Summary:
The Hackettstown Public School District includes four schools serving pre-K through grade 12 in the Hackettstown area: Hatchery Hill Elementary School (pre-K–1), Willow Grove Elementary School (grades 2–4), Hackettstown Middle School (grades 5–8), and Hackettstown High School (grades 9–12). The strongest overall concern in the latest results is that most reported grade-level English and math comparisons were below state results: English averaged 48% at the schools versus 51% statewide, while math averaged 34% versus 40%.
Some individual results stand out in both directions. High School grade 9 Geometry was a clear bright spot, with 84% proficient versus 50% statewide, a 34-point lead; Middle School grade 8 Algebra I was also strong at 95% versus 75%, 21 points higher. Willow Grove grade 4 English Language Arts reached 56%, 10 points above the state’s 46%. At the lower end, Middle School grade 5 math was 25% versus 46% statewide, a 20-point shortfall; its grade 5 science result was 17% versus 27%. High School science was also below state level in grade 11, at 18% versus 29%. Because the schools test different grades, these figures do not support a fair school-to-school ranking.
Across 21 matched results from two years, school scores fell by an average of 7 points, while state scores fell by 1 point; the average gap worsened by about 6 points, though some results improved relative to the state. SchoolDigger rankings also declined from 2023–2024 to 2025–2026: High School went from 59 to 46, Middle School from 65 to 48, and Willow Grove from 59 to 50. As context, all four schools reported free/reduced lunch eligible rates for 2024–2025; they ranged from 30% at High School to 46% at Middle School, with a four-school average of 41%. Reported student-teacher ratios ranged from 8.7 at Hatchery Hill to 11.7 at High School. High School’s 2024–2025 graduation rate was 91%, 3 points above the state rate.
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