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Lacey Township Middle School

Q: Is Lacey Township Middle School a good school?

Lacey Township Middle School ranks 390 th of 752 New Jersey middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

390^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 752 New Jersey Middle Schools

Better than 48% of New Jersey middle schools

Summary

Lacey Township Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Forked River, New Jersey, with an enrollment of 845 students. The school is part of the Lacey Township School District, which is ranked 399 out of 609 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Lacey Township Middle School has consistently underperformed compared to the state average on NJSLA assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics, with proficiency rates ranging from 38.3% to 58.8% across different grade levels and subjects. The school also struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 14.9% to 24.4% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state's target of 10%. While the school's special education and low-socioeconomic status students perform relatively well compared to their peers statewide, the school's white and Hispanic student populations rank in the bottom quartile of New Jersey middle schools.

Despite spending $13,254 per student, which is higher than the state average, Lacey Township Middle School's academic outcomes have not improved. The school's ranking among New Jersey middle schools has steadily declined from 339 in 2018-2019 to 390 in 2024-2025, indicating a concerning trend of worsening performance. Interestingly, the school stands out for its strong performance in Algebra I and Geometry, with proficiency rates significantly above the state averages. When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Manchester Township Middle School and Russell O. Brackman Middle School, Lacey Township Middle School performs similarly or slightly better, but all of these schools struggle with low academic achievement and high chronic absenteeism.

819

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,254

Per pupil spending ?

33.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

660 Denton Avenue
Forked River, NJ 08731-0535

(609) 242-2100

District: Lacey Township School District

Students who attend Lacey Township Middle School usually attend:

High:

Lacey Township High School

Feeder schools for Lacey Township Middle School:

Elementary:	Cedar Creek Elementary School
	Forked River Elementary School
	Lanoka Harbor Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.9%

Hispanic:

12.3%

Two or more races:

2.9%

See top rated New Jersey middle schools

Compare Lacey Township Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 21st percentile in 2015 → 48th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 48th (2025) from a 21st-percentile low (2015)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg42%

New Jersey avg44%

390^th of 752

New Jersey public middle schools ?

Bottom 48%▲ up 27 pts since 2015

From bottom 21% (2015) to bottom 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

399^th of 609Lacey 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	46.1	390 of 752	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.3	421 of 743	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.5	385 of 748	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.1	439 of 745	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.3	339 of 745	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.1	362 of 716	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	44.6	399 of 712	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	27.5	533 of 713	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.3	560 of 713	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	64.9	296 of 717	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.9	348 of 704	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	52.7	391 of 677	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	52.0	411 of 684	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	56.2	382 of 677	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	47.9	435 of 664	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	54.1	381 of 640	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	54.8	378 of 631	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	58.7	341 of 615	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	66.5	264 of 599	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	63.7	282 of 588	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2003	61.1	297 of 574	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	51.0	330 of 728	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.7	393 of 717	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.6	441 of 720	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.9	453 of 726	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.1	315 of 703	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.1	317 of 680	53.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	50.3	272 of 608	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.6	393 of 589	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.6	353 of 587	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.4	442 of 591	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	64.0	148 of 524	71.8%	★★★★☆
2018	44.0	276 of 504	45.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	54.9	242 of 613	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.5	306 of 584	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.7	238 of 568	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.7	197 of 549	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.4	139 of 541	74.3%	★★★★☆
2018	50.4	235 of 522	55.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	40.8	410 of 726	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.8	403 of 719	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.0	328 of 718	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.8	304 of 730	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.9	337 of 697	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.4	371 of 675	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	53.5	175 of 507	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.2	158 of 510	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.2	154 of 505	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.4	214 of 535	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.1	203 of 492	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.1	139 of 471	70.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	27.0	385 of 502	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	410 of 510	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.2	368 of 509	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.8	427 of 512	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.1	345 of 504	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.4	358 of 497	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)65th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)61st percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2025)55th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)55th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)44th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)23rd percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

