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Herma S. Simmons Elementary School

Q: Is Herma S. Simmons Elementary School a good school?

Herma S. Simmons Elementary School ranks 958 th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

958^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Herma S. Simmons Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Clayton, New Jersey, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 685 students. The school is part of the Clayton Public School District, which is ranked 504 out of 609 districts in New Jersey and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Herma S. Simmons Elementary School consistently ranks in the bottom third of New Jersey elementary schools, with a ranking between 914 and 1128 out of around 1,350 schools over the past 10 years. The school's performance on NJSLA (New Jersey Student Learning Assessment) tests is significantly below the state averages across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates were 12.2% in 3rd grade ELA, 25.7% in 4th grade Math, and 30.5% in 5th grade Math, compared to state averages of 44.9%, 46.7%, and 44.2%, respectively. Compared to nearby schools, such as Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Herma S. Simmons Elementary School lags behind in academic performance.

Herma S. Simmons Elementary School has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 3.7% in 2020-2021 to 16.6% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the nearby Thomas Jefferson Elementary School's rate of 14.9% in 2023-2024. Additionally, the school's lower per-student spending and higher student-teacher ratio compared to nearby schools may indicate resource constraints that could be impacting the school's ability to provide a high-quality education.

715

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,240

Per pupil spending ?

57.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 West Chestnut Street
Clayton, NJ 08312-1700

(856) 881-8704

District: Clayton Public School District

Students who attend Herma S. Simmons Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Clayton Middle School
High:	Clayton High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.2%

African American:

23.9%

Hispanic:

20.1%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Herma S. Simmons Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 31st percentile in 2015 → 29th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (32% vs 46% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 22 pts below the New Jersey average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school32%

District avg32%

New Jersey avg46%

958^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

504^th of 609Clayton Public 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
2025	29.9	958 of 1347	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.3	966 of 1338	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.3	914 of 1342	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.3	947 of 1345	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	936 of 1317	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.7	1125 of 1360	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.3	1128 of 1353	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.3	1006 of 1352	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	32.7	940 of 1346	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	33.2	940 of 1357	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	43.2	907 of 1363	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	32.4	1029 of 1367	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	43.4	908 of 1363	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.9	1022 of 1360	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	35.4	1007 of 1354	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	32.7	1035 of 1346	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	35.0	1023 of 1338	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	40.5	979 of 1329	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	36.6	984 of 1314	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	36.3	979 of 1303	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	40.0	929 of 1298	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	53.2	681 of 1204	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	37.1	280 of 463	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.8	223 of 469	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.0	206 of 463	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.3	158 of 494	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.0	191 of 456	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	25.7	433 of 522	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.2	321 of 517	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	32.3	897 of 1326	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.8	942 of 1317	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.5	896 of 1318	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	830 of 1326	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.0	942 of 1290	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.2	1099 of 1331	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	1140 of 1333	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	31.5	714 of 1032	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.1	567 of 989	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.3	683 of 982	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.9	534 of 953	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.5	697 of 896	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.3	430 of 899	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.7	392 of 870	54.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	34.6	732 of 1023	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.2	609 of 939	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.8	518 of 910	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.3	440 of 863	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.1	472 of 839	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.0	699 of 948	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.2	833 of 942	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	27.8	948 of 1318	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.4	897 of 1313	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.6	842 of 1315	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.6	972 of 1324	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.9	860 of 1297	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.9	1059 of 1335	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	1031 of 1334	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	47.2	449 of 1023	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.4	558 of 989	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.6	381 of 958	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.6	320 of 949	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.1	463 of 868	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.9	722 of 1007	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.3	643 of 1001	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	23.7	785 of 970	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	849 of 963	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	793 of 975	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.0	864 of 976	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.4	867 of 964	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.4	941 of 1023	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.4	945 of 1022	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)56th percentile+27 vs school

African American (2025)40th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)32nd percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)31st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)28th percentile~ school

Male (2025)28th percentile~ school

White (2025)19th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts38%-13 vs state

