The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in Math. The lowest is 38% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Apshawa Elementary School
Apshawa Elementary School is one of four remaining K-5 public schools in the West Milford Township Public School District, serving the northern Passaic County community of the same name. West Milford itself is an expansive, primarily residential township where nearly two-thirds of the land is permanently protected open space—watersheds, reservoirs, mountains, and lakes. The built environment is car-dependent, with homes spread across large lots and lake communities and no single downtown; commercial activity is limited to highway corridors like Route 23. The district’s five elementary schools were recently reduced to four when Westbrook Elementary closed for the 2023-24 school year, a move consistent with a modest population decline that has marked the township over the past two decades. The school’s character as a neighborhood elementary school in this setting is that of a small, community-anchored building serving a scattered residential area.
Enrollment is moderate for an elementary school of this grade span. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial majority of students identifying as white. Hispanic students form the next largest group, followed by small shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. About one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that places the school meaningfully below the county average in economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the state data for this school, so a parent looking for those details would want to ask the school directly.
Apshawa’s academic performance stands as a clear strength relative to other schools in its county. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places the school in the top quarter of districts in Passaic County. That high-level picture, however, masks a pattern worth examining. On the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, third and fourth graders posted solidly above-average proficiency rates in both math and English language arts—in each case roughly seven in ten students or more scored at the proficient or advanced level. Fifth graders, by contrast, saw a sharp drop: fewer than half were proficient in math, and less than half in English language arts. Science, which is tested only in fifth grade, also showed a lower proficiency rate, with about four in ten students meeting the standard. The drop between fourth and fifth grade is large enough that a parent may want to ask the school how it supports students during the transition to upper elementary and whether the fifth-grade cohort in any given year is representative.
Because Apshawa serves only kindergarten through fifth grade, there are no graduation rates, high school course offerings, or postsecondary outcomes to consider. The school’s programs and extracurriculars were not detailed in the available data. Similarly, information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing was absent. A family weighing this school may want to visit and ask about the specific supports that bridge the performance gap observed at fifth grade.
The housing context in West Milford is shaped by the same environmental protections that limit new development. Typical home values in the area are above the national median, and the price-to-income ratio is elevated, reflecting the desirability of the lakes, mountains, and open space. The market is competitive but not as fast-moving as some closer-in suburbs. For families considering a move to the district, the availability of homes varies among the four communities that make up the township—the township center, Hewitt, Newfoundland, and Oak Ridge—each with its own proximity to a different elementary school.
Apshawa Elementary School fits families who want a small, relatively homogenous elementary school in a rural-residential setting with strong early-grade academic results and who are comfortable with a car-dependent lifestyle. The performance pattern in fifth grade is something to investigate further. The broader district context of declining enrollment and a recent school closure means the district is adjusting, but no recent changes affecting this school were identified. For a parent who prioritizes a solid academic start in the primary years and values a quiet, nature-rich community, Apshawa is a reasonable candidate to explore.
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