Geometry94%+34 vs state

Algebra I82%+35 vs state

English Language Arts55%~ state avg

Mathematics30%-5 vs state

Science14%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lacey Township Middle 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)			NJSLA Geometry (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 5th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 6th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 7th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 8th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 7th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	NJSLA Geometry 8th Grade	NJSLA Geometry End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lacey Township Middle School	Public	6-8	660 Denton Avenue	Forked River	08731	Ocean County	Lacey Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 242-2100	819	61	13.4	33.1%	679 (82.9%)	11 (1.3%)	101 (12.3%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (2.9%)	46.1	390^th of 752 public middle schools	48.1%		40.3	421^st of 743 public middle schools	43.3%	31		13.8		49.0	58.8	57.5		38.3	33.4	11.3	95.3	78.4	82.1	94.5	94.5	$13,254	$518	$12,736
Central Regional Middle School	Public	7-8	509 Forest Hills Parkway	Bayville	08721	Ocean County	Central Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 269-1100	680	64	10.6	38.8%	435 (64.0%)	31 (4.6%)	176 (25.9%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	29 (4.3%)	36.6	459^th of 752 public middle schools	39.0%		34.2	472^nd of 743 public middle schools	36.5%	13		7.2			48.0	40.4			35.8	20.3		100.0	100.0			$10,102	$281	$9,821
Berkeley Township Elementary School	Public	5-6	10 Emory Avenue	Bayville	08721	Ocean County	Berkeley Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 269-2909	594	52	11.4	38.4%	398 (67.0%)	34 (5.7%)	123 (20.7%)	14 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.0%)								(n/a)	25.5		46.5	53.2			40.4	32.3								$13,210	$491	$12,719
Toms River Intermediate School South	Public	6-8	1675 Pinewald Road	Beachwood	08722	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 505-3900	1,044	83	12.6	49.8%	587 (56.2%)	64 (6.1%)	307 (29.4%)	24 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (5.8%)	30.2	516^th of 752 public middle schools	31.4%		30.8	501^st of 743 public middle schools	32.6%	15		13.1		42.8	46.3	38.9		24.6	24.6	8.8	100.0	74.4	80.3	92.8	92.8	$7,586	$246	$7,340
Russell O. Brackman Middle School	Public	7-8	600 Barnegat Blvd North	Barnegat	08005	Ocean County	Barnegat Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 698-5880	509	57	8.9	46.2%	308 (60.5%)	51 (10.0%)	115 (22.6%)	8 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.7%)	33.2	481^st of 752 public middle schools	36.0%		34.4	470^th of 743 public middle schools	36.7%	11		10.5			35.7	42.1			28.2	22.2		86.3	88.6			$4,828		$4,828
Robert L. Horbelt Elementary School	Public	5-6	104 Burr Street	Barnegat	08005	Ocean County	Barnegat Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 660-7500	499	40	12.6	47.3%	317 (63.5%)	39 (7.8%)	107 (21.4%)	6 (1.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (5.4%)								(n/a)	31.0		48.2	45.4			40.4	33.5								$5,211		$5,211
Toms River Intermediate School North	Public	6-8	150 Intermediate North Way	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 505-5800	970	83	11.6	55.5%	397 (40.9%)	86 (8.9%)	386 (39.8%)	64 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	35 (3.6%)	32.7	485^th of 752 public middle schools	35.5%		35.8	457^th of 743 public middle schools	38.5%	28		11.6		40.3	49.0	47.5		26.4	26.1	9.7		80.9	83.1			$7,203	$194	$7,009
Toms River Intermediate School East	Public	6-8	1519 Hooper Avenue	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 505-5777	1,271	86	14.7	34.8%	898 (70.7%)	31 (2.4%)	262 (20.6%)	35 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (3.5%)	53.5	321^st of 752 public middle schools	57.3%		53.6	319^th of 743 public middle schools	57.1%	2		18.0		56.2	66.7	65.4		27.2	38.3	18.7		89.6	90.6	92.9	92.9	$5,993		$5,993
Southern Regional Middle School	Public	7-8	75 Cedar Bridge Road	Manahawkin	08050	Ocean County	Southern Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 597-9481	865	82	10.5	28.6%	712 (82.3%)	18 (2.1%)	119 (13.8%)	8 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (0.9%)	63.3	250^th of 752 public middle schools	66.8%		67.5	212^th of 743 public middle schools	71.5%	38		19.8			62.0	68.4			49.9	25.0		77.0	77.2			$11,153	$229	$10,924
Stafford Intermediate School	Public	5-6	1000 McKinley Avenue	Manahawkin	08050	Ocean County	Stafford Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 978-5700	657	49	13.5	28.3%	531 (80.8%)	12 (1.8%)	87 (13.2%)	13 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.1%)								(n/a)	27.9		55.3	63.3			48.2	51.9								$10,110	$138	$9,972

Frequently Asked Questions about Lacey Township Middle School

How many students attend Lacey Township Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 819 students attended Lacey Township Middle School.

Is Lacey Township Middle School a good school?

Lacey Township Middle School ranks 390^th of 752 New Jersey middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Lacey Township Middle School in?

Lacey Township School District

What is the racial makeup of Lacey Township Middle School?

Students at Lacey Township Middle School are 83% White, 12% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What high school do graduates of Lacey Township Middle School attend?

Students who attend Lacey Township Middle School usually go on to attend Lacey Township High School

Rate Lacey Township Middle 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.