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School 21

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1336^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

School 21 is an elementary school located in Paterson, New Jersey, serving grades PK-8 with a total enrollment of 642 students. It is part of the Paterson Public School District, which is ranked 561 out of 609 school districts in New Jersey and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. School 21 has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing elementary schools in the state, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years.

School 21's academic performance is significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 9% of 3rd-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 44.9% statewide and 22.3% in the Paterson district. In mathematics, the proficiency rates were even lower, with only 12.4% of 3rd-grade students and 1.2% of 6th-grade students meeting or exceeding the standards. Additionally, School 21 has consistently high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 14.9% to 37.2% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages.

When comparing School 21 to other nearby schools in the Paterson district, it becomes clear that the academic performance challenges are not unique to School 21. Several other schools, such as School 26, School 13, and Senator Frank Lautenberg School, also struggle with low proficiency rates and high chronic absenteeism. However, one notable exception is Roberto Clemente, which has significantly higher academic performance than the other nearby schools, including School 21. This suggests that there may be successful strategies or practices at Roberto Clemente that could be replicated at other schools in the district.

665

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,480

Per pupil spending ?

64.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

322 10th Avenue
Paterson, NJ 07514

(973) 321-0210

District: Paterson Public School District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.0%

African American:

20.9%

White:

0.5%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare School 21 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 3rd percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (34% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 15% New Jersey)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg19%

New Jersey avg44%

Elementary school

1,336^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

719^th of 752

New Jersey public middle schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

28^th of 29Elementary Schools in the Paterson Public School District

561^st of 609Paterson Public School District among New Jersey districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	3.8	1336 of 1347	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.5	1324 of 1338	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	1327 of 1342	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.3	1333 of 1345	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.3	1297 of 1317	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.4	1352 of 1360	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.9	1337 of 1353	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.6	1344 of 1352	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.5	1341 of 1346	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	5.1	1311 of 1357	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.2	1329 of 1363	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.9	1311 of 1367	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.1	1290 of 1363	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.2	1302 of 1360	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.1	1280 of 1354	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	3.1	1306 of 1346	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	6.1	1266 of 1338	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.2	1265 of 1329	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	0.4	1300 of 1314	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	1.9	1269 of 1303	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	1.7	1256 of 1298	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	11.2	1046 of 1204	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	418 of 463	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.8	459 of 469	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	453 of 463	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	439 of 494	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.1	441 of 456	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	507 of 522	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	469 of 517	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	12.7	572 of 597	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	527 of 559	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	454 of 499	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.1	476 of 489	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	395 of 411	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.0	441 of 463	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	406 of 434	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	4.6	1285 of 1326	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.0	1267 of 1317	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.0	1276 of 1318	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.7	1288 of 1326	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.8	1273 of 1290	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.7	1302 of 1331	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.7	1300 of 1333	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	7.6	959 of 1032	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.1	934 of 989	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.8	919 of 982	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.4	894 of 953	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.0	887 of 896	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.3	832 of 899	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.4	798 of 870	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	7.3	1010 of 1023	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.1	843 of 939	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	797 of 910	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.8	778 of 863	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.2	756 of 839	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.7	843 of 948	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.7	924 of 942	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	4.3	1282 of 1318	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.1	1274 of 1313	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.7	1267 of 1315	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.3	1283 of 1324	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.6	1266 of 1297	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.0	1307 of 1335	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.4	1288 of 1334	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	12.8	968 of 1023	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.0	948 of 989	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	922 of 958	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.8	890 of 949	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.8	803 of 868	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.2	785 of 1007	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	863 of 1001	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	9.3	719 of 752	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	724 of 743	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	710 of 748	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.4	712 of 745	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.2	647 of 652	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.8	712 of 745	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.2	701 of 716	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	4.8	700 of 712	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	4.4	705 of 713	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	8.4	673 of 713	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.4	685 of 717	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.2	676 of 704	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	10.4	606 of 677	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	5.8	636 of 684	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.6	618 of 677	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.2	630 of 664	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	4.6	607 of 640	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	2.8	606 of 631	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	3.9	573 of 615	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	11.2	529 of 599	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	28.2	460 of 588	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	3.9	535 of 574	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	330 of 359	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.5	331 of 352	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	325 of 361	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.3	280 of 356	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.5	290 of 291	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.3	324 of 326	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.2	302 of 326	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	27.9	265 of 343	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.4	275 of 320	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.9	230 of 288	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.9	258 of 270	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.8	182 of 197	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	202 of 227	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.8	190 of 202	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	11.2	672 of 728	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	690 of 717	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.4	690 of 720	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.0	684 of 726	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.9	617 of 625	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.6	663 of 703	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.0	672 of 680	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	13.7	567 of 608	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	559 of 589	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	544 of 587	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	556 of 591	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.2	473 of 480	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.8	489 of 524	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.0	483 of 504	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	596 of 613	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	525 of 584	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.6	492 of 568	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	466 of 549	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.9	409 of 467	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	469 of 541	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	459 of 522	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	8.9	704 of 726	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.9	693 of 719	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.3	678 of 718	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.8	702 of 730	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.7	623 of 635	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.2	671 of 697	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.7	643 of 675	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2022	39.4	274 of 535	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	17.2	363 of 401	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.4	356 of 492	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.4	456 of 471	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

African American (2025)10th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)7th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2025)5th percentile+5 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)4th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

Middle school

Special Education (2022)49th percentile+44 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)23rd percentile+18 vs school

African American (2025)8th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)8th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)7th percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

