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Buzz Aldrin Middle School

Q: Is Buzz Aldrin Middle School a good school?

Buzz Aldrin Middle School ranks 196 th of 752 New Jersey middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

196^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 752 New Jersey Middle Schools

Better than 74% of New Jersey middle schools

Summary

Buzz Aldrin Middle School is a public middle school located in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, serving 607 students in grades 6-8. As part of the Montclair Public School District, which is ranked 151 out of 609 districts in the state, Buzz Aldrin consistently outperforms the state average in academic assessments across all grade levels and subjects.

In the 2024-2025 school year, 75.7% of 6th graders, 69.6% of 7th graders, and 72.5% of 8th graders at Buzz Aldrin were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state averages of 56.1%, 57%, and 57.1% respectively. In mathematics, the school's proficiency rates were also higher than the state, with 62.9% for 6th grade, 59.3% for 7th grade, and 7.1% for 8th grade (the state averages were 39.8%, 38.8%, and 20.7%). Buzz Aldrin also performs exceptionally well for certain student subgroups, ranking among the top middle schools in New Jersey for African American, White, and special education students in English Language Arts.

Buzz Aldrin Middle School's strengths extend beyond academic performance. The school has a very low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 10.0 to 10.4 over the past few years, and relatively low chronic absenteeism rates, outperforming many nearby schools such as Glenfield Middle School and Renaissance Middle School at the Rand Building, both in the Montclair Public School District. Additionally, Buzz Aldrin stands out in its Algebra I performance, with 100% of 7th graders and over 50% of 8th graders proficient or better in this subject, significantly higher than the state averages.

618

Students ?

9.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,896

Per pupil spending ?

17.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

173 Bellevue Ave
Upper Montclair, NJ 07042

(973) 509-4220

District: Montclair Public School District

Students who attend Buzz Aldrin Middle School usually attend:

High:

Montclair High School

Feeder schools for Buzz Aldrin Middle School:

Elementary:	Bradford Elementary School
	Charles H. Bullock School
	Edgemont Elementary School
	Hillside Elementary School
	More...
	Nishuane Elementary School
	Northeast Elementary School
	Watchung Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.3%

Hispanic:

14.7%

African American:

14.6%

See top rated New Jersey middle schools

Compare Buzz Aldrin Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 90th percentile in 2015 → 74th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Jersey average (60% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Above the New Jersey median (74th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg58%

New Jersey avg43%

196^th of 752

New Jersey public middle schools ?

Top 26%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From top 10% (2015) to top 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Middle Schools in the Montclair Public School District

