Hillside Public School District

Summary:

The Hillside Public School District in New Jersey operates 7 schools, including 4 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school. The district as a whole is ranked 474 out of 609 in the state and is rated 1 star out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Within the district, a few schools stand out in their performance. Hillside Innovation Academy, a middle school, consistently ranks in the top 25% of New Jersey middle schools and was rated 4 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger in 2023-2024. Its students significantly outperform the district and state averages on standardized tests. Another standout is Hurden Looker Elementary School, which has stronger academic performance than other elementary schools in the district, with 72% proficiency in 5th grade ELA and 42.9% proficiency in 5th grade math in 2024-2025.

However, the district faces significant challenges, with most schools performing well below state averages on standardized tests. The data reveals large achievement gaps, uneven performance across schools, high poverty levels, and potential funding inequities. Addressing these issues will be critical for improving outcomes across the Hillside Public School District.

District Detail

195 Virginia Street
Hillside, NJ 07205

(908) 352-7664

SchoolDigger Rank:
474^th of 609 New Jersey districts

See the 2025 New Jersey District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 2,957

Primary Schools: 4
Middle Schools: 2
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 0

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NJGPA English Language Arts (2025)	NJGPA Mathematics (2025)	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	NJGPA English Language Arts 11th Grade	NJGPA Mathematics 11th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 5th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 8th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 11th 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 English Language Arts 9th 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 7th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	Total
Hillside High School	Public	9-12	1085 Liberty Ave	Hillside	07205	Union County	Hillside Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 352-7664	911	67	13.5	66.5%	67 (7.4%)	499 (54.8%)	329 (36.1%)	6 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	7 (0.8%)	22.2	347^th of 434 public high schools	20.0%		29.9	311^th of 429 public high schools	27.5%	36	74.8	32.3			11.7							27.9									9.5	9.5	$7,219
Deanna G. Taylor Academy	Public	2-6	614 Tillman St	Hillside	07205	Union County	Hillside Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 352-7664	202	20	10.1	72.8%	20 (9.9%)	111 (55.0%)	62 (30.7%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	3 (1.5%)	20.1	1096^th of 1347 public elementary schools	18.6%		26.3	991^st of 1338 public elementary schools	25.9%	105			11.1			31.6	42.9	42.4	33.4				30.0	25.0	13.9	15.0							$13,412
Hurden Looker Elementary School	Public	2-6	1261 Liberty Ave	Hillside	07205	Union County	Hillside Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 352-7664	408	32	12.7	78.2%	46 (11.3%)	164 (40.2%)	187 (45.8%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	4 (1.0%)	46.1	723^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	46.3%		37.8	825^th of 1338 public elementary schools	38.3%	102			24.3			42.1	59.5	72.0	60.9				34.2	36.3	42.9	26.5							$6,063
Walter O. Krumbiegel Middle School	Public	7-8	145 Hillside Ave	Hillside	07205	Union County	Hillside Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 352-7664	323	30	10.7	73.1%	15 (4.6%)	178 (55.1%)	128 (39.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16.3	649^th of 752 public middle schools	13.7%		13.8	669^th of 743 public middle schools	10.0%	20				0.7						39.3	28.2						10.8	6.5		75.0		69.2	$8,834
Abram P. Morris Early Childhood Center	Public	PK, KG-1	143 Coe Ave	Hillside	07205	Union County	Hillside Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 352-7664	625	49	12.7	69.3%	77 (12.3%)	287 (45.9%)	243 (38.9%)	9 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.3%)								(n/a)																							$7,179
Ola Edwards Community School	Public	2-6	1530 Leslie St	Hillside	07205	Union County	Hillside Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 352-7664	391	34	11.5	82.9%	38 (9.7%)	188 (48.1%)	154 (39.4%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	34.7	886^th of 1347 public elementary schools	34.2%		33.8	885^th of 1338 public elementary schools	33.9%	1			20.2			36.6	34.6	58.8	61.9				40.0	19.3	43.4	18.0							$5,766
Hillside Innovation Academy	Public	7-8	195 Virginia St-1100 Woodruff	Hillside	07205	Union County	Hillside Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(908) 352-7664	97	6	16.1	67.0%	8 (8.2%)	60 (61.9%)	25 (25.8%)	2 (2.1%)	1 (1.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56.3	299^th of 752 public middle schools	60.2%		71.6	184^th of 743 public middle schools	75.2%	115				7.8						90.9	90.2						21.7	12.5	42.9	56.3		48.6

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Township of Union School District	0.8 mi	11	426^th
Union County Educational Services Commission	0.83 mi	6
Elizabeth Public Schools	1.23 mi	37	494^th
Newark Public School District	1.48 mi	65	534^th
Irvington Public School District	1.58 mi	12	598^th

See the top NJ New Jersey districts

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.

Hillside Public School District

District Detail

Hillside Innovation Academy

Hurden Looker Elementary School

Ola Edwards Community School

Hillside High School

Deanna G. Taylor Academy

Walter O. Krumbiegel Middle School

Abram P. Morris Early Childhood Center

Districts nearby