Science60%+36 vs state

Mathematics47%+6 vs state

English Language Arts9%-45 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Thursday, August 27, 2020

As a former elementary school student at 21, I recall fondly the somewhat strictness of the curriculum for every student at that time up to second grade: 1956-1959... Of course, I cannot address how much things have changed since but its ancient history was embedded with excellent staff and teachers (eg., Misses Minick, kindergarten, who made a very large footprint of an impression, among others). So this one review is belated but deserved. Good luck 21 students. Always look ahead. Close Quote

Schools Near School 21

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NJSLA-S Science (2025)		NJSLA English Language Arts (2025)						NJSLA Mathematics (2025)						NJSLA Algebra I (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NJSLA-S Science 5th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 8th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 4th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 5th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 6th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 7th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 8th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	Total
School 21	Public	PK, KG-8	322 10th Avenue	Paterson	07514	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0210	665	43	15.4	64.5%	3 (0.5%)	139 (20.9%)	519 (78.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3.8	1336^th of 1347 public elementary schools	0.8%		4.5	1324^th of 1338 public elementary schools	1.0%	12	1.2	0.0	9.0	9.9	2.8	13.2	8.3	8.2	12.4	1.3	3.7	1.2	6.5	12.0			$8,480
School 26	Public	PK, KG-8	1 East 32nd Street	Paterson	07514	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0260	419	31	13.5	58.0%	4 (1.0%)	116 (27.7%)	293 (69.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	4.4	1330^th of 1347 public elementary schools	1.3%		4.2	1327^th of 1338 public elementary schools	0.8%	3	0.0	2.3	8.7	10.9	6.0	23.1	18.6	27.3	17.4	4.0	1.8	0.0	5.4	8.7			$8,427
School 1	Public	K-5	1 East 32nd Street	Paterson	07514	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0490	217	21	10.3	64.5%	2 (0.9%)	65 (30.0%)	147 (67.7%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	57.5	578^th of 1347 public elementary schools	57.1%		37.1	839^th of 1338 public elementary schools	37.3%	261	26.9		47.3	58.4	76.9				66.6	33.3	42.3						$9,731
School 13	Public	K-8	690 East 23rd St	Paterson	07504	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0130	499	36	13.8	69.9%	2 (0.4%)	95 (19.0%)	400 (80.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6	1308^th of 1347 public elementary schools	2.9%		5.5	1310^th of 1338 public elementary schools	2.1%	2	5.1	0.0	12.8	12.5	25.4	10.5	25.0	19.2	4.3	11.1	6.7	2.2	4.0	1.8			$8,300
School 10	Public	K-8	48 Mercer Street	Paterson	07524	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0100	474	34	13.9	62.0%	6 (1.3%)	85 (17.9%)	377 (79.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	5.1	1323^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	1.8%		4.4	1325^th of 1338 public elementary schools	1.0%	2	0.0	0.0	10.6	12.7	6.1	12.8	2.0	18.9	22.7	11.7	4.1	0.0	1.9	2.5			$8,827
Senator Frank Lautenberg School	Public	K-8	137 Carroll Street	Paterson	07501	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0060	605	36	16.8	70.2%	8 (1.3%)	208 (34.4%)	384 (63.5%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4.1	1332^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	1.1%		3.6	1332^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	0.4%		1.2	0.0	13.5	12.5	3.7	6.6	10.5	12.0	7.6	0.0	2.3	9.1	4.8	8.9			$8,560
Edward W. Kilpatrick	Public	PK, KG-3	295-315 Ellison Street	Paterson	07501	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0330	295	26	11.5	71.9%	5 (1.7%)	72 (24.4%)	214 (72.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	5.7	1313^th of 1347 public elementary schools	2.5%		11.8	1213^th of 1338 public elementary schools	9.3%	100			17.0						5.6								$9,155
Roberto Clemente	Public	K-5	434 Rosa Parks Blvd	Paterson	07501	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0340	254	21	12.3	85.0%	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.5%)	235 (92.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12.5	1208^th of 1347 public elementary schools	10.3%		14.2	1159^th of 1338 public elementary schools	13.4%	49	2.5		14.3	33.3	24.3				19.2	32.5	17.5						$7,990
Alexander Hamilton Academy	Public	K-8	11-27 16th Avenue	Paterson	07501	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0320	439	32	13.7	67.7%	4 (0.9%)	133 (30.3%)	299 (68.1%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15.5	1165^th of 1347 public elementary schools	13.5%		18.1	1105^th of 1338 public elementary schools	17.4%	60	11.9	2.3	24.0	26.1	33.3	34.7	41.7	31.8	18.0	21.7	31.0	10.8	11.1	22.7			$8,344
School 18	Public	1-8	51 E 18th Street	Paterson	07524	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0180	601	60	10.1	68.4%	8 (1.3%)	42 (7.0%)	544 (90.5%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	17.1	1146^th of 1347 public elementary schools	14.9%		12.7	1190^th of 1338 public elementary schools	11.1%	44	14.9	8.0	34.8	35.6	26.1	22.2	36.1	46.4	35.0	27.2	11.9	8.2	11.4	1.9	39.1	39.1	$6,561

Frequently Asked Questions about School 21

How many students attend School 21?

In the 2024-25 school year, 665 students attended School 21.

What is the racial makeup of School 21?

Students at School 21 are 78% Hispanic, 21% African American.

What district is School 21 in?

Paterson Public School District

Is School 21 a good school?

School 21 ranks in the bottom 0.8% of New Jersey elementary schools.

Rate School 21!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Jersey Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.