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Central Elementary School

Q: Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 415 th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 2-5

415^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary School is a public elementary school located in East Hanover, New Jersey, serving grades 2-5 with a total enrollment of 347 students. The school is part of the East Hanover Township School District, which is ranked 115 out of 609 districts in New Jersey and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central Elementary School is a high-performing school, consistently ranking in the top 25% of New Jersey elementary schools. The school's performance on NJSLA (New Jersey Student Learning Assessment) tests is generally above the state and district averages, particularly in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. In 2024-2025, the school's ELA proficiency rates for 4th and 5th grades were 82.1% and 70.9%, respectively, compared to the state averages of 53.6% and 52.7%. In Mathematics, the school's 4th and 5th grade proficiency rates were 73.7% and 64.6%, respectively, compared to the state averages of 46.7% and 44.2%. The school's performance on the NJSLA-S (Science) assessment for 5th grade was also above the state average, with a 33.6% proficiency rate compared to 30.1% statewide.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Frank J. Smith Elementary, also part of the East Hanover Township School District, Central Elementary School generally outperforms on academic measures. However, the school has experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 6.0% in 2021-2022 to 16.6% in 2022-2023, which is an area that the school and district may need to address. Overall, Central Elementary School is a well-resourced and high-performing school, providing a strong educational environment for its diverse student population.

439

Students ?

10.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,712

Per pupil spending ?

1.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 Ridgedale Avenue
East Hanover, NJ 07936-1492

(973) 887-0358

District: East Hanover Township School District

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	East Hanover Middle School
High:	Hanover Park High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.9%

Hispanic:

15.5%

Asian:

9.1%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 69th percentile in 2015 → 69th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Jersey average (59% vs 46% meeting standards)

✓Above the New Jersey median (69th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg59%

New Jersey avg46%

415^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

115^th of 609East Hanover Township 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	70.5	415 of 1347	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	82.5	247 of 1338	81.5%	★★★★☆
2023	82.2	238 of 1342	82.3%	★★★★☆
2022	83.7	230 of 1345	82.9%	★★★★☆
2021	72.0	323 of 1317	75.5%	★★★★☆
2019	75.3	365 of 1360	73.2%	★★★★☆
2018	73.7	394 of 1353	70.9%	★★★★☆
2017	81.1	258 of 1352	80.9%	★★★★☆
2016	75.7	347 of 1346	74.2%	★★★★☆
2015	70.2	422 of 1357	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	69.2	495 of 1363	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.7	572 of 1367	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.8	494 of 1363	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	73.0	388 of 1360	71.5%	★★★★☆
2010	70.5	446 of 1354	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.8	424 of 1346	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	76.1	299 of 1338	77.7%	★★★★☆
2007	71.3	426 of 1329	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	68.5	498 of 1314	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2005	66.2	554 of 1303	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	79.0	213 of 1298	83.6%	★★★★☆
2003	65.1	524 of 1204	56.5%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	47.1	195 of 330	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.1	143 of 340	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.8	71 of 346	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	61.5	143 of 348	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.6	117 of 339	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.8	150 of 370	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.8	127 of 370	65.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	76.6	311 of 1326	76.5%	★★★★☆
2024	79.5	273 of 1317	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	78.2	284 of 1318	78.5%	★★★★☆
2022	80.6	252 of 1326	81.0%	★★★★☆
2021	71.4	302 of 1290	76.6%	★★★★☆
2019	74.7	337 of 1331	74.7%	★★★★☆
2018	76.2	316 of 1333	76.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	76.4	193 of 1032	81.3%	★★★★☆
2024	83.2	128 of 989	87.1%	★★★★☆
2023	94.6	42 of 982	95.7%	★★★★★
2022	98.0	16 of 953	98.3%	★★★★★
2021	99.5	11 of 896	98.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	63.6	486 of 1318	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	82.9	220 of 1313	83.2%	★★★★☆
2023	83.8	208 of 1315	84.2%	★★★★☆
2022	84.8	188 of 1324	85.8%	★★★★☆
2021	71.4	315 of 1297	75.7%	★★★★☆
2019	72.9	370 of 1335	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	67.0	458 of 1334	65.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	47.0	451 of 1023	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.0	326 of 989	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.0	423 of 958	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.8	255 of 949	73.1%	★★★★☆
2021	53.5	326 of 868	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.6	246 of 1007	75.6%	★★★★☆
2018	66.8	276 of 1001	72.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	55.3	449 of 970	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.7	216 of 963	77.6%	★★★★☆
2023	63.1	347 of 975	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.1	267 of 976	72.6%	★★★★☆
2021	48.9	461 of 964	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.1	479 of 1023	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.1	556 of 1022	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)81st percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)77th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)63rd percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2025)56th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)54th percentile-15 vs school

Asian (2025)41st percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts64%+14 vs state

