The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in English language arts. The lowest is 39% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Jessie F. George Elementary
Jessie F. George Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Township of Washington, part of the Westwood Regional School District, which also includes Westwood Borough. This is a neighborhood elementary school in a suburban Bergen County community, and the available testing data paints a picture of strong academic performance in the core elementary subjects.
On state assessments, students at Jessie F. George consistently show high proficiency in math and English language arts across grades three through five. Overall, the school’s combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it well above the middle of the pack relative to districts in Bergen County. In both math and reading, the share of students meeting the state’s proficiency bar is consistently strong. These results point to a school where most students are meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations in the primary academic areas. Science, assessed only in fifth grade, shows a notably lower proficiency rate, and the state’s science proficiency threshold is set at a lower level than the one used for math and ELA, which makes the gap more noteworthy. A parent may want to ask the school about its science curriculum and how it builds foundational knowledge through the earlier grades.
The student body is small, and the school runs balanced class sections across each grade from kindergarten through fifth grade. The student population is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Asian and Hispanic students, and a very small share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a common economic indicator in school data. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records reviewed, which is a gap worth noting. The school’s very low economic-need rate suggests a relatively resourced family base, though it also means less economic diversity within the student peer group.
Township of Washington is a primarily residential suburb with no traditional downtown. Its commercial anchor is the Washington Town Center shopping mall, and the Garden State Parkway cuts through the township, shaping the area’s car-oriented character. The Westwood Regional School District arrangement means that Jessie F. George shares its district governance with nearby Westwood Borough, and the district brief turned up little publicly reported change or strategic initiative of note in recent years, so the operational picture from the district level is largely stable.
Housing in the area carries a high price tag relative to national and state norms, a reflection of the broader Bergen County market, where inventory is active and homes move at a steady pace. For families looking to move into the attendance zone, the cost of entry is a significant consideration.
For a family considering this school, the academic profile in math and reading is a clear draw. The combination of consistently strong proficiency rates and a very low share of students receiving economic support suggests a student body that enters school with substantial advantages and that the school is effectively delivering on grade-level instruction. The noticeably lower science result is a specific topic worth exploring with the school to understand how that subject is taught and assessed. This is a school that fits a family seeking solid elementary academics in a suburban, car-dependent setting, with a peer group that is fairly homogeneous along economic lines. Those looking for more economic or demographic diversity among students, or who want to understand the science program better, will want to ask direct questions.
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