Science36%+6 vs state

Mathematics25%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Herma S. Simmons 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 (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
Herma S. Simmons Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	300 West Chestnut Street	Clayton	08312	Gloucester County	Clayton Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 881-8704	715	58	12.3	57.8%	323 (45.2%)	171 (23.9%)	144 (20.1%)	8 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (9.5%)	29.9	958^th of 1347 public elementary schools	28.9%		28.3	966^th of 1338 public elementary schools	27.8%	8	35.8		12.2	43.4	53.7				18.3	25.7	30.5				$9,240	$1,525	$7,715
Aura Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	900 Clems Run	Glassboro	08028	Gloucester County	Elk Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 881-4551	350	37	9.4	30.0%	229 (65.4%)	60 (17.1%)	38 (10.9%)	7 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	14 (4.0%)	51.4	662^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	50.9%		54.5	613^th of 1338 public elementary schools	54.2%	49	38.9		35.0	50.9	58.3	83.7			26.2	44.1	36.2	53.5			$13,054	$664	$12,390
Dorothy L. Bullock School	Public	1-5	370 New St E	Glassboro	08028	Gloucester County	Glassboro School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 652-2700	701	59	11.9	49.9%	191 (27.2%)	234 (33.4%)	184 (26.2%)	35 (5.0%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (7.6%)	15.7	1164^th of 1347 public elementary schools	13.6%		21.6	1048^th of 1338 public elementary schools	21.7%	116	15.7		14.4	27.0	30.3				20.5	30.9	27.1
J. Harvey Rodgers School	Public	PK-K	301 Georgetown Rd	Glassboro	08028	Gloucester County	Glassboro School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 652-2700	274	25	11.0	23.4%	101 (36.9%)	78 (28.5%)	64 (23.4%)	9 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (8.0%)								(n/a)
Mary F. Janvier School	Public	PK, KG-2	1532 Pennsylvania Ave	Franklinville	08322	Gloucester County	Township of Franklin School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(856) 629-0431	579	44	13.2	30.4%	436 (75.3%)	18 (3.1%)	80 (13.8%)	7 (1.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.0%)								(n/a)															$5,350	$188	$5,162
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School	Public	K-5	95 Altair Dr	Turnersville	08012	Gloucester County	Washington Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 589-8248	511	46	11.1	35.2%	315 (61.6%)	89 (17.4%)	74 (14.5%)	25 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	52.2	649^th of 1347 public elementary schools	51.8%		54.8	610^th of 1338 public elementary schools	54.4%	39	31.3		46.9	44.8	67.5				51.6	37.9	45.7				$10,138	$625	$9,513
Oak Knoll Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	23 Bodine Avenue	Williamstown	08094	Gloucester County	Monroe Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(856) 728-3944	671	56	11.8	30.8%	362 (53.9%)	139 (20.7%)	106 (15.8%)	17 (2.5%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	41 (6.1%)	46.3	722^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	46.4%		54	622^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	53.5%	100			38.2	49.5					55.7	44.0					$5,139		$5,139
Holly Glen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	900 North Main Street	Williamstown	08094	Gloucester County	Monroe Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 728-8706	570	59	9.6	49.5%	276 (48.4%)	103 (18.1%)	133 (23.3%)	26 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.6%)	48.3	704^th of 1347 public elementary schools	47.7%		47.7	703^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	47.5%	1			41.0	54.9					52.0	44.1					$6,850	$437	$6,413
Upper Pittsgrove School	Public	PK, KG-8	235 Pine Tavern Road	Monroeville	08343	Salem County	UPPER PITTSGROVE Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 358-8163	340	34	10.0	23.8%	289 (85.0%)	7 (2.1%)	27 (7.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.4%)	65	480^th of 1347 public elementary schools	64.4%		68.5	439^th of 1338 public elementary schools	67.2%	41	29.6	7.7	67.8	65.5	44.4	72.0	65.8	69.2	64.5	62.0	40.7	48.0	55.3	50.0	$14,593	$703	$13,890
Elmer Elementary School	Public	K-1	207 Front Street	Elmer	08318	Salem County	Pittsgrove Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(856) 358-6761	197	10	20.1	34.0%	143 (72.6%)	6 (3.0%)	31 (15.7%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (8.1%)								(n/a)															$7,472	$319	$7,153

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