Elementary Schools in Hillside Public School District

Summary:

The Hillside Public School District in New Jersey is home to 4 elementary schools serving students from early childhood through 6th grade. While the schools share some common challenges, such as high rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch and consistent chronic absenteeism, there are notable differences in their academic performance and resource allocation.

Among the standout schools, Hurden Looker Elementary School ranks the highest in the district, placing 723 out of 1,347 New Jersey elementary schools in 2024-2025. This school consistently outperforms the district and state averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency, with 72% of 5th graders proficient or better in ELA compared to 60.9% for the district and 52.7% for the state. In contrast, Deanna G. Taylor Academy struggles to meet state and district averages in many subject areas and grade levels, despite having the highest spending per student at $13,412 in 2018-2019.

The data also reveals significant socioeconomic challenges faced by the district, with all schools having high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 60.39% at Abram P. Morris Early Childhood Center to 76.65% at Ola Edwards Community School. Additionally, the district-wide chronic absenteeism rate of 14.9% is a concern that may be impacting student outcomes across the board.

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)				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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	Total
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
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

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.