151^st of 609Montclair 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	70.5	196 of 752	73.9%	★★★★☆
2024	71.4	185 of 743	75.1%	★★★★☆
2023	68.6	200 of 748	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	69.0	189 of 745	74.6%	★★★★☆
2021	81.2	101 of 652	84.5%	★★★★☆
2019	64.4	259 of 745	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.6	302 of 716	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	76.4	158 of 712	77.8%	★★★★☆
2016	67.1	210 of 713	70.5%	★★★★☆
2015	83.5	71 of 713	90.0%	★★★★★
2014	67.1	274 of 717	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	53.5	393 of 704	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	62.6	315 of 677	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	63.3	304 of 684	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.1	318 of 677	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	55.8	378 of 664	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	54.4	378 of 640	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	68.4	246 of 631	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	43.7	421 of 615	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	54.7	356 of 599	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	49.7	382 of 588	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2003	56.0	342 of 574	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	78.2	42 of 359	88.3%	★★★★☆
2024	58.5	109 of 352	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.9	63 of 361	82.5%	★★★★☆
2022	60.3	98 of 356	72.5%	★★★★☆
2021	78.8	31 of 291	89.3%	★★★★☆
2019	72.2	63 of 326	80.7%	★★★★☆
2018	64.0	85 of 326	73.9%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	42.7	135 of 204	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.0	121 of 200	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.5	138 of 201	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.5	117 of 200	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.3	74 of 147	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.0	130 of 199	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.4	162 of 200	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	29.7	254 of 343	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	77.3	147 of 728	79.8%	★★★★☆
2024	79.8	134 of 717	81.3%	★★★★☆
2023	78.4	135 of 720	81.3%	★★★★☆
2022	80.1	123 of 726	83.1%	★★★★☆
2021	88.6	49 of 625	92.2%	★★★★★
2019	77.4	149 of 703	78.8%	★★★★☆
2018	70.8	197 of 680	71.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	77.1	88 of 608	85.5%	★★★★☆
2024	69.1	133 of 589	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	70.4	117 of 587	80.1%	★★★★☆
2022	91.0	30 of 591	94.9%	★★★★★
2021	90.3	22 of 480	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	69.3	122 of 524	76.7%	★★★★☆
2018	68.3	125 of 504	75.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	349 of 613	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.8	485 of 584	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.1	298 of 568	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	375 of 549	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	74.6	48 of 467	89.7%	★★★★☆
2019	25.5	407 of 541	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.8	359 of 522	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	78.6	139 of 726	80.9%	★★★★☆
2024	78.0	139 of 719	80.7%	★★★★☆
2023	76.2	147 of 718	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	71.2	176 of 730	75.9%	★★★★☆
2021	75.2	129 of 635	79.7%	★★★★☆
2019	70.0	204 of 697	70.7%	★★★★☆
2018	65.4	227 of 675	66.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	79.4	53 of 507	89.5%	★★★★☆
2024	87.3	23 of 510	95.5%	★★★★★
2023	64.3	109 of 505	78.4%	★★★★☆
2022	67.4	101 of 535	81.1%	★★★★☆
2021	63.0	96 of 401	76.1%	★★★★☆
2019	79.5	57 of 492	88.4%	★★★★☆
2018	46.7	222 of 471	52.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	81.2	62 of 502	87.6%	★★★★☆
2024	84.0	50 of 510	90.2%	★★★★★
2023	80.0	69 of 509	86.4%	★★★★☆
2022	77.9	84 of 512	83.6%	★★★★☆
2021	83.3	42 of 435	90.3%	★★★★★
2019	80.6	60 of 504	88.1%	★★★★☆
2018	71.6	131 of 497	73.6%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2025)90th percentile+16 vs school

African American (2025)88th percentile+14 vs school

White (2025)88th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)86th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)81st percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)80th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)43rd percentile-31 vs school

Asian (2025)34th percentile-40 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)26th percentile-48 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts73%+16 vs state

