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

New rankings! New Jersey test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings TODAY.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Hillside Avenue School

Q: Is Hillside Avenue School a good school?

Hillside Avenue School ranks 266 th of 1331 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

266^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,331 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 80% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Hillside Avenue School serves 743 students in grades K–8 in Cranford, part of the highly ranked Cranford Public School District. SchoolDigger places the district 88th among 607 New Jersey districts, at the 86th percentile with four stars. In 2025–2026, Hillside’s average proficiency was 71% in English language arts (ELA), 66% in math and 50% in science, compared with 51%, 40% and 23% statewide. The most important finding is that Hillside performs well above state averages in every reported subject, with advantages of about 20 points in ELA, 25 in math and 27 in science.

Hillside’s strongest nearby-school results are in grades 3–5. It outscored the combined average for Brookside Place School and Livingston Avenue School in grade 3 ELA (75% versus 66%), grade 5 ELA (80% versus 73%) and math in grades 3, 4 and 5 (83%, 79% and 82% versus 69%, 77% and 70%). Hillside also led nearby schools with fifth-grade science results, scoring 60% versus 53% for those two peers combined. Results are less consistent in upper grades: Hillside was below its district in ELA in grades 4 and 6–8 and in math in grades 6–7. Grade 6 stands out as a concern: from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, its ELA proficiency fell 16 points and math fell 29 points.

Math has improved over time: Hillside’s six-grade average rose 9 points from 57% in 2022–2023 to 66% in 2025–2026, moving from below the district average to just above it. ELA rose 3 points to 71%, but remained below the district. SchoolDigger ranks Hillside 266th of 1,331 schools, at the 80th percentile with four stars; Brookside Place School and Livingston Avenue School each rank at the 85th percentile. Hillside’s student-teacher ratio was 10.0 in 2024–2025, and 3% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. Notably, SchoolDigger’s ranking for how well Hillside serves students receiving special education rose from the 60th to the 77th percentile, while its overall percentile moved from 82 to 80. Chronic absenteeism reached 11% in 2024–2025, above the district’s 9% but below the state’s 14%.

743

Students ?

10.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,324

Per pupil spending ?

3.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

125 Hillside Avenue
Cranford, NJ 07016

(908) 709-6229

District: Cranford Public School District

Students who attend Hillside Avenue School usually attend:

High:

Cranford High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.1%

Hispanic:

18.6%

Asian:

6.9%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Hillside Avenue School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 70th percentile in 2016 → 80th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Jersey average (65% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of New Jersey elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

District avg68%

New Jersey avg43%

Elementary school

266^th of 1,331

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Top 20%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From top 30% (2016) to top 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

114^th of 743

New Jersey public middle schools ?

Top 15%▲ up 24 pts since 2016

From top 39% (2016) to top 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Cranford Public School District

