Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Central Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-3
195th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools
Better than 86% of New Jersey elementary schools
Summary

Central Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Great Meadows, New Jersey, serving grades PK-3 with a total enrollment of 301 students. The school is part of the Great Meadows Regional School District, which is ranked 180 out of 609 districts in New Jersey and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central Elementary School stands out as a strong-performing school, with consistent improvement in its statewide ranking, moving from 645 out of 1,317 New Jersey elementary schools in 2020-2021 to 195 out of 1,347 in 2024-2025, earning a 4-star rating. The school's 3rd-grade proficiency rates in both English Language Arts (64.9%) and Mathematics (75.7%) have been consistently higher than the state averages. Central Elementary School has also performed exceptionally well for certain student subgroups, ranking 130 out of 1,326 for female students and 129 out of 1,032 for Hispanic students, both with 4- and 5-star ratings, respectively. The school's performance for low socioeconomic status students is particularly noteworthy, ranking 56 out of 1,023 and earning a 5-star rating.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Flocktown-Kossmann Elementary School, Sandshore Rd. Elementary School, and Mansfield Township Elementary, Central Elementary School generally outperforms them in academic metrics, including 3rd-grade proficiency rates. However, some nearby schools, like Benedict A. Cucinella School, have also demonstrated strong academic performance, with 4-star ratings from SchoolDigger.

349
Students ?
12.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$9,632
Per pupil spending ?
25.5%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 281 Route 46
       Great Meadows, NJ  07838

(908) 637-4041

District: Great Meadows Regional School District


Students who attend Central Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Great Meadows Regional Middle School
Racial breakdown:

White:
75.9%
Hispanic:
15.5%
African American:
3.4%
more
 See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

 Compare Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 65th percentile in 2006 → 86th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the New Jersey average (70% vs 47% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 14% of New Jersey elementary schools
Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2006
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school70%
District avg70%
New Jersey avg47%
195th of 1,347
New Jersey public elementary schools ?
Top 14%▲ up 34 pts since 2021
From top 49% (2021) to top 14% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
180th of 609Great Meadows Regional School District among New Jersey districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew Jersey percentileRating
202585.0195 of 134785.5%★★★★☆
202470.6409 of 133869.4%★★★☆☆
202357.9570 of 134257.5%★★★☆☆
202267.5455 of 134566.2%★★★☆☆
202146.1645 of 131751.0%★★★☆☆
201069.6461 of 135466.0%★★★☆☆
200969.5486 of 134663.9%★★★☆☆
200858.0712 of 133846.8%★★☆☆☆
200765.6590 of 132955.6%★★★☆☆
200670.4455 of 131465.4%★★★☆☆
200571.2434 of 130366.7%★★★☆☆
200482.4129 of 129890.1%★★★★★
200358.1622 of 120448.3%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew Jersey percentileRating
202588.6130 of 132690.2%★★★★★
202462.5496 of 131762.3%★★★☆☆
202367.3444 of 131866.3%★★★☆☆
202266.1459 of 132665.4%★★★☆☆
202144.3668 of 129048.2%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew Jersey percentileRating
202583.5129 of 103287.5%★★★★☆
202371.2227 of 98276.9%★★★★☆
202126.4721 of 89619.5%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew Jersey percentileRating
202590.256 of 102394.5%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew Jersey percentileRating
202577.5295 of 131877.6%★★★★☆
202475.1329 of 131374.9%★★★★☆
202349.5652 of 131550.4%★★★☆☆
202267.9418 of 132468.4%★★★☆☆
202149.3586 of 129754.8%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew Jersey percentileRating
202573.6208 of 102379.7%★★★★☆
202441.2501 of 98949.3%★★☆☆☆
202258.6318 of 94966.5%★★★☆☆
202170.2173 of 86880.1%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew Jersey percentileRating
202578.8171 of 97082.4%★★★★☆
202458.2400 of 96358.5%★★★☆☆
202337.7629 of 97535.5%★★☆☆☆
202246.7531 of 97645.6%★★☆☆☆
202141.8552 of 96442.7%★★☆☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)95th percentile+9 vs school
Female (2025)90th percentile+5 vs school
Hispanic (2025)88th percentile~ school
White (2025)82nd percentile-3 vs school
Special Education (2025)80th percentile-6 vs school
Male (2025)78th percentile-8 vs school
By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?
Mathematics76%+26 vs state
English Language Arts65%+20 vs state

No ratings yet
Be the first to rate Central Elementary School and help other families decide.
Rate Central Elementary School
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.



Schools Near Central Elementary School

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private








Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Central Elementary School!


Latest New Jersey data All new data »
2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026
2024–25 NJGPA, NJSLA & NJSLA-S test scoresDec 3, 2025
2023–24 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025
2023–24 NJGPA test scoresJan 22, 2025


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.





Diagnostics