Mathematics59%+25 vs state

Algebra I58%+10 vs state

Science24%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Buzz Aldrin Middle 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)					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 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 4th 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
Buzz Aldrin Middle School	Public	6-8	173 Bellevue Ave	Upper Montclair	07042	Essex County	Montclair Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 509-4220	618	63	9.7	17.2%	317 (51.3%)	90 (14.6%)	91 (14.7%)	45 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	72 (11.7%)	70.5	196^th of 752 public middle schools	73.9%		71.4	185^th of 743 public middle schools	75.1%	11		24.0			75.7	69.6	72.5			62.9	59.3	7.1	100.0	52.1	57.6			$11,896	$170	$11,726
Memorial Middle School	Public	5-8	500 Ridge Road	Cedar Grove	07009	Essex County	Cedar Grove Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 239-2646	468	48	9.7	9.4%	355 (75.9%)	12 (2.6%)	58 (12.4%)	24 (5.1%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.6%)	6 (1.3%)	71.6	185^th of 752 public middle schools	75.4%		64.7	238^th of 743 public middle schools	68.0%	53	46.3	17.9		81.4	73.1	68.4	78.8		76.7	53.4	56.5	22.1		86.7	86.7			$8,390	$21	$8,369
Renaissance Middle School at the Rand Building	Public	6-8	176 North Fullerton Avenue	Montclair	07042	Essex County	Montclair Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 509-5741	203	28	7.2	15.3%	107 (52.7%)	36 (17.7%)	31 (15.3%)	10 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	18 (8.9%)	74.2	160^th of 752 public middle schools	78.7%		70.5	189^th of 743 public middle schools	74.6%	29		33.3			75.0	81.4	76.2			56.8	57.7			43.7	43.7			$18,417	$89	$18,328
Bloomfield Middle School	Public	7-8	60 Huck Road	Bloomfield	07003	Essex County	Bloomfield Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 680-8620	944	85	11.1	50.1%	200 (21.2%)	218 (23.1%)	448 (47.5%)	56 (5.9%)	2 (0.2%)	8 (0.8%)	12 (1.3%)	43.4	415^th of 752 public middle schools	44.8%		47.7	362^nd of 743 public middle schools	51.3%	53		15.7				53.6	50.8				31.9	16.9		84.7	84.7			$7,974	$128	$7,846
Henry B. Whitehorne Middle School	Public	5-8	600 Bloomfield Ave	Verona	07044	Essex County	Verona Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 571-6751	702	62	11.3	1.9%	584 (83.2%)	13 (1.9%)	53 (7.5%)	27 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	21 (3.0%)	81.8	112^th of 752 public middle schools	85.1%		72.5	177^th of 743 public middle schools	76.2%	65	48.9	31.2		70.9	70.3	82.7	70.0		67.0	58.8	72.0	32.2		95.1	95.1			$11,775	$136	$11,639
Glenfield Middle School	Public	6-8	25 Maple Ave	Montclair	07042	Essex County	Montclair Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 509-4172	512	59	8.7	19.9%	238 (46.5%)	106 (20.7%)	77 (15.0%)	21 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (13.5%)	72.6	177^th of 752 public middle schools	76.5%		69.2	199^th of 743 public middle schools	73.2%	22		30.2			77.0	80.1	76.2			52.8	55.8		100.0	44.0	50.9	100.0	100.0	$12,589	$535	$12,054
John H. Walker Middle School	Public	7-8	325 Franklin Ave	Nutley	07110	Essex County	Nutley Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 661-8869	637	45	14.2	17.9%	315 (49.5%)	20 (3.1%)	211 (33.1%)	62 (9.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.4%)	76.8	145^th of 752 public middle schools	80.7%		77.2	144^th of 743 public middle schools	80.6%	1		25.0				73.5	72.8				50.0	43.6		95.8	96.4	100.0	100.0	$15,810	$376	$15,434
Woodrow Wilson Middle School	Public	6-8	1400 Van Houten Avenue	Clifton	07013	Passaic County	Clifton Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 470-2348	1,255	115	10.8	56.1%	357 (28.4%)	58 (4.6%)	718 (57.2%)	96 (7.6%)	7 (0.6%)	3 (0.2%)	16 (1.3%)	41.6	423^rd of 752 public middle schools	43.8%		41.7	410^th of 743 public middle schools	44.8%	13		13.1			36.1	51.1	51.4			31.1	35.5	25.8		96.3	96.3			$12,567		$12,567
Little Falls Township Public School # 1	Public	5-8	Little Falls School # 1	Little Falls	07424	Passaic County	Little Falls Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 256-1033	392	42	9.4	27.6%	236 (60.2%)	7 (1.8%)	117 (29.8%)	23 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.3%)	78.6	137^th of 752 public middle schools	81.8%		86.6	69^th of 743 public middle schools	90.7%	68	42.0	10.9		70.0	75.6	81.2	75.3		73.0	68.3	64.8	42.5		89.5	89.5			$13,515	$313	$13,202
Gould/Mountain Elementary School	Public	4-6	132 Gould Ave	N Caldwell	07006	Essex County	North Caldwell School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 712-4400	279	42	6.7		212 (76.0%)	5 (1.8%)	20 (7.2%)	36 (12.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)								(n/a)	67.4		87.9	89.1	96.9			73.5	83.7	73.2								$10,455	$168	$10,287

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