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Hillside Avenue School

Q: Is Hillside Avenue School a good school?

Hillside Avenue School ranks 240 th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

240^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 82% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Hillside Avenue School is a public elementary school serving grades K-8 in Cranford, New Jersey, with 748 students. It is part of the Cranford Public School District, which is ranked 87 out of 609 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. Hillside Avenue School has consistently been ranked in the top 25% of New Jersey elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a current ranking of 240 out of 1,347 elementary schools in the state.

Hillside Avenue School is a high-performing school, consistently outperforming the state average in NJSLA (New Jersey Student Learning Assessment) scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd grade English Language Arts proficiency rate was 73.5% compared to the state average of 44.9%. The school also performs well above the Cranford Public School District average in many NJSLA assessments, particularly in Algebra I, where 85.5% of 8th graders and end-of-course students scored proficient or better, compared to 72.7% and 38.2% at the state level.

Hillside Avenue School's performance is particularly strong among its African American and Hispanic student populations, ranking 4th and 82nd out of over 1,000 New Jersey elementary schools, respectively, in 2021-2022. However, the school's performance for special education students is more average, ranking in the middle of New Jersey elementary schools. Compared to nearby schools, Hillside Avenue outperforms Brookside Place School, Livingston Avenue School, and Walnut Avenue School in most academic metrics, but its performance is more mixed when compared to schools outside the Cranford Public School District.

743

Students ?

10.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,688

Per pupil spending ?

Free/discounted lunch ?

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 — 62nd percentile in 2015 → 82nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Jersey average (66% vs 44% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of New Jersey elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school66%

District avg68%

New Jersey avg44%

Elementary school

240^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Top 18%▲ up 20 pts since 2015

From top 38% (2015) to top 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

104^th of 752

New Jersey public middle schools ?

Top 14%▲ up 16 pts since 2015

From top 30% (2015) to top 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

87^th of 609Cranford 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 (2025)92nd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)90th percentile+8 vs school

White (2025)79th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)75th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2025)60th percentile-22 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2025)89th percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)87th percentile~ school

Female (2025)87th percentile~ school

Male (2025)85th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)76th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I86%+40 vs state

English Language Arts72%+18 vs state

Mathematics66%+25 vs state

Science35%+11 vs state

5.0

1 rating

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4★0

3★0

2★0

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Schools Near Hillside Avenue School

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 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%)	82.6	240^th of 1347 public elementary schools	82.2%		86.1	193^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	85.6%	47	38.8	33.6	73.5	75.0	63.6	76.7	74.6	66.5	75.4	67.3	56.7	77.4	70.9	36.4	85.5	85.5	$10,688	$225	$10,463
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)																	$11,031	$168	$10,863
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%)	82.8	234^th of 1347 public elementary schools	82.6%		89.9	117^th of 1338 public elementary schools	91.3%	117	53.2		65.2	79.3	68.1				70.5	67.0	63.8						$8,649	$06	$8,643
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%)	30.3	951^st of 1347 public elementary schools	29.4%		28.4	961^st of 1338 public elementary schools	28.2%	10	28.6		41.7	31.7	35.7				43.2	18.2	42.9						$10,420	$152	$10,268
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%)	39.7	817^th of 1347 public elementary schools	39.3%		39.8	800^th of 1338 public elementary schools	40.2%	17	33.3	6.7	44.4	31.3	50.0	72.7	81.8	66.6	38.9	25.0	33.3	36.4	18.2	6.7			$15,980	$476	$15,504
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%)	14.6	1181^st of 1347 public elementary schools	12.3%		18.3	1098^th of 1338 public elementary schools	17.9%	83			25.9	34.9					19.1	21.1							$14,333	$543	$13,790
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)																	$8,448	$06	$8,442
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%)	70.8	414^th of 1347 public elementary schools	69.3%		59	556^th of 1338 public elementary schools	58.4%	142	29.0		51.7	75.4	69.1				60.0	68.2	58.8						$10,631	$105	$10,526
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%)	43.3	767^th of 1347 public elementary schools	43.1%		38.4	817^th of 1338 public elementary schools	38.9%	50	19.5		41.3	63.2	47.2				45.8	40.0	40.0						$9,767	$186	$9,581
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%)	34.4	888^th of 1347 public elementary schools	34.1%		47.8	701^st of 1338 public elementary schools	47.6%	187	13.7		42.3	52.3	48.8				44.2	31.0	25.0						$7,029		$7,029

Frequently Asked Questions about Hillside Avenue School

How many students attend Hillside Avenue School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 743 students attended Hillside Avenue School.

Is Hillside Avenue School a good school?

Hillside Avenue School ranks 240^th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Hillside Avenue School in?

Cranford Public School District

What is the racial makeup of Hillside Avenue School?

Students at Hillside Avenue School are 65% White, 19% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American.

What schools do graduates of Hillside Avenue School attend?

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

High : Cranford High School

Rate Hillside Avenue 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.