Chestnut Ridge Middle School, Sewell NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Chestnut Ridge Middle School

Chestnut Ridge Middle School serves grades six through eight in the Washington Township School District, located in the Sewell area of Gloucester County. Sewell is an unincorporated community that spans several townships, and this particular school draws from the Washington Township portion of the community. As a regular public middle school, it occupies a suburban setting where auto travel is the primary way to get around; the area has limited walkability and no traditional downtown center, though Rowan College of South Jersey and the Gloucester County Institute of Technology bring an institutional presence to the vicinity.

The school enrolls a mid-sized student body for a middle school. The student composition is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. About one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which indicates a moderate level of economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how it supports those populations.

Academically, the picture is uneven. In English language arts, performance rises across the grades and reaches a solid level by eighth grade, where a clear majority of students meet state proficiency standards. This suggests that literacy instruction is a relative strength, especially for older middle schoolers. In mathematics, the results are more mixed. Proficiency in sixth and seventh grades sits in a modest range, and then drops sharply in eighth grade. Science results for eighth graders are similarly low. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects, when compared with all other school districts in Gloucester County, falls below the midpoint of the group. That comparison covers all tested grades and subjects together, so the weaker math and science scores weigh down the combined picture.

No data on course offerings, advanced coursework, or extracurricular programs was available. Whether the school provides accelerated math tracks, electives, or arts and athletics is something a family would need to investigate directly. Similarly, the data set did not include information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, or staffing ratios, so those aspects of school climate are not covered here.

The broader housing market in Sewell shows home values above the national median, with a tight supply and a low vacancy rate. The area has seen steady suburban residential growth, and a proposed light rail line that would include a stop in Sewell could shape future development. The median rent in the area is also above the national figure, which together with home prices points to an above-average cost of living for this part of southern New Jersey. The county’s housing market is fairly active, with homes selling relatively quickly.

The Washington Township School District itself appears to have had little in the way of publicly reported recent changes or strategic initiatives; the district brief turned up no parent-relevant developments.

For a family considering Chestnut Ridge, the school offers a notably strong English language arts program, especially by eighth grade, alongside math and science results that are considerably weaker and warrant a closer look. The student body is moderately diverse in racial terms, though not highly so, and the economic profile is middle-income on average. The suburban setting and the presence of nearby college and vocational school campuses may appeal to families who want a quiet residential environment with some institutional resources close by. Without data on programs or student support services, the best next step is to visit the school and ask about academic pathways, special education, and enrichment opportunities directly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 40% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 36% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 17% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 64% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 66% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 873%

School 73% · District 68% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Science

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 18% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

This schoolWashington Township 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 6Lower-income51%Higher-income58%7 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income77%41 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income79%29 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income22%Higher-income39%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income11%Higher-income43%33 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income3%Higher-income12%10 pp gap