West Essex Regional School District

West Essex Regional School District has two schools serving grades 7–12: West Essex Middle School (grades 7–8, 558 students) and West Essex High School (grades 9–12, 1,061 students). In 2025–26, both schools were above state results in nearly all of the listed subject and grade comparisons. The high school also had favorable 2024–25 completion and attendance measures: 97% graduated, compared with 89% statewide, and 4% were chronically absent, compared with 14% statewide. The main takeaway is that results are generally stronger than state figures, but vary considerably by subject and grade.

The middle school’s standout was Algebra I: 95% were proficient on the end-of-course test, versus 40% statewide, a 56-point advantage; its eighth-grade Algebra I result was also 95%, versus 75% statewide. The high school stood out in Geometry, with 83% of ninth graders proficient versus 50% statewide, a 33-point advantage. The weaker spots show why strengths should not be assumed across every subject: middle-school eighth-grade mathematics was essentially at the state level (22.5% versus 22.6%, or 0.1 point lower), while high-school Algebra I end-of-course proficiency was 42% versus 40% statewide, a 2-point advantage. These are each school’s results against state figures, not a direct ranking of the schools.

Recent trends differ: the middle school’s average advantage across seven comparable results narrowed from 22 points in 2024–25 to 20 in 2025–26, while the high school’s rose from 18 to 21 points. SchoolDigger rankings also moved in different directions: the high school improved from 96th to 60th of 434 schools, while the middle school shifted from 138th to 140th; both had four stars in 2025–26. For additional context, the 2024–25 free/reduced lunch eligible share was 3% at the high school and 5% at the middle school; student-teacher ratios were 11.4 and 9.3, respectively. These measures describe differences between the schools, not what caused their results. Because the schools serve different grades and take different tests, their raw proficiency scores are not direct school-to-school comparisons.