88^th of 607Cranford 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	80.8	266 of 1331	80.0%	★★★★☆
2025	82.6	240 of 1347	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	86.1	193 of 1338	85.6%	★★★★☆
2023	81.5	249 of 1342	81.4%	★★★★☆
2022	83.4	235 of 1345	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	77.5	259 of 1317	80.3%	★★★★☆
2019	77.2	321 of 1360	76.4%	★★★★☆
2018	75.0	368 of 1353	72.8%	★★★★☆
2017	74.4	380 of 1352	71.9%	★★★★☆
2016	72.6	401 of 1346	70.2%	★★★★☆
2015	63.6	513 of 1357	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	71.2	453 of 1363	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	75.3	366 of 1367	73.2%	★★★★☆
2012	71.7	452 of 1363	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	72.7	398 of 1360	70.7%	★★★★☆
2010	65.5	560 of 1354	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.9	623 of 1346	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	70.3	452 of 1338	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	78.9	171 of 1329	87.1%	★★★★☆
2006	68.4	512 of 1314	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	72.8	397 of 1303	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	69.2	468 of 1298	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2003	70.8	426 of 1204	64.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2022	99.6	4 of 494	99.2%	★★★★★
2019	79.5	78 of 522	85.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	86.0	171 of 1311	87.0%	★★★★☆
2025	88.0	136 of 1326	89.7%	★★★★☆
2024	89.2	111 of 1317	91.6%	★★★★★
2023	81.9	224 of 1318	83.0%	★★★★☆
2022	82.8	226 of 1326	83.0%	★★★★☆
2021	79.4	205 of 1290	84.1%	★★★★☆
2019	82.7	196 of 1331	85.3%	★★★★☆
2018	77.7	295 of 1333	77.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	87.3	106 of 991	89.3%	★★★★☆
2025	88.2	82 of 1032	92.1%	★★★★★
2024	92.8	55 of 989	94.4%	★★★★★
2023	82.0	132 of 982	86.6%	★★★★☆
2019	92.7	34 of 899	96.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	74.8	341 of 1306	73.9%	★★★★☆
2025	74.5	336 of 1318	74.5%	★★★★☆
2024	79.7	269 of 1313	79.5%	★★★★☆
2023	79.5	266 of 1315	79.8%	★★★★☆
2022	82.9	223 of 1324	83.2%	★★★★☆
2021	72.5	303 of 1297	76.6%	★★★★☆
2019	69.1	433 of 1335	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.7	424 of 1334	68.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	71.2	224 of 970	76.9%	★★★★☆
2025	51.0	406 of 1023	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.2	323 of 989	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.1	223 of 958	76.7%	★★★★☆
2022	66.7	245 of 949	74.2%	★★★★☆
2021	73.5	151 of 868	82.6%	★★★★☆
2019	61.5	324 of 1007	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	82.2	140 of 1001	86.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	67.1	300 of 951	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	76.1	201 of 970	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	79.6	151 of 963	84.3%	★★★★☆
2023	77.1	179 of 975	81.6%	★★★★☆
2022	75.7	212 of 976	78.3%	★★★★☆
2021	66.7	252 of 964	73.9%	★★★★☆
2019	67.3	325 of 1023	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.4	277 of 1022	72.9%	★★★★☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	80.2	114 of 743	84.7%	★★★★☆
2025	82.7	104 of 752	86.2%	★★★★☆
2024	77.6	139 of 743	81.3%	★★★★☆
2023	79.8	128 of 748	82.9%	★★★★☆
2022	81.9	106 of 745	85.8%	★★★★☆
2021	65.2	195 of 652	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	69.3	214 of 745	71.3%	★★★★☆
2018	67.9	216 of 716	69.8%	★★★★☆
2017	66.7	228 of 712	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.0	278 of 713	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	65.0	212 of 713	70.3%	★★★★☆
2014	76.5	178 of 717	75.2%	★★★★☆
2013	79.4	138 of 704	80.4%	★★★★☆
2012	70.6	244 of 677	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	77.6	148 of 684	78.4%	★★★★☆
2010	77.0	156 of 677	77.0%	★★★★☆
2009	75.5	172 of 664	74.1%	★★★★☆
2008	83.4	69 of 640	89.2%	★★★★☆
2007	80.2	102 of 631	83.8%	★★★★☆
2006	67.9	270 of 615	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2005	80.8	105 of 599	82.5%	★★★★☆
2004	79.9	126 of 588	78.6%	★★★★☆
2003	78.0	142 of 574	75.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	85.8	84 of 716	88.3%	★★★★☆
2025	83.6	97 of 728	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	76.6	156 of 717	78.2%	★★★★☆
2023	79.5	129 of 720	82.1%	★★★★☆
2022	80.8	117 of 726	83.9%	★★★★☆
2021	71.1	151 of 625	75.8%	★★★★☆
2019	73.4	184 of 703	73.8%	★★★★☆
2018	62.7	264 of 680	61.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	86.3	42 of 589	92.9%	★★★★★
2025	81.9	64 of 608	89.5%	★★★★☆
2024	80.8	69 of 589	88.3%	★★★★☆
2023	85.9	44 of 587	92.5%	★★★★★
2021	72.5	76 of 480	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	75.9	83 of 524	84.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	74.5	161 of 714	77.5%	★★★★☆
2025	82.9	112 of 726	84.6%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	122 of 719	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	79.8	122 of 718	83.0%	★★★★☆
2022	82.2	114 of 730	84.4%	★★★★☆
2021	57.6	222 of 635	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.5	224 of 697	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.2	165 of 675	75.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	65.8	99 of 482	79.5%	★★★★☆
2025	63.1	123 of 507	75.7%	★★★★☆
2024	67.2	102 of 510	80.0%	★★★★☆
2023	62.1	123 of 505	75.6%	★★★★☆
2022	69.8	90 of 535	83.2%	★★★★☆
2021	54.0	141 of 401	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.1	100 of 492	79.7%	★★★★☆
2018	79.2	56 of 471	88.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	68.1	125 of 490	74.5%	★★★★☆
2025	79.7	66 of 502	86.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	127 of 510	75.1%	★★★★☆
2023	69.6	133 of 509	73.9%	★★★★☆
2022	76.0	95 of 512	81.4%	★★★★☆
2021	53.1	180 of 435	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.7	168 of 504	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.7	203 of 497	59.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

African American (2022)99th percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)89th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)87th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2026)77th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)74th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)68th percentile-12 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2026)93rd percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)88th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2026)79th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)77th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)74th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I92%+45 vs state

English Language Arts70%+19 vs state

Mathematics60%+19 vs state

Science46%+23 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Hillside Avenue 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 Hillside Avenue School

