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Hillside Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-4

96^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 93% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Hillside Elementary School is a high-performing public elementary school located in Closter, New Jersey, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 620 students. The school is part of the Closter Public School District, which is ranked 27th out of 609 districts in New Jersey and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hillside Elementary School has consistently outperformed the state average in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics on the NJSLA assessments. In the 2024-2025 school year, 71.4% of 3rd-grade students and 86.1% of 4th-grade students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state averages of 44.9% and 53.6%, respectively. The school's performance in Mathematics is also impressive, with 76.3% of 3rd-grade students and 80.3% of 4th-grade students achieving proficiency or better, compared to the state averages of 49.8% and 46.7%. Hillside Elementary School has maintained relatively low chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 6.6% to 16.6% over the past few years, which is lower than the state average.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Ralph S Maugham School, Merritt Memorial, and Edward H. Bryan, Hillside Elementary School outperforms them in academic achievement, particularly in ELA and Mathematics. The school has also maintained a high level of performance over the years, consistently ranking among the top elementary schools in New Jersey and receiving a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

599

Students ?

10.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,174

Per pupil spending ?

1.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

340 Homans Avenue
Closter, NJ 07624-2907

(201) 768-3860

District: Closter Public School District

Students who attend Hillside Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Tenakill Middle School
High:	Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

41.1%

White:

40.9%

Hispanic:

8.5%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Hillside Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 99th percentile in 2015 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Jersey average (79% vs 49% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of New Jersey elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school79%

District avg79%

New Jersey avg49%

96^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Top 7%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From top 1% (2015) to top 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

27^th of 609Closter 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	91.0	96 of 1347	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	86.2	189 of 1338	85.9%	★★★★☆
2023	88.1	152 of 1342	88.7%	★★★★☆
2022	92.5	86 of 1345	93.6%	★★★★★
2021	95.3	38 of 1317	97.1%	★★★★★
2019	94.7	16 of 1360	98.8%	★★★★★
2018	93.2	41 of 1353	97.0%	★★★★★
2017	87.9	132 of 1352	90.2%	★★★★★
2016	91.4	77 of 1346	94.3%	★★★★★
2015	95.9	17 of 1357	98.7%	★★★★★
2014	82.0	197 of 1363	85.5%	★★★★☆
2013	84.9	102 of 1367	92.5%	★★★★★
2012	88.0	23 of 1363	98.3%	★★★★★
2011	86.3	48 of 1360	96.5%	★★★★★
2010	77.6	272 of 1354	79.9%	★★★★☆
2009	83.2	133 of 1346	90.1%	★★★★★
2008	78.6	204 of 1338	84.8%	★★★★☆
2007	80.6	110 of 1329	91.7%	★★★★★
2006	72.2	415 of 1314	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	78.0	229 of 1303	82.4%	★★★★☆
2004	84.1	81 of 1298	93.8%	★★★★★
2003	84.2	128 of 1204	89.4%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	70.5	101 of 330	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.1	124 of 340	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.0	82 of 346	76.3%	★★★★☆
2022	78.6	55 of 348	84.2%	★★★★☆
2021	76.3	61 of 339	82.0%	★★★★☆
2019	76.8	61 of 370	83.5%	★★★★☆
2018	81.2	39 of 370	89.5%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	97.1	24 of 597	96.0%	★★★★★
2024	96.4	26 of 559	95.3%	★★★★★
2023	95.0	34 of 499	93.2%	★★★★★
2022	97.6	24 of 489	95.1%	★★★★★
2021	94.4	30 of 411	92.7%	★★★★★
2019	97.9	19 of 463	95.9%	★★★★★
2018	96.8	16 of 434	96.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	86.8	162 of 1326	87.8%	★★★★☆
2024	84.9	186 of 1317	85.9%	★★★★☆
2023	85.3	173 of 1318	86.9%	★★★★☆
2022	90.5	101 of 1326	92.4%	★★★★★
2021	91.0	86 of 1290	93.3%	★★★★★
2019	92.5	43 of 1331	96.8%	★★★★★
2018	91.1	54 of 1333	95.9%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	98.8	16 of 1032	98.4%	★★★★★
2024	83.3	126 of 989	87.3%	★★★★☆
2023	73.6	209 of 982	78.7%	★★★★☆
2019	95.7	19 of 899	97.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	92.0	62 of 1318	95.3%	★★★★★
2024	85.4	185 of 1313	85.9%	★★★★☆
2023	89.0	127 of 1315	90.3%	★★★★★
2022	91.9	85 of 1324	93.6%	★★★★★
2021	97.2	7 of 1297	99.5%	★★★★★
2019	95.5	9 of 1335	99.3%	★★★★★
2018	93.5	46 of 1334	96.6%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	93.0	48 of 1023	95.3%	★★★★★
2024	85.8	96 of 989	90.3%	★★★★★
2023	66.8	237 of 958	75.3%	★★★★☆
2022	63.3	275 of 949	71.0%	★★★★☆
2021	95.1	13 of 868	98.5%	★★★★★
2019	93.0	48 of 1007	95.2%	★★★★★
2018	96.4	23 of 1001	97.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	74.2	221 of 970	77.2%	★★★★☆
2024	62.6	348 of 963	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.0	204 of 975	79.1%	★★★★☆
2022	77.9	182 of 976	81.4%	★★★★☆
2021	80.0	130 of 964	86.5%	★★★★☆
2019	90.5	27 of 1023	97.4%	★★★★★
2018	82.7	105 of 1022	89.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)98th percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)96th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2025)95th percentile~ school

Male (2025)95th percentile~ school

Female (2025)88th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)77th percentile-16 vs school

