular public school in the Teaneck School District, it provides foundational elementary instruction in a community known for its diversity, with large Jewish and African American populations alongside growing Hispanic and Asian communities. The school itself reflects that diversity in its student body, which includes families from a range of backgrounds.
State testing results from the most recent school year show a mixed picture. In English language arts, fourth graders posted a proficiency rate that stands out as a clear strength for the school, while third graders had a much lower rate—a gap that a parent may want to explore with the school to understand how literacy skills develop across the early grades. In mathematics, both grade levels reported proficiency rates below the midpoint, with third grade and fourth grade results similar to each other. When placed in the context of districts across Bergen County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls in the bottom quartile. Because the school serves only primary grades, there is no graduation rate to consider, and testing data covers just two grade levels in two subjects, so the full academic picture is limited to these early years.
The school enrolls a substantial share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, pointing to a community with economic diversity and a meaningful number of families who may benefit from additional support programs. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so it is unclear what share of the student body receives those services or what resources the school dedicates to them. Families who need this information should ask the school directly. No information about course access, discipline rates, or staffing ratios was reported, so those dimensions of school environment cannot be assessed from this data.
Teaneck itself is a bedroom community with four main commercial districts, including Cedar Lane, which recently underwent a streetscape investment to improve pedestrian access. Major employers include Cognizant Technology Solutions, Holy Name Medical Center, and Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Metropolitan Campus. The township is bisected by Route 4 and Interstates 95 and 80, providing highway access but also shaping traffic patterns. Housing in the area commands high values and rents, consistent with Bergen County’s position in the New York metro housing market. The district opened a new early childhood school, Theodora Smiley Lacey Elementary, in 2020, which serves prekindergarten and kindergarten and redrew attendance boundaries for the district’s youngest students. That change may affect which elementary school a child attends based on neighborhood.
Whittier Elementary is a neighborhood school set within a residential part of Teaneck. For a parent weighing this school, the peer environment is diverse and includes a notable share of families with lower income. The academic results are uneven, with fourth-grade reading a bright spot but overall proficiency in the lower range compared to other districts in the county. Parents who place a premium on strong early literacy may want to learn more about how the school supports reading growth between third and fourth grade, and what interventions are in place for children who fall behind. With no program or extracurricular data available, families should visit the school to understand the full range of offerings and supports.
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