The top reported proficiency rate is 75% in Math. The lowest is 46% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Crescent Elementary School
Crescent Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Waldwick, a compact, primarily residential borough in Bergen County. The school is one of two elementary schools in the Waldwick School District. Its enrollment is on the smaller side for an elementary building, and the student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up about a quarter of students and small shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is very low, signaling an economically homogenous peer environment.
On state assessments, Crescent's results are strongest in mathematics. Third graders posted a high proficiency rate, and fifth graders also performed well. Fourth-grade math was comparatively weaker but still above a solid benchmark. In English language arts, proficiency rates were solid across all three tested grades, with fourth and fifth graders performing at similar levels and third graders somewhat lower. Science, assessed only in fifth grade, showed a more modest proficiency rate, an area a parent may want to look into further with the school to understand how the curriculum aligns with the state's expectations.
The school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint relative to other districts in Bergen County, placing it in the upper half of the county's public school landscape. Since Crescent serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or secondary metrics to report, and the school has no chronic absenteeism data available. A graduation rate would not apply here because the school's grade band ends at fifth grade.
Waldwick is a small borough shaped by its rail history. The NJ Transit station connects residents to Hoboken and Manhattan, reinforcing a commuter-suburb character. The housing stock is almost entirely owner-occupied single-family homes, and the homeowner vacancy rate is very low. The borough's population has been relatively stable over the past few decades, with a slight uptick in the most recent census. Housing values in Waldwick's zip code are well above the national benchmark and comparable to the state benchmark, reflecting the high-cost Bergen County market. The borough's schools are spread across different neighborhoods rather than clustered in one campus; Crescent School sits on Crescent Avenue.
At the district level, the most immediate parent-relevant change is the property tax levy. The school board approved a maximum-allowable tax levy increase for the 2024-25 budget, a recurring pattern that raises the annual cost for the average homeowner. The budget increase was driven by rising special education out-of-district placement costs, transportation, and contractual salary increases. Separately, the district has made a substantial capital investment in construction in recent years, and budget discussions have identified ongoing facility needs including roof repairs and HVAC upgrades across multiple school buildings, including at Crescent. The district's smaller, steady enrollment means per-pupil fixed costs are spread over a modest base, and these infrastructure expenses are likely to remain a recurring topic for taxpayers.
For a family considering Waldwick, Crescent offers a solid academic foundation in the elementary years within a high-cost, stable suburb with strong commuter rail access. The school's peer environment is economically very similar across the student body, and the elementary-level proficiency data points to a school that performs reliably above the county median. The trade-offs are straightforward: the narrow economic diversity, the high property taxes that come with the district's reliance on levy increases, and the fact that facility conditions are an active area of spending and attention. These are not unusual trade-offs for a Bergen County bedroom community, but they are real ones.
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