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Cliffwood Elementary School

Q: Is Cliffwood Elementary School a good school?

Cliffwood Elementary School ranks 701 st of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-3

701^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 48% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Cliffwood Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-3 in the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District in Cliffwood, New Jersey. The school has 369 students and is ranked 701 out of 1,347 New Jersey elementary schools, with a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cliffwood Elementary School faces several challenges, including lower student performance compared to the district and state averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics. The school's performance on state assessments has been mixed, with some years showing higher proficiency rates and other years showing lower rates. The school also has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 12.4% to 16.6% over the past few years, which are higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 34.95% to 39.84% in recent years, suggesting a higher proportion of students from low-income families.

While Cliffwood Elementary School's performance is generally lower than the nearby Strathmore Elementary School and Ravine Drive Elementary School within the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District, it outperforms some of the schools in neighboring districts, such as Sycamore Drive Early Childhood Learning Center and Memorial School. The school's relatively low student-teacher ratio and higher spending per student suggest that it may have access to more resources, but this does not seem to be translating into better academic outcomes, indicating a need to evaluate the effectiveness of resource allocation and utilization.

358

Students ?

10.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,457

Per pupil spending ?

49.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

422 Cliffwood Avenue
Cliffwood, NJ 07721-1195

(732) 705-5600

District: Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District

Students who attend Cliffwood Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School
High:	Matawan Regional High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.3%

Hispanic:

26.3%

African American:

14.8%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Cliffwood Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2015 → 48th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg54%

New Jersey avg47%

701^st of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 19 pts since 2015

From top 33% (2015) to bottom 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District

272^nd of 609Matawan-Aberdeen Regional 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	48.6	701 of 1347	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.1	767 of 1338	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.1	858 of 1342	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.1	606 of 1345	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.0	786 of 1317	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	17.9	1146 of 1360	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.7	870 of 1353	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	32.4	949 of 1352	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	70.7	427 of 1346	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	68.2	453 of 1357	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	55.4	737 of 1363	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	49.6	825 of 1367	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.4	894 of 1363	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.4	826 of 1360	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	61.2	637 of 1354	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	66.3	540 of 1346	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	39.0	978 of 1338	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	61.4	682 of 1329	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	47.1	872 of 1314	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	69.6	476 of 1303	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	58.2	682 of 1298	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2003	42.7	801 of 1204	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	333 of 463	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	66.5	118 of 469	74.8%	★★★★☆
2021	71.5	71 of 456	84.4%	★★★★☆
2019	37.3	348 of 522	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	75.4	92 of 517	82.2%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	51.5	233 of 597	61.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	55.8	563 of 1326	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	688 of 1317	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.1	795 of 1318	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.2	659 of 1326	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	27.8	896 of 1290	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.4	866 of 1331	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.1	733 of 1333	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	66.4	286 of 1032	72.3%	★★★★☆
2024	59.8	340 of 989	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.8	539 of 982	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	79.6	148 of 953	84.5%	★★★★☆
2021	44.8	441 of 896	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	14.2	771 of 899	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.7	659 of 870	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	60.8	327 of 1023	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.6	205 of 939	78.2%	★★★★☆
2023	81.9	97 of 910	89.3%	★★★★☆
2022	46.8	411 of 863	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.2	251 of 839	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	19.3	761 of 948	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.5	744 of 942	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	818 of 1318	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.2	797 of 1313	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.9	838 of 1315	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.8	526 of 1324	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.2	613 of 1297	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	9.5	1217 of 1335	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	34.2	905 of 1334	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2022	14.5	880 of 949	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	42.2	443 of 868	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.7	604 of 1007	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.5	421 of 1001	57.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	45.1	548 of 970	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.1	767 of 963	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.1	824 of 975	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.9	763 of 976	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.0	640 of 964	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	5.0	968 of 1023	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	34.8	704 of 1022	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)72nd percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)68th percentile+20 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)61st percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)58th percentile+10 vs school

White (2025)44th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)38th percentile-10 vs school

African American (2025)28th percentile-20 vs school

Special Education (2022)7th percentile-48 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts47%~ state avg

