Best Public Schools in Maplewood, NJ

The city of Maplewood, New Jersey is home to 6 schools that are part of the South Orange-Maplewood School District, which is ranked 160 out of 609 districts in the state and rated 4 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger. The schools include 4 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school.

Among the standout schools in Maplewood is Tuscan Elementary School, which ranks 123 out of 1,347 elementary schools in New Jersey and is rated 5 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger. It consistently achieves high test scores, with over 70% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and Mathematics. The district's only high school, Columbia High School, also stands out with a 91.3% four-year graduation rate, significantly higher than the state average.

While the South Orange-Maplewood School District generally performs better than the state average on standardized tests, there are notable disparities in performance between individual schools. Schools with higher rates of free and reduced lunch recipients, such as Seth Boyden Elementary Demonstration School, tend to have lower test scores and performance metrics. Additionally, the district-wide chronic absenteeism rate of 14.9% is higher than the state average, suggesting that addressing attendance issues could be a key focus area for improvement.