Best Public Schools in Wantage, NJ

Summary:

The city of Wantage, New Jersey, is home to two elementary schools: Clifton E. Lawrence (PK-2) and Wantage Elementary School (3-5), both part of the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District. While the schools share similar demographics, with around a quarter of their students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, they do not stand out as exceptional performers within the district.

Both Clifton E. Lawrence and Wantage Elementary School have chronic absenteeism rates of 14.9%, which is on par with the district average. In terms of academic performance, the schools' proficiency rates in NJSLA/English Language Arts, NJSLA/Mathematics, and NJSLA-S/Science are generally below the state averages for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years. This is reflected in the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District's low ranking of 447 out of 609 districts in New Jersey and its 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While the schools have similar demographics and performance, there are some differences in their staffing and spending. Clifton E. Lawrence has a higher student-teacher ratio of 11.9 students per teacher, compared to 9 students per teacher at Wantage Elementary School. Additionally, Clifton E. Lawrence has a slightly higher per-student spending of $11,818, compared to $11,412 at Wantage Elementary School. These differences may indicate variations in resource allocation or staffing priorities between the two schools, but do not appear to have a significant impact on their overall academic outcomes.

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)			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 English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 4th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 5th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Wantage Elementary School	Public	3-5	815 Route 23	Wantage	07461	Sussex County	Sussex-Wantage Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 875-4589	396	39	10.1	35.1%	335 (84.6%)	3 (0.8%)	42 (10.6%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.0%)	25	1022^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	24.1%		24.9	1008^th of 1338 public elementary schools	24.7%	14	23.1	17.7	35.5	35.2	38.1	26.8	38.5	$11,412	$270	$11,142
Clifton E. Lawrence	Public	PK, KG-2	31 Ryan Road	Wantage	07461	Sussex County	Sussex-Wantage Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 875-8820	426	39	10.9	35.2%	350 (82.2%)	5 (1.2%)	61 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.3%)								(n/a)								$11,818	$445	$11,373

Cities Near Wantage

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Sussex	2.54 mi	2	335^th
Vernon	4.9 mi	6	243^rd
Hamburg	6.17 mi	3	236^th
Lafayette	8.28 mi	1	303^rd
Franklin	8.76 mi	2	377^th

See the top NJ New Jersey cities

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.