George Washington Elementary School, Union City NJ

Original Research by School Decision on George Washington Elementary School

George Washington Elementary School sits in the dense urban grid of Union City, Hudson County, New Jersey, and serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade. The school is a regular public school within the Union City School District. Union City itself is one of the most densely populated municipalities in the United States, a compact, landlocked city of multi-family housing, street-level retail, and active commercial corridors like Bergenline Avenue. The city has a strong Cuban-American cultural influence and is part of the New York metropolitan area, with many residents commuting into Manhattan. Population growth has been significant over the past decade, though recent estimates suggest a slight tapering. Because the city is built out with no room for horizontal expansion, any new development is confined to redevelopment of existing parcels.

The student body at George Washington is overwhelmingly Hispanic, which reflects the broader community's demographics. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need. This economic context is important for understanding the school's academic results. On the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, the school's proficiency rates vary considerably by grade and subject. In math, the share of students meeting the state's proficiency bar was lower in sixth grade than in fourth grade, with third and fifth grades falling in between. In English language arts, the pattern was different. The school showed a clear upward trajectory from third through sixth grade, with the highest proficiency rate in sixth grade. Fifth-grade science results were below the proficiency rates seen in either math or ELA at that grade level, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school.

Comparing George Washington to other schools across the district and county, the overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint among schools in Hudson County. This comparative position, along with the variation in performance between subjects and grade levels, gives a mixed picture. There is evidence of strength in upper-grade English language arts, where a majority of sixth graders met the proficiency standard. But math results across all tested grades, and science in fifth grade, suggest areas where many students are not yet meeting the state bar.

The school offers no specialized program data in the available information. It does not operate as a charter or magnet school. However, the broader Union City district has been investing in new facilities, most notably the construction of the Esther Salas Academy for grades seven through nine, which is expected to open soon and will relieve overcrowding in the middle grades. Additionally, the district's José Martí STEM Academy earned a National Blue Ribbon School designation, signaling a high-quality magnet option within the district for families whose children continue into higher grades. For the elementary years at George Washington, families should expect a large urban school serving a uniformly high-need population, with academic outcomes that are strongest in later elementary English language arts and weaker in math and science. The school is embedded in a district undergoing capital expansion and one that offers a recognized STEM magnet for students who advance beyond elementary school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 50% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 46% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 42% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 40% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 41% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 56% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 56% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 64% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 20% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolUnion City 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-income53%Higher-income42%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income59%Higher-income100%42 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income33%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income55%32 pp gap