The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in Math. The lowest is 59% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Forest Avenue School
Forest Avenue School is a regular public elementary school in Verona, New Jersey, serving kindergarten through fourth grade. It is one of four neighborhood elementary schools in the Verona Public School District, a system that also includes a middle school and a high school. The school sits in a primarily residential township in Essex County, nestled between the First and Second Watchung Mountains. Verona has a small-town suburban feel, with Verona Park as a community anchor and a municipal building along Bloomfield Avenue. Former industrial sites, such as the Annin & Co. flag manufacturing plant, have been redeveloped into apartments, reflecting modest and incremental growth in a nearly built-out community of limited land area. Schools in the district are distributed across separate campuses, and Forest Avenue School is one of these standalone sites.
Enrollment at Forest Avenue is well under three hundred students, which gives it a modest scale for its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of Hispanic, Asian, two or more races, and Black students. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as counts of students with disabilities and English learners, were not available in the records reviewed. A parent looking into student support services may want to ask the school directly about these populations and the resources allocated to them.
On state assessments in math and English language arts, Forest Avenue School students performed above the midpoint among all tested groups. Proficiency rates in math were strong for both tested grades, with a large majority of students scoring at proficient or advanced levels. In English language arts, proficiency was solid as well, though the share of students meeting the bar was somewhat lower than in math. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, placed it in the top quartile relative to all districts in Essex County. That positioning signals consistently high academic performance compared with most of its county peers, a notable strength for a school serving only the primary grades.
Because the school ends at fourth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and course access data for advanced or career-oriented programs does not apply at this level. The school’s environment data, including discipline rates, staffing ratios, and chronic absenteeism, were not provided, so a parent may want to follow up with the district office or school administration for that context.
Forest Avenue School is a strong academic performer in a suburban community that offers a traditional neighborhood-school experience. Its small size and early-grade focus make it a fit for families seeking a close-knit elementary setting within a district that has a reputation for solid results. The missing details on economic and special-population demographics are gaps worth noting, but the core academic picture is clear and favorable.
See more original research from School Decision →