Mathematics64%+17 vs state

Science34%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central 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 (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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 4th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 5th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Elementary School	Public	2-5	400 Ridgedale Avenue	East Hanover	07936	Morris County	East Hanover Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 887-0358	439	40	10.8	1.8%	307 (69.9%)	9 (2.1%)	68 (15.5%)	40 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (3.2%)	70.5	415^th of 1347 public elementary schools	69.2%		82.5	247^th of 1338 public elementary schools	81.5%	168	33.6	41.9	82.1	70.9		53.6	73.7	64.6		$12,712	$89	$12,623
Frank J Smith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	27 Green Drive	East Hanover	07936	Morris County	East Hanover Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 887-5650	239	32	7.5	4.2%	151 (63.2%)	3 (1.3%)	46 (19.2%)	31 (13.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.9%)								(n/a)										$30,999	$304	$30,695
Troy Hills Elementary School	Public	K-5	509 S Beverwyck Road	Parsippany	07054	Morris County	Parsippany-Troy Hills Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 428-7588	290	27	10.7	21.7%	94 (32.4%)	6 (2.1%)	57 (19.7%)	127 (43.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.4%)	89.2	136^th of 1347 public elementary schools	89.9%		82.7	243^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	81.8%	107	62.9	75.0	64.7	82.9		84.1	67.6	88.5		$17,810	$865	$16,945
Bee Meadow School	Public	PK, KG-5	120 Reynolds Avenue	Whippany	07981	Morris County	Hanover Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 515-2419	294	30	9.7	6.1%	173 (58.8%)	9 (3.1%)	41 (13.9%)	55 (18.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.4%)	60.3	533^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	60.4%		67.3	453^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	66.1%	80	28.5	64.1	60.4	50.0		60.4	62.8	42.8		$23,274	$53	$23,221
Riker Hill Elementary School	Public	K-5	31 Blackstone Dr	Livingston	07039	Essex County	Livingston Board of Education School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 535-8000	477	38	12.5	4.0%	170 (35.6%)	19 (4.0%)	21 (4.4%)	242 (50.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.0%)	90.9	100^th of 1347 public elementary schools	92.6%		88.9	134^th of 1338 public elementary schools	90.0%	34	61.6	80.2	77.9	78.9		82.4	71.8	75.9		$16,900	$264	$16,636
Lester C Noecker	Public	PK, KG-6	100 Passaic Ave	Roseland	07068	Essex County	Roseland School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 226-7644	451	44	10.2	6.4%	285 (63.2%)	25 (5.5%)	52 (11.5%)	68 (15.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.4%)	91.8	83^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	93.8%		89.9	116^th of 1338 public elementary schools	91.3%	33	67.2	76.4	79.7	87.3	85.0	76.3	77.9	81.3	63.0	$19,577	$253	$19,324
Rockaway Meadow Elementary School	Public	K-5	160 Edwards Road	Parsippany	07054	Morris County	Parsippany-Troy Hills Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 263-7308	257	26	10.0	29.2%	87 (33.9%)	6 (2.3%)	70 (27.2%)	91 (35.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	80.9	275^th of 1347 public elementary schools	79.6%		77.2	320^th of 1338 public elementary schools	76.1%	45	47.6	59.4	87.1	58.6		75.0	74.2	66.7		$20,560	$983	$19,577
Harrison Elementary School	Public	K-5	148 North Livingston Ave	Livingston	07039	Essex County	Livingston Board of Education School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 535-8000	522	42	12.5	0.6%	133 (25.5%)	11 (2.1%)	29 (5.6%)	322 (61.7%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.4%)	95.2	29^th of 1347 public elementary schools	97.8%		96.4	17^th of 1338 public elementary schools	98.7%	12	73.0	82.4	89.2	88.7		76.7	88.2	88.8		$15,285	$239	$15,046
Hillside Elementary School	Public	K-5	98 Belmont Drive	Livingston	07039	Essex County	Livingston Board of Education School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 535-8000	476	40	11.9	2.7%	139 (29.2%)	19 (4.0%)	29 (6.1%)	263 (55.3%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.8%)	95.4	25^th of 1347 public elementary schools	98.1%		94.3	45^th of 1338 public elementary schools	96.6%	20	63.1	87.3	92.2	84.4		87.6	85.9	79.8		$16,785	$263	$16,522
Wilson Elementary School	Public	K-5	71 Orton Rd	West Caldwell	07006	Essex County	Caldwell-West School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 228-7173	214	20	10.7	9.3%	145 (67.8%)	6 (2.8%)	40 (18.7%)	7 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	15 (7.0%)	74.1	364^th of 1347 public elementary schools	73.0%		68.9	433^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	67.6%	69	39.0	58.9	61.8	61.5		73.5	58.8	74.4		$24,253	$65	$24,188

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