Load more schools when map is moved

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)						NJSLA Algebra I (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-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 Avenue School	Public	K-8	125 Hillside Avenue	Cranford	07016	Union County	Cranford Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 709-6229	743	74	10.0	3.0%	484 (65.1%)	32 (4.3%)	138 (18.6%)	51 (6.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	36 (4.8%)	80.8	266^th of 1331 public elementary schools	80.0%		82.6	240^th of 1347 public elementary schools	82.2%	26	60.0	40.4	75.4	63.2	80.0	60.3	74.4	73.6	83.0	79.2	82.3	48.1	62.5	38.5	91.9	91.9	$14,324	$130	$14,194
Walnut Avenue School	Public	PK, KG-2	370 Walnut Avenue	Cranford	07016	Union County	Cranford Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 709-6253	304	21	14.5	1.6%	213 (70.1%)	5 (1.6%)	45 (14.8%)	14 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.9%)								(n/a)																	$15,862	$203	$15,659
Livingston Avenue School	Public	3-5	75 Livingston Avenue	Cranford	07016	Union County	Cranford Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 709-6248	270	23	11.8	1.1%	186 (68.9%)	1 (0.4%)	52 (19.3%)	16 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.6%)	85.3	196^th of 1331 public elementary schools	85.3%		82.8	234^th of 1347 public elementary schools	82.6%	38	55.5		70.4	66.3	80.2				67.0	64.3	72.8						$12,217		$12,217
Number 10	Public	PK, KG-5	2801 Highland Avenue	Linden	07036	Union County	Linden Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 486-2043	299	23	13.0	64.2%	44 (14.7%)	57 (19.1%)	177 (59.2%)	10 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.7%)	24.2	1014^th of 1331 public elementary schools	23.8%		30.3	951^st of 1347 public elementary schools	29.4%	63	17.5		30.2	14.3	37.5				44.2	27.8	30.0						$18,573	$738	$17,835
Winfield Township	Public	PK, KG-8	7 1/2 Gulfstream Avenue	Winfield Park	07036	Union County	Winfield Township	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 486-7410	141	18	7.7	36.9%	77 (54.6%)	7 (5.0%)	41 (29.1%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (10.6%)	38.2	824^th of 1331 public elementary schools	38.1%		39.7	817^th of 1347 public elementary schools	39.3%	7	18.8	8.3	38.5	38.9	41.2	62.6	60.0	66.6	30.8	55.6	12.5	31.3	20.0	0.0			$27,083	$686	$26,397
Washington Elementary School	Public	1-4	501 Washington Avenue	Roselle	07203	Union County	Roselle Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 298-2072	397	28	14.4	75.1%	21 (5.3%)	183 (46.1%)	176 (44.3%)	4 (1.0%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.3%)	9.6	1243^rd of 1331 public elementary schools	6.6%		14.6	1181^st of 1347 public elementary schools	12.3%	62			13.5	25.1					19.8	16.7							$13,584	$794	$12,790
Bloomingdale Avenue School	Public	K-2	200 Bloomingdale Avenue	Cranford	07016	Union County	Cranford Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 709-6969	226	17	13.4	1.3%	157 (69.5%)	10 (4.4%)	38 (16.8%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.5%)								(n/a)																	$14,815		$14,815
Valley Road School	Public	K-5	150 Valley Road	Clark	07066	Union County	Clark Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 388-7900	390	34	11.4	7.7%	258 (66.2%)	6 (1.5%)	83 (21.3%)	31 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	8 (2.1%)	75.4	352^nd of 1331 public elementary schools	73.6%		70.8	414^th of 1347 public elementary schools	69.3%	62	35.7		64.1	55.4	72.9				68.8	52.3	72.9						$13,138	$170	$12,968
Number 9	Public	PK, KG-5	1401 Deerfield Terrace	Linden	07036	Union County	Linden Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 486-5164	311	31	10.0	60.5%	55 (17.7%)	83 (26.7%)	135 (43.4%)	17 (5.5%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.3%)	15 (4.8%)	35.1	867^th of 1331 public elementary schools	34.9%		43.3	767^th of 1347 public elementary schools	43.1%	100	25.7		33.3	29.2	48.8				56.9	24.4	35.9						$17,576	$703	$16,873
Ernest J. Finizio Junior - Aldene School	Public	PK, KG-5	339 West Webster Avenue	Roselle Park	07204	Union County	Roselle Park Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 245-1521	287	28	10.4	53.3%	72 (25.1%)	35 (12.2%)	155 (54.0%)	20 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.7%)	28	956^th of 1331 public elementary schools	28.2%		34.4	888^th of 1347 public elementary schools	34.1%	68	21.1		23.7	32.5	48.6				34.2	30.3	34.2						$18,328	$727	$17,601

Frequently Asked Questions about Hillside Avenue School

Rate Hillside Avenue School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NJNew Jersey Elementary School Rankings

NJNew Jersey District Rankings

Schools in Cranford, NJ

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Hillside Avenue School!

Hillside Avenue School

All Students

African American

Female

Hispanic

Male

Special Education

White

All Students

Female

Hispanic

Male

Special Education

White

Schools Near Hillside Avenue School

Frequently Asked Questions about Hillside Avenue School

What district is Hillside Avenue School in?

What is the racial makeup of Hillside Avenue School?

How many students attend Hillside Avenue School?

Is Hillside Avenue School a good school?

What schools do graduates of Hillside Avenue School attend?

Rate Hillside Avenue School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Sign up for updates!