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Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School

Public Grades 3-5

1117^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,331 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School serves 320 students in grades 3–5 in Minotola, New Jersey. Its 2025–26 results are below state proficiency levels in every tested grade and subject, and the most important concern is particularly weak math proficiency in grades 4 and 5.

Math is Cleary’s clearest weakness compared with nearby schools: in grade 4, 13% of students were proficient, versus 47% statewide and a 23% nearby-school average; in grade 5, the figures were 11%, 46%, and 27%. Grade 3 math was about level with nearby schools at 28%. ELA is stronger by comparison: Cleary was near nearby-school averages in all three grades, including 41% in grade 5 versus a 41% nearby average, though that result remained below the state’s 52%. Fifth-grade science was also below both the nearby average and state result, at 13% versus 19% and 27%. Reported school and Buena Regional School District results are identical in every tested grade, so the supplied figures show no school-district gap.

Over time, average ELA proficiency across the three grades rose from 26% in 2022–23 to 33% in 2025–26, while average math proficiency slipped from 18% to 17%; the average math gap with the state widened from about 25 to 30 points. SchoolDigger rates Cleary at 1 star and the 16th percentile statewide in 2025–26, ranking it 1,117th of 1,331 schools. Its student-teacher ratio was 13.7 in 2024–25, the highest among the nearby schools listed. The free/reduced lunch eligible share was 62% in 2024–25, close to the nearby-school average of 63%; this is context, not an explanation for results. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness percentile for African American students fell from 35 in 2023–24 to 5 in 2025–26, compared with the school’s overall 16th percentile, indicating a notably lower ranking in its assessment of how well the school serves this group. Its percentile for Special Education Students also fell, from 29 to 12.

320

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,305

Per pupil spending ?

62.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

1501 Central Ave
Minotola, NJ 08341

(856) 697-8080

District: Buena Regional School District

Students who attend Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Buena Regional Middle School
High:	Buena Regional High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.0%

Hispanic:

30.3%

African American:

9.7%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 11th percentile in 2019 → 16th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2019

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (23% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 30 pts below the New Jersey average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg23%

New Jersey avg45%

1,117^th of 1,331

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 5 pts since 2019

From bottom 11% (2019) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

527^th of 607Buena 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	17.2	1117 of 1331	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.1	1110 of 1347	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.5	1083 of 1338	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	1148 of 1342	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.8	1106 of 1345	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.9	1062 of 1317	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.0	1211 of 1360	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	12.8	413 of 434	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	23.7	339 of 463	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.1	303 of 469	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	15.8	429 of 463	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	364 of 494	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	444 of 456	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	442 of 522	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.8	398 of 517	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	30.8	419 of 597	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.4	288 of 559	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	17.4	1110 of 1311	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.3	1071 of 1326	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	1056 of 1317	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	1091 of 1318	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	1115 of 1326	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.0	1109 of 1290	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.2	1181 of 1331	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	1152 of 1333	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	26.6	796 of 991	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.3	838 of 1032	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.5	721 of 989	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.8	831 of 982	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.5	751 of 953	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.4	753 of 896	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.8	748 of 899	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	690 of 870	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	22.9	867 of 1002	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.4	839 of 1023	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.1	632 of 939	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.1	714 of 910	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.6	596 of 863	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.8	602 of 839	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	734 of 948	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	849 of 942	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	19.7	1082 of 1306	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.9	1048 of 1318	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	1010 of 1313	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	1107 of 1315	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.6	1006 of 1324	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.5	972 of 1297	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.6	1160 of 1335	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	1121 of 1334	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	18.2	850 of 970	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.7	649 of 1023	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.9	698 of 989	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.0	694 of 958	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.1	627 of 949	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.8	540 of 868	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.1	832 of 1007	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.4	735 of 1001	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	8.4	902 of 951	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.2	881 of 970	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	899 of 963	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.4	913 of 975	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.2	907 of 976	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.3	900 of 964	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.8	963 of 1023	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.1	948 of 1022	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)30th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2026)20th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)17th percentile~ school

Female (2026)15th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)13th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)12th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)5th percentile-11 vs school

African American (2026)5th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts34%-15 vs state

