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Watchung Elementary School

Q: Is Watchung Elementary School a good school?

Watchung Elementary School ranks 270 th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

270^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 80% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Watchung Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Montclair, New Jersey, serving 385 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school consistently outperforms the Montclair Public School District and the state of New Jersey in academic achievement, with high proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.

Watchung Elementary School's academic performance is particularly impressive, with 75% of 3rd graders, 64.6% of 4th graders, and 66.2% of 5th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the district's 65% and the state's 44.9%, 68.8%, and 68.9%, respectively. In Mathematics, the school's performance is even stronger, with 88.3% of 3rd graders, 62.9% of 4th graders, and 62% of 5th graders proficient or better, outpacing the district and state. The school's 5th-grade Science proficiency rate of 47.9% also exceeds the district and state averages.

While Watchung Elementary School outperforms its in-district peers, such as Edgemont Elementary School and Hillside Elementary School, it faces competition from nearby schools in other districts, like South End Elementary School in Cedar Grove and Brookdale Elementary School in Bloomfield. Nevertheless, Watchung Elementary School's strong academic performance, low chronic absenteeism rates, and favorable student-teacher ratio make it a highly desirable choice for families in the Montclair area.

406

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,719

Per pupil spending ?

9.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

14 Garden St
Montclair, NJ 07042-4116

(973) 509-4259

District: Montclair Public School District

Students who attend Watchung Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Buzz Aldrin Middle School
	Glenfield Middle School
	Renaissance Middle School at the Rand Building
High:	Montclair High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.3%

Hispanic:

14.0%

Two or more races:

11.1%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Watchung Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 96th percentile in 2015 → 80th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Jersey average (67% vs 46% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of New Jersey elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 12 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 school67%

District avg65%

New Jersey avg46%

270^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Top 20%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From top 4% (2015) to top 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 6Elementary 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	81.2	270 of 1347	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	83.4	231 of 1338	82.7%	★★★★☆
2023	78.9	283 of 1342	78.9%	★★★★☆
2022	85.6	197 of 1345	85.4%	★★★★☆
2021	78.8	244 of 1317	81.5%	★★★★☆
2019	81.5	244 of 1360	82.1%	★★★★☆
2018	87.4	135 of 1353	90.0%	★★★★★
2017	83.7	200 of 1352	85.2%	★★★★☆
2016	86.8	147 of 1346	89.1%	★★★★☆
2015	92.6	61 of 1357	95.5%	★★★★★
2014	83.6	155 of 1363	88.6%	★★★★☆
2013	83.1	145 of 1367	89.4%	★★★★☆
2012	86.3	45 of 1363	96.7%	★★★★★
2011	87.7	27 of 1360	98.0%	★★★★★
2010	87.8	22 of 1354	98.4%	★★★★★
2009	87.9	37 of 1346	97.3%	★★★★★
2008	87.0	10 of 1338	99.3%	★★★★★
2007	82.5	62 of 1329	95.3%	★★★★★
2006	83.0	70 of 1314	94.7%	★★★★★
2005	80.9	151 of 1303	88.4%	★★★★☆
2004	81.0	153 of 1298	88.2%	★★★★☆
2003	77.5	285 of 1204	76.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	69.4	95 of 463	79.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.5	112 of 469	76.1%	★★★★☆
2023	64.0	135 of 463	70.8%	★★★★☆
2022	78.2	78 of 494	84.2%	★★★★☆
2021	61.6	115 of 456	74.8%	★★★★☆
2019	91.0	33 of 522	93.7%	★★★★★
2018	96.1	11 of 517	97.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	87.0	160 of 1326	87.9%	★★★★☆
2024	83.8	202 of 1317	84.7%	★★★★☆
2023	81.4	238 of 1318	81.9%	★★★★☆
2022	86.1	166 of 1326	87.5%	★★★★☆
2021	76.2	247 of 1290	80.9%	★★★★☆
2019	88.8	79 of 1331	94.1%	★★★★★
2018	85.0	153 of 1333	88.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	87.1	90 of 1032	91.3%	★★★★★
2024	95.1	39 of 989	96.1%	★★★★★
2023	91.9	62 of 982	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	96.6	31 of 953	96.7%	★★★★★
2019	96.0	16 of 899	98.2%	★★★★★
2018	95.7	23 of 870	97.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	45.3	554 of 1023	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.7	513 of 939	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.4	651 of 910	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	70.2	401 of 1318	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	81.1	243 of 1313	81.5%	★★★★☆
2023	74.5	333 of 1315	74.7%	★★★★☆
2022	83.2	219 of 1324	83.5%	★★★★☆
2021	78.2	240 of 1297	81.5%	★★★★☆
2019	72.6	375 of 1335	71.9%	★★★★☆
2018	88.0	122 of 1334	90.9%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	60.7	321 of 1023	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.7	412 of 989	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.5	349 of 958	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.1	188 of 949	80.2%	★★★★☆
2021	79.0	119 of 868	86.3%	★★★★☆
2019	61.3	328 of 1007	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.8	291 of 1001	70.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	78.8	170 of 970	82.5%	★★★★☆
2024	79.4	156 of 963	83.8%	★★★★☆
2023	77.2	176 of 975	81.9%	★★★★☆
2022	86.7	80 of 976	91.8%	★★★★★
2021	84.7	89 of 964	90.8%	★★★★★
2019	83.1	112 of 1023	89.1%	★★★★☆
2018	89.4	45 of 1022	95.6%	★★★★★

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)91st percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)88th percentile+8 vs school

