Elementary Schools in Plainfield Public School District

Summary:

The Plainfield Public School District in New Jersey operates 10 elementary schools serving students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade. The district faces significant challenges, with most schools performing well below state averages on academic assessments. However, a few standout schools, such as Frederic W. Cook Elementary School and Emerson Community School, demonstrate that pockets of academic excellence exist within the district.

Frederic W. Cook Elementary School stands out as the highest-performing school in the district, ranking 580 out of 1,347 New Jersey elementary schools and earning 3 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are significantly higher than the district and state averages, with 84% of 5th-grade students proficient in ELA compared to 25.7% for the district and 52.7% for New Jersey. Emerson Community School is another standout, ranking 931 out of 1,347 and earning 2 out of 5 stars, with proficiency rates that exceed the district and state in both ELA and Mathematics.

However, the majority of schools in the Plainfield Public School District struggle to meet state performance standards, with chronic absenteeism rates of 14.9% across all 10 elementary schools and test scores well below the state averages. The district also faces significant socioeconomic challenges, with high rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 63.19% to 89.12%. Addressing these disparities and providing targeted interventions will be crucial for the district to improve educational outcomes for all students.

District Detail

1200 Myrtle Avenue
Plainfield, NJ 07063-1139

(908) 731-4200

SchoolDigger Rank:
564^th of 609 New Jersey districts

See the 2025 New Jersey District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 8,522

Primary Schools: 10
Middle Schools: 2
High Schools: 3
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-S Science 8th 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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School	Public	K-5	E Front St & Farragut Rd	Plainfield	07060	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4300	423	33	12.6	83.2%	8 (1.9%)	37 (8.7%)	375 (88.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	14.1	1189^th of 1347 public elementary schools	11.7%		12.2	1202^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	10.2%	13	7.2		22.9	21.4	30.4				32.8	20.8	21.4				$10,430	$260	$10,170
Cedarbrook Elementary School	Public	K-8	1049 Central Ave	Plainfield	07060	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4280	671	60	11.1	69.2%	5 (0.7%)	188 (28.0%)	463 (69.0%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	6 (0.9%)	14.8	1177^th of 1347 public elementary schools	12.6%		13.9	1166^th of 1338 public elementary schools	12.9%	11	8.0	5.4	31.2	25.0	23.2	29.3	34.7	37.8	25.0	17.6	21.0	23.2	18.8	18.9	$9,658	$142	$9,516
Clinton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	West 4th St And Clinton Ave	Plainfield	07063	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4220	386	37	10.5	83.9%	2 (0.5%)	61 (15.8%)	317 (82.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	12.7	1205^th of 1347 public elementary schools	10.5%		12.4	1199^th of 1338 public elementary schools	10.4%	6	8.0		30.0	22.6	31.4				16.4	17.5	19.2				$10,979	$261	$10,718
Frederic W. Cook Elementary School	Public	K-5	739 Leland Ave	Plainfield	07062	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4215	198	36	5.5	49.5%	5 (2.5%)	107 (54.0%)	79 (39.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	4 (2.0%)	57.4	580^th of 1347 public elementary schools	56.9%		41.3	779^th of 1338 public elementary schools	41.8%	199	24.0		67.8	66.7	84.0				51.6	39.3	24.0				$11,721		$11,721
Emerson Community School	Public	K-5	305 Emerson Ave	Plainfield	07062	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4205	414	36	11.5	72.7%	6 (1.4%)	105 (25.4%)	296 (71.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	31.9	931^st of 1347 public elementary schools	30.9%		21.5	1054^th of 1338 public elementary schools	21.2%	123	8.0		47.7	33.9	43.3				53.6	30.8	28.9				$9,801	$208	$9,593
Evergreen Elementary School	Public	K-5	1033 Evergreen Ave	Plainfield	07060	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4260	398	47	8.5	75.1%	8 (2.0%)	36 (9.0%)	350 (87.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	8.9	1272^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	5.6%		10.5	1229^th of 1338 public elementary schools	8.1%	43	9.0		10.4	15.8	10.6				27.9	20.7	11.9				$9,188	$181	$9,007
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1700 W. Front St	Plainfield	07063	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4250	383	38	10.2	82.5%	5 (1.3%)	31 (8.1%)	342 (89.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15.1	1172^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	13.0%		12.1	1205^th of 1338 public elementary schools	9.9%	33	13.7		20.0	23.8	25.7				18.1	27.0	29.6				$10,400	$232	$10,168
Charles H. Stillman Elementary School	Public	K-5	201 W Fourth St	Plainfield	07062	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4240	317	28	11.3	87.4%	1 (0.3%)	31 (9.8%)	283 (89.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10	1255^th of 1347 public elementary schools	6.8%		14.5	1153^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	13.8%	102	10.9		5.4	18.6	26.0				18.6	16.3	21.9				$8,813	$613	$8,200
Washington Community School	Public	PK, KG-5	427 Darrow Ave	Plainfield	07060	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4230	557	45	12.3	87.6%	4 (0.7%)	44 (7.9%)	504 (90.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.5%)	9.3	1266^th of 1347 public elementary schools	6.0%		10.9	1223^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	8.6%	43	2.5		23.9	17.4	9.1				23.7	23.1	8.9				$10,327	$167	$10,160
Charles and Anna Booker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	730 Central Street	Plainfield	07062	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(908) 731-4290	816	34	24.0	85.9%	6 (0.7%)	69 (8.5%)	728 (89.2%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.7%)	7.8	1287^th of 1347 public elementary schools	4.5%					(n/a)	4.4		6.8	10.7	18.2				30.9	11.4	12.4

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
North Plainfield School District	0.55 mi	6	558^th
College Achieve Central Charter School	0.64 mi	1
The Barack Obama Green Charter High School District	0.69 mi	1	578^th
Central Jersey Arts Charter School	0.75 mi	1
Union County TEAMS Charter School-High School/College LA	1.23 mi	1

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.