Washington Park School, Totowa NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Washington Park School

Washington Park School serves as the single upper-elementary and middle school in Totowa, a small, suburban borough in Passaic County that covers about four square miles. The school takes students from fourth grade through eighth grade, and after that they move on to Passaic Valley Regional High School in neighboring Little Falls. Totowa itself has no traditional downtown; its civic hub is a municipal complex that houses borough offices, police, and court. The retail and services along Totowa Road and Union Boulevard are spread out in a car-dependent pattern. The borough has historically promoted its low tax rate within the county, and its population has grown modestly over recent decades.

The school’s enrollment is modest relative to a middle school serving a single borough. The student body is roughly split between white students and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Asian and Black students. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic need but not an extreme concentration. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.

On state assessments, the picture varies by subject and grade. In English language arts, a majority of students in grades five, seven, and eight scored at the proficient level or above, which is a real strength of the school. Fourth and sixth graders also performed reasonably well, though at lower rates than the upper grades. Math is a softer spot: across every grade, fewer than half of students reached proficiency, and the eighth-grade result was notably lower than at other grades. Science proficiency, tested in fifth and eighth grades, was also below half. The overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades places Washington Park above the midpoint among the county’s districts, which is a solid signal. But the gap between stronger English results and weaker math and science outcomes is something a parent should look into further with the school to understand what support or curriculum adjustments are in place.

As a grades 4-8 school, Washington Park does not have a graduation rate because it does not serve high school. No course access data, discipline data, or chronic absenteeism information was reported, so a parent would need to ask the school directly about those aspects of student life and support.

The housing market in Totowa, as reflected in the zip code covering the school, carries home values above the national median and roughly in line with the state median. The borough’s market has seen moderate price growth and a relatively low number of homes for sale, typical of a settled suburban community without major new development. The county’s active listings have risen recently, suggesting a somewhat more balanced market than in recent years. Renters face a gap between asking rents and estimated monthly mortgage costs, meaning buying is generally more expensive than renting in the current rate environment.

No recent district-level changes or strategic initiatives were identified in public sources, so it is fair to say the district appears to be in a stable, steady-as-she-goes period. For a family considering Totowa, Washington Park offers a solid English program and overall performance that holds up well against its county peers, while math and science give a parent reason to ask questions. The school is the only option in the borough for these grades, and the community is small enough that a motivated parent can likely get answers directly from the building.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 42%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 38%

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

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 35%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 20%

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

English language arts

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 11 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 570%

School 70% · District 70%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 56%

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

Grade 772%

School 72% · District 72%

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Science

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 18%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

This schoolTotowa 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-income30%Higher-income44%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income50%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income78%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income64%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income64%Higher-income77%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income55%Higher-income75%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income36%Higher-income53%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income22%Higher-income44%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income17%Higher-income52%35 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income16%Higher-income47%31 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income36%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income21%Higher-income20%1 pp gap