White (2025)82nd percentile+3 vs school

African American (2025)79th percentile~ school

Male (2025)70th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2025)69th percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)46th percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics71%+24 vs state

English Language Arts69%+18 vs state

Science48%+18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Watchung 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 (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 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
Watchung Elementary School	Public	K-5	14 Garden St	Montclair	07042	Essex County	Montclair Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 509-4259	406	34	11.9	9.1%	245 (60.3%)	28 (6.9%)	57 (14.0%)	31 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (11.1%)	81.2	270^th of 1347 public elementary schools	80.0%		83.4	231^st of 1338 public elementary schools	82.7%	39	47.9	75.0	64.6	66.2		88.3	62.9	62.0		$11,719	$53	$11,666
Edgemont Elementary School	Public	K-5	20 Edgemont Rd	Montclair	07042	Essex County	Montclair Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 509-4162	251	23	10.9	17.1%	130 (51.8%)	17 (6.8%)	68 (27.1%)	13 (5.2%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (8.0%)	78.7	307^th of 1347 public elementary schools	77.2%		81.1	267^th of 1338 public elementary schools	80.0%	40	48.7	72.1	67.5	73.7		65.1	55.0	64.1		$13,652	$243	$13,409
Forest Avenue School	Public	PK, KG-2	287 Forest Ave	Glen Ridge	07028	Essex County	Glen Ridge Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 429-8308	127	12	11.0		98 (77.2%)	1 (0.8%)	11 (8.7%)	9 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.3%)								(n/a)										$7,979	$262	$7,717
Brookdale Elementary School	Public	K-6	1230 Broad Street	Bloomfield	07003	Essex County	Bloomfield Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 680-8520	342	32	10.8	12.6%	189 (55.3%)	21 (6.1%)	84 (24.6%)	29 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	17 (5.0%)	90.5	106^th of 1347 public elementary schools	92.1%		85.7	199^th of 1338 public elementary schools	85.1%	93	48.7	74.0	83.3	89.7	83.3	78.0	76.4	76.9	66.6	$6,568		$6,568
Hillside Elementary School	Public	3-5	54 Orange Rd	Montclair	07042	Essex County	Montclair Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 509-4200	684	47	14.6	13.5%	328 (48.0%)	134 (19.6%)	107 (15.6%)	22 (3.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	91 (13.3%)	84.7	205^th of 1347 public elementary schools	84.8%		83.5	230^th of 1338 public elementary schools	82.8%	25	52.2	64.8	74.5	77.8		69.9	69.9	68.0		$12,700	$181	$12,519
Northeast Elementary School	Public	K-5	603 Grove St	Upper Montclair	07042	Essex County	Montclair Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 509-4242	391	36	10.8	19.2%	205 (52.4%)	41 (10.5%)	87 (22.3%)	20 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (9.7%)	61.5	518^th of 1347 public elementary schools	61.5%		65	480^th of 1338 public elementary schools	64.1%	38	35.3	41.9	61.9	56.9		56.3	63.1	53.0		$11,807	$55	$11,752
Charles H. Bullock School	Public	K-5	55 Washington Street	Montclair	07042	Essex County	Montclair Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 509-4255	438	44	9.9	12.6%	239 (54.6%)	75 (17.1%)	46 (10.5%)	20 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	57 (13.0%)	83.2	227^th of 1347 public elementary schools	83.1%		82.2	249^th of 1338 public elementary schools	81.4%	22	52.8	61.9	70.0	71.9		76.0	68.6	67.4		$12,790	$183	$12,607
Demarest Elementary School	Public	K-6	465 Broughton Ave	Bloomfield	07003	Essex County	Bloomfield Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 680-8510	482	42	11.3	34.4%	125 (25.9%)	79 (16.4%)	222 (46.1%)	41 (8.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.9%)	59.8	543^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	59.7%		58.9	557^th of 1338 public elementary schools	58.4%	14	37.6	51.5	53.2	62.8	71.9	50.7	41.7	42.9	55.4	$5,551	$111	$5,440
Laning Avenue School	Public	PK, KG-4	18 Lanning Rd	Verona	07044	Essex County	Verona Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 571-6755	261	22	11.9	1.1%	196 (75.1%)	9 (3.4%)	30 (11.5%)	12 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	12 (4.6%)	72.7	384^th of 1347 public elementary schools	71.5%		69.6	420^th of 1338 public elementary schools	68.6%	36		60.5	70.7			69.8	48.8			$8,559	$138	$8,421
South End Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	116 Harper Terrace	Cedar Grove	07009	Essex County	Cedar Grove Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 239-2116	349	28	12.4	7.2%	254 (72.8%)	7 (2.0%)	44 (12.6%)	27 (7.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.3%)	88.9	145^th of 1347 public elementary schools	89.2%		83.9	221^st of 1338 public elementary schools	83.5%	76		70.8	81.3			73.6	78.1			$8,403	$47	$8,356

Frequently Asked Questions about Watchung Elementary School

Is Watchung Elementary School a good school?

Watchung Elementary School ranks 270^th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Watchung Elementary School?

Students at Watchung Elementary School are 60% White, 14% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 8% Asian, 7% African American.

What district is Watchung Elementary School in?

Montclair Public School District

What schools do graduates of Watchung Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Buzz Aldrin Middle School
Middle : Glenfield Middle School
Middle : Renaissance Middle School at the Rand Building
High : Montclair High School

How many students attend Watchung Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 406 students attended Watchung Elementary School.

Rate Watchung Elementary 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.