The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in Math. The lowest is 68% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Malcolm S Mackay School
Malcolm S Mackay School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Tenafly, one of New Jersey's highest-income communities, a primarily residential suburb of New York City in Bergen County. It is one of four elementary schools within the Tenafly Public School District, a district that also includes a middle school and a high school that draws students from neighboring Alpine through a sending-receiving relationship. Because Mackay is an elementary school, no high school graduation rate or advanced course data applies, and no chronic absenteeism measure was reported.
Academic performance on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment is strong across the grades tested. In math, proficiency rates are well above state averages, with the highest rate observed in third grade and solid results in fourth and fifth grades. English language arts proficiency is also consistently high, with fourth grade posting the strongest outcome. Fifth grade science, assessed under a different proficiency standard, shows a majority of students meeting the bar. These results place the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades in the top quartile relative to districts in Bergen County, a competitive field of more than seventy districts.
The student body is diverse in its racial and ethnic composition. The two largest groups are white students and Asian students, each making up a substantial share of enrollment. Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races account for smaller but present shares, while Black students are not represented in the reported data. A very modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the affluence of the surrounding community. Counts of students with disabilities and English learners were not provided, so a parent may wish to ask the school directly about the availability and scope of those services.
Tenafly itself is a borough shaped by its hills and valleys, with the East Hill rising toward the Palisades. Its small downtown area offers local businesses and the Municipal Center, while the larger residential fabric is spread out and car-dependent. NJ Transit bus service provides local and express routes to New York City. The borough's population grew steadily through the early 2000s and has since leveled off. Housing values in the area are very high, and rents are elevated relative to national benchmarks, consistent with the community's reputation as one of New Jersey's most affluent suburbs.
The Tenafly school district recently undertook a multimillion-dollar referendum that funded roof replacements across multiple schools and district-wide security upgrades, with minimal estimated tax impact due to state debt service aid. The district also approved a weighted grading policy for Advanced Placement and honors courses at the high school, effective with the incoming class, aligning it with peer districts. For the most recent budget cycle, the district proposed a spending plan with a modest tax levy increase that stays under the state cap, maintaining existing programs while adding investment in mental health support services and technology infrastructure.
For a family considering this school, Mackay offers a consistently high-performing academic environment in an economically well-off community. The student body is economically homogeneous but racially diverse in composition. The elementary years feed into a district that has made recent investments in facilities and college-preparatory policy. The main gaps in available data involve special education and English learner counts, which a parent would want to clarify directly with the school to understand the full support landscape.
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