Long Valley Middle School, Long Valley NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Long Valley Middle School

Long Valley Middle School sits in the small, rural-suburban community of Long Valley, an unincorporated area within Washington Township in western Morris County. The school serves only grades six through eight, drawing from a community with a historic village core and a stable population that has seen a slight decline in recent years. The Washington Township School District, which operates four schools serving pre-K through eighth grade, has a notably low student-to-teacher ratio and high per-pupil spending, a reflection of substantial local investment that shapes the education families experience here.

The student body is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up the next largest group, followed by smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and data for students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the information reviewed. The overall enrollment is modest for a middle school serving three grades, and the peer environment is relatively homogeneous in socioeconomic terms.

On state assessments, the school shows a clear strength in English language arts. Across all three grades, a strong majority of students scored at proficient or above, with particularly high results in seventh and eighth grade. Math results are more varied. In sixth and seventh grade, well over half of students met the proficiency benchmark, but in eighth grade that share dropped to about a third. Science results, tested only in eighth grade, were lower, with roughly a quarter of students reaching proficiency. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what supports are available in math and science, especially as students move toward high school readiness.

When placed relative to districts across Morris County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint of the county’s districts. That context matters: Morris County is home to many high-performing schools, so a below-midpoint placement still reflects a school where most students are meeting the standard in ELA and a solid share in early middle school math, even as the later grades show a dip.

The housing market in Long Valley is expensive, with home values well above national and state averages. The county’s real estate market is active, with homes selling quickly, and the area’s rural-suburban character offers larger lots and open space. The community’s growth is slow, and no major new developments were identified in available information.

The district’s low student-teacher ratio is a lasting structural feature that parents often weigh when considering class size and individual attention. Instructional spending makes up a large share of the budget, and a high proportion of revenue comes from local sources, which shapes both the tax burden and the level of programming families can expect.

Long Valley Middle School fits a family seeking a small, well-funded middle school in an affluent, rural-suburban setting, where ELA outcomes are strong and the early middle school math results are solid, but where later middle school math and science performance may warrant closer inquiry. The lack of data on programs, discipline, staffing, and special populations means a family will want to visit and ask about those areas directly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 59%

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

Grade 763%

School 63% · District 63%

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

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 33%

▲ 16 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 671%

School 71% · District 71%

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

Grade 783%

School 83% · District 83%

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

Grade 881%

School 81% · District 81%

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

Science

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 24%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 6 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-income41%Higher-income74%33 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income59%Higher-income85%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income62%Higher-income83%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income35%Higher-income61%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income41%Higher-income65%23 pp gap