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Chester M. Stephens Elementary School

Q: Is Chester M. Stephens Elementary School a good school?

Chester M. Stephens Elementary School ranks 524 th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

524^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 61% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Chester M. Stephens Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Budd Lake, New Jersey, serving 713 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Mount Olive Township School District, which is ranked 206 out of 609 districts in the state.

Academically, Chester M. Stephens Elementary School has shown mixed performance compared to the district and state averages. While the school's 4th and 5th grade English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency rates outperformed the district and state, its overall ELA and Mathematics proficiency rates were generally lower. Additionally, the school's 5th grade Science performance has consistently lagged behind the district and state. When compared to nearby schools in the same district, such as Mountain View Elementary and Sandshore Rd. Elementary, Chester M. Stephens Elementary School generally performs on par or slightly below.

The school has also faced some concerning trends, including a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 7.4% in 2021-2022 to 14.9% in 2023-2024, which is higher than the state average and nearby district schools. Additionally, the school has seen a growing population of students from lower-income families, with the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch increasing from 12.37% in 2021-2022 to 21.6% in 2023-2024. To address these challenges, the school may need to allocate additional resources and support to ensure equitable outcomes for all students.

696

Students ?

10.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,600

Per pupil spending ?

27.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

99 Sunset Drive
Budd Lake, NJ 07828

(973) 691-4002

District: Mount Olive Township School District

Students who attend Chester M. Stephens Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Mount Olive Middle School
High:	Mount Olive High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.5%

Asian:

24.4%

Hispanic:

23.1%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Chester M. Stephens Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 61st percentile in 2015 → 61st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Jersey average (52% vs 46% meeting standards)

✓Above the New Jersey median (61st percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Mount Olive Township School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg58%

New Jersey avg46%

524^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Top 39%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Mount Olive Township School District

206^th of 609Mount Olive 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	61.0	524 of 1347	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.1	488 of 1338	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.8	496 of 1342	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.3	383 of 1345	71.5%	★★★★☆
2021	65.2	407 of 1317	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.7	493 of 1360	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.6	376 of 1353	72.2%	★★★★☆
2017	72.6	417 of 1352	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	77.1	323 of 1346	76.0%	★★★★☆
2015	62.4	529 of 1357	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	76.2	336 of 1363	75.3%	★★★★☆
2013	76.2	335 of 1367	75.5%	★★★★☆
2012	78.3	274 of 1363	79.9%	★★★★☆
2011	76.7	313 of 1360	77.0%	★★★★☆
2010	70.4	449 of 1354	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.5	628 of 1346	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.2	570 of 1338	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.5	753 of 1329	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	61.3	681 of 1314	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	52.3	789 of 1303	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	47.6	850 of 1298	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2003	63.5	551 of 1204	54.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	86.6	41 of 463	91.1%	★★★★★
2024	95.6	16 of 469	96.6%	★★★★★
2023	67.7	117 of 463	74.7%	★★★★☆
2022	78.3	77 of 494	84.4%	★★★★☆
2021	24.4	385 of 456	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	97.6	11 of 522	97.9%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	52.9	168 of 330	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.4	164 of 340	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.2	179 of 346	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	65.0	120 of 348	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.0	195 of 339	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.7	178 of 370	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.7	151 of 370	59.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	57.1	193 of 597	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.2	155 of 559	72.3%	★★★★☆
2023	76.5	94 of 499	81.2%	★★★★☆
2021	99.1	13 of 411	96.8%	★★★★★
2019	88.1	52 of 463	88.8%	★★★★☆
2018	84.8	54 of 434	87.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	61.4	509 of 1326	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.0	503 of 1317	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.2	505 of 1318	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.1	354 of 1326	73.3%	★★★★☆
2021	66.3	380 of 1290	70.5%	★★★★☆
2019	65.1	506 of 1331	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.6	386 of 1333	71.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	62.8	322 of 1032	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.9	407 of 989	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.9	306 of 982	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.7	272 of 953	71.5%	★★★★☆
2021	61.0	251 of 896	72.0%	★★★★☆
2019	60.8	300 of 899	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.9	147 of 870	83.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	60.5	333 of 1023	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	79.4	116 of 939	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	56.4	316 of 910	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	81.7	96 of 863	88.9%	★★★★☆
2021	62.6	203 of 839	75.8%	★★★★☆
2019	60.6	287 of 948	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.7	353 of 942	62.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	59.8	529 of 1318	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.2	442 of 1313	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.7	463 of 1315	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.5	385 of 1324	70.9%	★★★★☆
2021	62.8	418 of 1297	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.6	465 of 1335	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.4	386 of 1334	71.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	33.9	617 of 1023	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.0	451 of 989	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.8	457 of 958	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.0	323 of 949	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.2	331 of 868	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.6	474 of 1007	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.6	359 of 1001	64.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	28.6	717 of 970	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.5	586 of 963	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.4	548 of 975	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.1	447 of 976	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.8	463 of 964	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.2	565 of 1023	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.8	434 of 1022	57.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2025)91st percentile+30 vs school

Hispanic (2025)69th percentile+8 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)68th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)67th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)62nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)60th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)49th percentile-12 vs school

Special Education (2025)40th percentile-21 vs school

White (2025)26th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts58%+8 vs state

