Mary S. Shoemaker School, Woodstown NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Mary S. Shoemaker School

Mary S. Shoemaker School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The building sits within the small historic borough of Woodstown, which functions as the commercial and denser core of a paired community with surrounding Pilesgrove Township, an area that is more agricultural. The school draws students from both communities, and the district as a whole includes an early childhood center, a middle school, and a high school, all within or near the borough.

On state assessments, the school’s performance lands it among the strongest in Salem County. Across the subjects and grades tested, overall proficiency places Woodstown’s elementary school in the top group relative to other districts in the county. In mathematics, a little less than half of third graders met the standard, while the share was similar for fourth graders and rose to a modest majority for fifth graders. In English language arts, roughly half of third graders were proficient, and the rate improved to comfortably above half for both fourth and fifth graders. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed about a quarter of students reaching proficiency. A parent may want to discuss this science result with the school to understand how the curriculum and instruction are structured.

The student body is predominantly white, with modest shares of Black students and Hispanic students, a smaller group identifying as two or more races, and very few Asian students. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a lower share than in many districts nationally but still represents a meaningful presence of economic diversity. Data on special education and English learner populations were not available, so families who need information on those supports should contact the school directly.

Housing in the Woodstown area is priced below the New Jersey state average but above the national average. This places the borough within reach for many families looking for a more affordable entry point into the state’s housing market while still being close to a historic small-town center. The borough has a designated historic district, a compact walkable core, and access to bus service linking Salem and Philadelphia. The district itself has not reported any recent major changes that would alter the experience for an incoming family; the main structural feature to note is that Woodstown High School also serves students from several surrounding townships through sending-receiving agreements, so the elementary school’s feeder pattern pulls from a broader area than just the borough and Pilesgrove.

For a family weighing elementary options in Salem County, Mary S. Shoemaker School offers an academic profile that is above average for the county, particularly in math and English language arts by the upper elementary grades. The school is a traditional public elementary program in a community that blends small-town historic character with rural surroundings. Families who value a neighborhood school with a moderate-sized enrollment and a largely white student body with some racial and economic diversity will find that description fits here. Those looking for a specialized program, such as a magnet or charter focus, or who need to understand special education or English learner services in detail, will need to gather that information separately, as it was not provided in the data available.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 48%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 46%

even with state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Science

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 27%

even with state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

This schoolWoodstown-Pilesgrove Regional 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 3Lower-income33%Higher-income51%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income67%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income59%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income38%Higher-income51%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income53%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income58%8 pp gap