Rockaway Borough School District

The Rockaway Borough School District in New Jersey consists of two schools: Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Lincoln Elementary School. Based on the available data, Thomas Jefferson Middle School stands out as the stronger-performing school in the district, consistently earning high rankings and ratings from SchoolDigger.

Thomas Jefferson Middle School ranks 155 out of 748 New Jersey middle schools and has maintained a 3-4 star rating over the past three school years, indicating stable and strong performance. The school's student proficiency rates on NJSLA tests, particularly in English Language Arts, are significantly higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, Thomas Jefferson Middle School has a relatively low chronic absenteeism rate of 2.6%, well below the 15.6% rate at Lincoln Elementary.

In contrast, Lincoln Elementary School ranks 1,046 out of 1,342 elementary schools in New Jersey and has earned just a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. While the two schools have similar enrollment and student demographics, the performance gap between them is notable. Further investigation into the factors contributing to this difference, such as curriculum, teaching quality, and community engagement, could provide valuable insights for improving the lower-performing school.