Mathematics55%+8 vs state

Science30%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Chester M. Stephens 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
Chester M. Stephens Elementary School	Public	K-5	99 Sunset Drive	Budd Lake	07828	Morris County	Mount Olive Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 691-4002	696	64	10.9	27.3%	268 (38.5%)	60 (8.6%)	161 (23.1%)	170 (24.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (4.9%)	61	524^th of 1347 public elementary schools	61.1%		64.1	488^th of 1338 public elementary schools	63.5%	36	29.9		47.5	63.5	63.2				55.7	64.4	44.0						$9,600	$530	$9,070
Tinc Rd. Elementary School	Public	K-5	24 Tinc Road	Flanders	07836	Morris County	Mount Olive Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 927-2203	449	47	9.6	32.5%	227 (50.6%)	37 (8.2%)	125 (27.8%)	35 (7.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (5.1%)	75	351^st of 1347 public elementary schools	73.9%		76.3	331^st of 1338 public elementary schools	75.3%	20	34.3		60.0	73.1	61.6				65.0	77.1	58.9						$8,991	$165	$8,826
Sandshore Rd. Elementary School	Public	K-5	498 Sandshore Road	Budd Lake	07828	Morris County	Mount Olive Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 691-4003	409	41	9.9	10.5%	231 (56.5%)	19 (4.6%)	72 (17.6%)	67 (16.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	18 (4.4%)	75.5	349^th of 1347 public elementary schools	74.1%		68.8	435^th of 1338 public elementary schools	67.5%	86	44.0		55.5	67.1	81.3				54.1	64.6	65.4						$10,512	$325	$10,187
Mountain View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	118 Clover Hill Drive	Flanders	07836	Morris County	Mount Olive Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 927-2201	565	57	9.8	21.2%	306 (54.2%)	27 (4.8%)	144 (25.5%)	65 (11.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.7%)	73.6	368^th of 1347 public elementary schools	72.7%		62.4	512^th of 1338 public elementary schools	61.7%	144	40.5		62.8	60.0	75.7				61.4	60.0	60.8						$10,378	$265	$10,113
Benedict A. Cucinella School	Public	PK, KG-5	470 Naughright Road	Long Valley	07853	Morris County	Washington Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 850-3161	529	53	9.9	8.9%	392 (74.1%)	17 (3.2%)	61 (11.5%)	36 (6.8%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	19 (3.6%)	77.7	323^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	76.0%		73.2	376^th of 1338 public elementary schools	71.9%	53	43.8		52.8	79.5	82.0				65.7	51.3	68.6						$10,786	$23	$10,763
Netcong Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	26 College Road	Netcong	07857	Morris County	Netcong School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 347-0020	295	34	8.6	48.8%	104 (35.3%)	21 (7.1%)	155 (52.5%)	11 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	40.7	799^th of 1347 public elementary schools	40.7%		37.1	841^st of 1338 public elementary schools	37.1%	42	25.8	15.3	27.6	52.7	41.9	60.0	57.7	80.7	34.5	55.3	32.3	28.6	28.0	21.1			$12,749	$406	$12,343
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	35 Corn Hollow Road	Succasunna	07876	Morris County	Roxbury Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 584-8955	346	30	11.6	16.2%	224 (64.7%)	18 (5.2%)	66 (19.1%)	29 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.6%)	59.4	549^th of 1347 public elementary schools	59.2%		53	632^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	52.8%	83			43.4	70.5					48.6	55.9							$12,644		$12,644
Kennedy Elementary School	Public	K-4	20 Pleasant Hill Road	Succasunna	07876	Morris County	Roxbury Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 584-3938	277	24	11.5	8.7%	218 (78.7%)	5 (1.8%)	32 (11.6%)	7 (2.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.1%)	40.6	802^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	40.5%		58.3	565^th of 1338 public elementary schools	57.8%	237			34.0	58.6					26.5	50.0							$13,088		$13,088
Valley Road School	Public	PK, KG-8	24 Valley Road	Stanhope	07874	Sussex County	Stanhope School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 347-0008	346	34	10.2	23.7%	185 (53.5%)	12 (3.5%)	129 (37.3%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.0%)	65.8	469^th of 1347 public elementary schools	65.2%		67.6	448^th of 1338 public elementary schools	66.5%	21	42.9	17.6	45.9	78.3	65.1	54.8	71.4	72.8	47.4	64.9	67.4	35.7	46.4	5.0	50.0	50.0	$15,419	$346	$15,073
Willow Grove Elementary School	Public	2-4	601 Willow Grove Street	Hackettstown	07840	Warren County	Hackettstown Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 852-2805	320	36	8.8	45.0%	133 (41.6%)	7 (2.2%)	158 (49.4%)	12 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.1%)	57.5	577^th of 1347 public elementary schools	57.2%		59.6	550^th of 1338 public elementary schools	58.9%	27			43.2	60.0					58.2	51.5							$14,182	$141	$14,041

Frequently Asked Questions about Chester M. Stephens Elementary School

Is Chester M. Stephens Elementary School a good school?

Chester M. Stephens Elementary School ranks 524^th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Chester M. Stephens Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Chester M. Stephens Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mount Olive Middle School
High : Mount Olive High School

What is the racial makeup of Chester M. Stephens Elementary School?

Students at Chester M. Stephens Elementary School are 39% White, 24% Asian, 23% Hispanic, 9% African American, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Chester M. Stephens Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 696 students attended Chester M. Stephens Elementary School.

What district is Chester M. Stephens Elementary School in?

Mount Olive Township 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.