Mathematics46%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cliffwood Elementary 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
Cliffwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	422 Cliffwood Avenue	Cliffwood	07721	Monmouth County	Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 705-5600	358	33	10.9	49.4%	162 (45.3%)	53 (14.8%)	94 (26.3%)	28 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.9%)	48.6	701^st of 1347 public elementary schools	48.0%		42.1	767^th of 1338 public elementary schools	42.7%	66			47.1						46.3								$17,457	$548	$16,909
Leroy Gordon Cooper Elementary School	Public	K-5	160 Birchwood Drive	Keyport	07735	Middlesex County	Old Bridge Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 290-3881	216	17	12.5	50.0%	101 (46.8%)	24 (11.1%)	48 (22.2%)	34 (15.7%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.7%)	53.6	633^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	53.0%		58.5	560^th of 1338 public elementary schools	58.1%	73	18.7		51.5	63.9	57.8				62.8	52.8	35.5						$12,805	$1,097	$11,708
Memorial Elementary School	Public	K-5	11 Ely Ave	Laurence Harbor	08879	Middlesex County	Old Bridge Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 290-3876	388	33	11.7	34.8%	167 (43.0%)	39 (10.1%)	85 (21.9%)	72 (18.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.2%)	60	535^th of 1347 public elementary schools	60.3%		63.1	504^th of 1338 public elementary schools	62.3%	31	26.1		56.0	65.2	61.9				50.9	52.2	50.8						$13,387	$816	$12,571
Ravine Drive Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	170 Ravine Drive	Matawan	07747	Monmouth County	Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 705-5800	395	30	13.0	28.6%	245 (62.0%)	23 (5.8%)	84 (21.3%)	22 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (5.1%)	66.7	459^th of 1347 public elementary schools	65.9%		46.2	719^th of 1338 public elementary schools	46.3%	260			64.6						50.8								$10,613	$76	$10,537
Keyport Central School	Public	PK, KG-8	335 Broad Street	Keyport	07735	Monmouth County	Keyport School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 212-6100	605	68	8.9	47.3%	257 (42.5%)	35 (5.8%)	274 (45.3%)	10 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.6%)	47.9	708^th of 1347 public elementary schools	47.4%		50.8	655^th of 1338 public elementary schools	51.0%	53	20.4	5.7	51.0	47.2	38.9	57.2	62.0	41.5	50.0	47.2	46.3	46.5	40.0	9.1	80.0	80.0	$10,296	$571	$9,725
Raritan Valley School	Public	1-4	37 Cresci Blvd	Hazlet	07730	Monmouth County	Hazlet Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 264-1333	241	19	12.3	17.4%	181 (75.1%)	5 (2.1%)	45 (18.7%)	5 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	3 (1.2%)	65.6	472^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	65.0%		72.4	389^th of 1338 public elementary schools	70.9%	83			55.4	59.3					60.7	55.4							$10,336		$10,336
Strathmore Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	282 Church Street	Aberdeen	07747	Monmouth County	Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 705-5900	481	35	13.8	23.9%	318 (66.1%)	20 (4.2%)	106 (22.0%)	18 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.7%)	64.2	489^th of 1347 public elementary schools	63.7%		62.6	510^th of 1338 public elementary schools	61.9%	21			58.0						53.1								$11,082	$89	$10,993
Sycamore Drive Early Childhood Learning Center	Public	PK-K	37 Sycamore Drive	Hazlet	07730	Monmouth County	Hazlet Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 264-2180	341	19	17.7	16.1%	248 (72.7%)	3 (0.9%)	59 (17.3%)	12 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.6%)								(n/a)																	$7,533		$7,533
Cambridge Park Elementary School	Public	PK-K	One Crest Way	Aberdeen	07747	Monmouth County	Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 705-4000	286	26	11.0	19.6%	159 (55.6%)	16 (5.6%)	75 (26.2%)	14 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (7.7%)								(n/a)																	$22,683	$380	$22,303
Lloyd Road Elementary School	Public	4-5	401 Lloyd Road	Aberdeen	07747	Monmouth County	Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 705-5700	519	42	12.4	36.8%	283 (54.5%)	44 (8.5%)	126 (24.3%)	28 (5.4%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	33 (6.4%)								(n/a)	37.5			57.4	68.6					40.5	42.9						$11,563	$508	$11,055

Frequently Asked Questions about Cliffwood Elementary School

How many students attend Cliffwood Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 358 students attended Cliffwood Elementary School.

Is Cliffwood Elementary School a good school?

Cliffwood Elementary School ranks 701^st of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cliffwood Elementary School?

Students at Cliffwood Elementary School are 45% White, 26% Hispanic, 15% African American, 8% Asian, 6% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Cliffwood Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Cliffwood Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School
High : Matawan Regional High School

What district is Cliffwood Elementary School in?

Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District

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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.