Asian (2025)69th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts79%+30 vs state

Mathematics78%+30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hillside 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)						NJSLA Algebra I (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	NJSLA Algebra I 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hillside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	340 Homans Avenue	Closter	07624	Bergen County	Closter Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(201) 768-3860	599	56	10.6	1.5%	245 (40.9%)	5 (0.8%)	51 (8.5%)	246 (41.1%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.8%)	46 (7.7%)	91	96^th of 1347 public elementary schools	92.9%		86.2	189^th of 1338 public elementary schools	85.9%	93			71.4	86.1					76.3	80.3							$10,174		$10,174
County Road School	Public	PK, KG-1	130 County Rd	Demarest	07627	Bergen County	Demarest School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(201) 768-6060	221	19	11.9	1.8%	132 (59.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.1%)	76 (34.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.8%)								(n/a)																	$13,722	$07	$13,715
Luther Lee Emerson School	Public	2-4	15 Columbus Road	Demarest	07627	Bergen County	Demarest School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(201) 768-6060	221	22	10.0	1.4%	111 (50.2%)	1 (0.5%)	10 (4.5%)	88 (39.8%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.5%)	93.1	62^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	95.4%		90.6	103^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	92.3%	41			87.7	82.0					88.8	74.1							$12,319	$17	$12,302
Merritt Memorial	Public	1-5	1 Dogwood Lane	Cresskill	07626	Bergen County	Cresskill Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(201) 227-7791	282	28	10.2	1.4%	155 (55.0%)	11 (3.9%)	19 (6.7%)	84 (29.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.6%)	85.4	189^th of 1347 public elementary schools	86.0%		86.1	191^st of 1338 public elementary schools	85.7%	2	53.0		66.7	80.7	67.2				80.7	83.3	60.6						$10,439	$203	$10,236
Edward H. Bryan	Public	PK, KG-5	51 Brookside Ave	Cresskill	07626	Bergen County	Cresskill Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(201) 227-7791	555	41	13.7	1.1%	272 (49.0%)	7 (1.3%)	49 (8.8%)	204 (36.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.1%)	94.5	38^th of 1347 public elementary schools	97.2%		88.8	138^th of 1338 public elementary schools	89.7%	100	75.5		74.7	79.8	88.6				84.7	81.9	88.9						$11,618	$32	$11,586
Haworth Public School	Public	PK, KG-8	205 Valley Rd	Haworth	07641	Bergen County	Haworth Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(201) 384-5526	498	55	9.0		308 (61.8%)	4 (0.8%)	37 (7.4%)	105 (21.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (8.6%)	92.5	70^th of 1347 public elementary schools	94.8%		92.6	69^th of 1338 public elementary schools	94.8%	1	63.8	47.2	85.1	83.8	80.4	90.0	84.8	83.4	88.9	82.4	60.9	74.0	87.0	55.0	100.0	100.0	$17,223		$17,223
Alpine Elementary School	Public	K-8	500 Hillside Avenue	Alpine	07620	Bergen County	Alpine Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 768-8255	146	18	8.0		82 (56.2%)	15 (10.3%)	10 (6.8%)	33 (22.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.1%)	88.2	156^th of 1347 public elementary schools	88.4%		94.6	37^th of 1338 public elementary schools	97.2%	119	84.7	63.2	64.7	100.0	92.3	88.3	91.7	100.0	58.9	66.7	84.6	64.7	66.6			100.0	$27,835	$860	$26,975
Norwood Public School	Public	PK, KG-8	177 Summit St	Norwood	07648	Bergen County	Norwood Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 768-6363	583	49	11.8	1.9%	240 (41.2%)	8 (1.4%)	79 (13.6%)	228 (39.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (4.5%)	81.4	268^th of 1347 public elementary schools	80.1%		85.8	196^th of 1338 public elementary schools	85.4%	72	38.0	30.8	54.7	72.6	72.0	93.5	88.3	82.0	71.9	72.0	54.0	68.9	77.0	29.4	91.4	92.1	$12,636	$340	$12,296
Grant Elementary School	Public	K-5	100 Grant Ave	Dumont	07628	Bergen County	Dumont Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(201) 387-3050	432	33	13.0	17.4%	157 (36.3%)	15 (3.5%)	164 (38.0%)	74 (17.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.9%)	76.6	332^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	75.4%		80.8	270^th of 1338 public elementary schools	79.8%	62	57.0		45.1	69.2	84.7				56.1	70.5	66.6						$8,269	$437	$7,832
Harrington Park School	Public	PK, KG-8	191 Harriot Ave	Harrington Park	07640	Bergen County	Harrington Park School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 768-5700	627	56	11.2		326 (52.0%)	11 (1.8%)	47 (7.5%)	204 (32.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (6.1%)	86.7	176^th of 1347 public elementary schools	86.9%		87.3	166^th of 1338 public elementary schools	87.6%	10	43.3	46.9	65.5	75.4	67.7	82.2	80.6	81.3	89.2	78.5	69.2	77.8	70.8	44.8	100.0	100.0	$16,559	$102	$16,457

Frequently Asked Questions about Hillside Elementary School

What district is Hillside Elementary School in?

Closter Public School District

What is the racial makeup of Hillside Elementary School?

Students at Hillside Elementary School are 41% Asian, 41% White, 9% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Hillside Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Hillside Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Tenakill Middle School
High : Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest

Is Hillside Elementary School a good school?

Yes. Hillside Elementary School ranks in the top 7.1% of New Jersey elementary schools.

How many students attend Hillside Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 599 students attended Hillside Elementary School.

Rate Hillside Elementary School!

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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.