Thomas E. Bowe Middle School

Thomas E. Bowe Middle School serves 412 students in grades 6–8 in Glassboro, New Jersey. The most urgent concern is attendance: chronic absenteeism was 25% in 2024–2025, compared with 14% statewide and 21% in the Glassboro School District; nearby schools with reported figures ranged from 4.5% to 15.0%.

Academically, Algebra I stands out against weak results in regular-grade math. In 2025–2026, 86% were proficient on the Algebra I end-of-course measure, versus 40% statewide, and Bowe’s result was close to the 85% average among nearby schools with results. By contrast, math proficiency was 15% in grade 6, 14% in grade 7 and 14% in grade 8—below state results by 26, 24 and 9 points, respectively, and below nearby-school averages at each grade. ELA was also below state results by 16–18 points across grades 6–8; grade 8 science proficiency was 13%, versus 19% statewide.

Regular math has declined over time: Bowe’s three-grade average fell from 18% in 2022–2023 to 14% in 2025–2026, while the state average rose from 29% to 34%. ELA’s three-grade average was roughly flat, moving from 38% to 38%, while science improved from 6% to 13% over the same years, despite falling from 16% the previous year. SchoolDigger ranks Bowe 550th of 743 New Jersey schools, at the 26th percentile and one star; the district ranks 541st of 607, at the 11th percentile and one star. Bowe’s student-teacher ratio was 10.8 in 2024–2025, and 46% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year, above the nearby-school average of 34%. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness ranking was stronger for special education students (42nd percentile) than for Bowe overall (26th), but lower for English language learners (6th percentile).