Mathematics17%-30 vs state

Science12%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				NJSLA-S Science (2026)	NJSLA English Language Arts (2026)			NJSLA Mathematics (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School	Public	3-5	1501 Central Ave	Minotola	08341	Atlantic County	Buena Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 697-8080	320	23	13.7	62.2%	176 (55.0%)	31 (9.7%)	97 (30.3%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	9 (2.8%)	17.2	1117^th of 1331 public elementary schools	16.1%		19.1	1110^th of 1347 public elementary schools	17.6%	7	12.5	28.0	30.6	41.3	28.0	13.2	10.7	$19,305	$3,613	$15,692
John C. Milanesi Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	880 Harding Highway	Buena	08310	Atlantic County	Buena Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 697-0605	192	21	9.2	50.5%	110 (57.3%)	15 (7.8%)	52 (27.1%)	9 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.1%)								(n/a)								$24,038	$1,549	$22,489
Solve D'Ippolito Elementary School	Public	K-5	1578 North Valley Ave	Vineland	08360	Cumberland County	Vineland Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 794-6934	504	44	11.5	68.7%	92 (18.3%)	73 (14.5%)	320 (63.5%)	8 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.2%)	31.9	899^th of 1331 public elementary schools	32.5%		36.1	870^th of 1347 public elementary schools	35.4%	29	30.7	25.4	30.5	48.0	22.4	23.2	50.6	$19,848	$1,057	$18,791
Pauline J. Petway Elementary School	Public	K-5	1115 So Lincoln Ave	Vineland	08361	Cumberland County	Vineland Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 362-8855	486	38	12.7	48.1%	132 (27.2%)	65 (13.4%)	255 (52.5%)	11 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.5%)	34.7	871^st of 1331 public elementary schools	34.6%		29.3	965^th of 1347 public elementary schools	28.4%	94	34.2	31.4	35.4	64.4	21.2	17.8	41.1	$18,701	$946	$17,755
Main Road School	Public	3-4	1452 Main Rd	Newfield	08344	Gloucester County	Township of Franklin School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 697-0220	345	31	11.0	32.2%	257 (74.5%)	24 (7.0%)	46 (13.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.9%)	50.2	669^th of 1331 public elementary schools	49.7%		44.4	750^th of 1347 public elementary schools	44.3%	81		51.8	46.8		42.8	49.2		$12,316	$595	$11,721
Marie Durand Elementary School	Public	K-5	371 W Forest Grove Rd	Vineland	08360	Cumberland County	Vineland Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 794-6929	504	39	13.0	68.8%	69 (13.7%)	57 (11.3%)	344 (68.3%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.0%)	19.7	1080^th of 1331 public elementary schools	18.9%		23.4	1044^th of 1347 public elementary schools	22.5%	36	12.1	17.7	33.7	40.7	20.0	36.1	19.8	$18,125	$1,108	$17,017
John H. Winslow Elementary School	Public	K-5	1335 Magnolia Rd	Vineland	08360	Cumberland County	Vineland Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 794-6973	472	39	12.1	52.1%	145 (30.7%)	82 (17.4%)	213 (45.1%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.7%)	29.1	935^th of 1331 public elementary schools	29.8%		27.5	989^th of 1347 public elementary schools	26.6%	54	24.6	37.7	30.9	45.4	39.0	17.6	30.8	$18,603	$991	$17,612
Gloria M Sabater Elementary School	Public	K-5	301 South East Blvd	Vineland	08360	Cumberland County	Vineland Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 641-8502	678	55	12.3	83.2%	20 (2.9%)	25 (3.7%)	626 (92.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	7.7	1271^st of 1331 public elementary schools	4.5%		9.6	1259^th of 1347 public elementary schools	6.5%	12	4.8	12.1	21.2	15.2	20.1	15.7	12.0	$17,902	$1,139	$16,763
Anthony Rossi Elementary School	Public	K-5	2572 Palermo Ave	Vineland	08360	Cumberland County	Vineland Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 794-6961	595	44	13.5	57.1%	190 (31.9%)	72 (12.1%)	285 (47.9%)	18 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.9%)	35.3	866^th of 1331 public elementary schools	34.9%		28.8	974^th of 1347 public elementary schools	27.7%	108	24.7	44.6	27.7	52.8	34.7	17.1	49.5	$17,579	$976	$16,603
Compass Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	23 West Chestnut Ave	Vineland	08360	Cumberland County	Compass Academy Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 899-5570	183	17	10.7	80.3%	17 (9.3%)	37 (20.2%)	123 (67.2%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	13.9	1167^th of 1331 public elementary schools	12.3%		20	1101^st of 1347 public elementary schools	18.3%	66	2.9	33.4	17.4	35.3	30.3	13.0	8.8	$11,813	$1,009	$10,804

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