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Merriam Avenue School

Public Grades PK, KG-4

1077^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 20% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Merriam Avenue School is an elementary school located in Newton, New Jersey, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 524 students. The school is part of the Newton Public School District, which is ranked 437 out of 609 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Merriam Avenue School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of New Jersey elementary schools, with a ranking between 692 and 1077 out of 1,345-1,347 schools over the past 5 school years. The school's performance on NJSLA tests is significantly below the state average, with only 19.5% of 3rd graders and 44.9% of 4th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state averages of 44.9% and 53.6%, respectively. In mathematics, the proficiency rates for 3rd and 4th graders were 21.9% and 35%, respectively, compared to the state averages of 49.8% and 46.7%. The school has also experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 16.6% to 33.1% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Frankford Township School, Frelinghuysen Township Elementary School, and Marian E. McKeown Elementary School, generally outperform Merriam Avenue School on academic measures, with higher proficiency rates and better rankings. These nearby schools also have lower rates of chronic absenteeism and a lower percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a more advantaged student population. Despite Merriam Avenue School's low academic performance, its spending per student and student-teacher ratio are not significantly different from the higher-performing nearby schools, indicating that additional resources or staffing alone may not be the sole solution to improving student outcomes.

483

Students ?

10.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,845

Per pupil spending ?

55.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

81 Merriam Avenue
Newton, NJ 07860

(973) 383-7202

District: Newton Public School District

Students who attend Merriam Avenue School usually attend:

Middle:	Halsted Middle School
High:	Newton High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.1%

Hispanic:

42.2%

African American:

6.2%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Merriam Avenue School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 34th percentile in 2015 → 20th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (30% vs 49% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg30%

New Jersey avg49%

1,077^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 34% (2015) to bottom 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

437^th of 609Newton 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	21.2	1077 of 1347	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.0	915 of 1338	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.3	869 of 1342	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.3	692 of 1345	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.3	948 of 1317	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.1	815 of 1360	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.3	760 of 1353	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.9	823 of 1352	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.6	853 of 1346	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	37.0	893 of 1357	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	33.1	1016 of 1363	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	41.6	929 of 1367	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.5	856 of 1363	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	46.7	884 of 1360	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	41.8	937 of 1354	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	51.3	792 of 1346	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	48.7	860 of 1338	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	61.4	684 of 1329	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	50.6	829 of 1314	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	58.3	708 of 1303	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2004	59.1	673 of 1298	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2003	48.4	740 of 1204	38.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2024	69.3	101 of 469	78.5%	★★★★☆
2023	84.5	51 of 463	89.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	421 of 597	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.7	209 of 559	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.7	257 of 499	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	21.0	1042 of 1326	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.3	853 of 1317	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.9	820 of 1318	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.5	695 of 1326	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.4	1046 of 1290	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.7	795 of 1331	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.0	871 of 1333	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	38.7	603 of 1032	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.2	577 of 989	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.7	526 of 982	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.0	356 of 953	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.8	598 of 896	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	67.6	238 of 899	73.5%	★★★★☆
2018	67.6	224 of 870	74.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	26.1	851 of 1023	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.0	509 of 939	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.5	292 of 910	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.1	289 of 863	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.8	266 of 839	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.8	339 of 948	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.3	458 of 942	51.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	22.8	1023 of 1318	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.9	903 of 1313	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.6	826 of 1315	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.0	640 of 1324	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.8	811 of 1297	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.1	781 of 1335	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.7	605 of 1334	54.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	22.2	808 of 1023	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.2	754 of 989	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	815 of 958	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.5	682 of 949	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.7	763 of 868	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.9	524 of 1007	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.6	588 of 1001	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	9.9	895 of 970	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	801 of 963	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	778 of 975	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.4	665 of 976	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	12.2	908 of 964	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.4	766 of 1023	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.3	745 of 1022	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2024)78th percentile+47 vs school

Hispanic (2025)42nd percentile+22 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)29th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)22nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)21st percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)21st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)17th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)8th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts32%-17 vs state

Mathematics28%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Merriam Avenue 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)		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
Merriam Avenue School	Public	PK, KG-4	81 Merriam Avenue	Newton	07860	Sussex County	Newton Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 383-7202	483	46	10.5	55.7%	208 (43.1%)	30 (6.2%)	204 (42.2%)	12 (2.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.6%)	21.2	1077^th of 1347 public elementary schools	20.0%		32	915^th of 1338 public elementary schools	31.6%	162			19.5	44.9					21.9	35.0							$9,845	$223	$9,622
Florence M. Burd	Public	PK, KG-4	219 Newton Sparta Road	Newton	07860	Sussex County	Andover Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 315-5257	288	29	9.8	24.3%	211 (73.3%)	9 (3.1%)	48 (16.7%)	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.9%)	71.6	400^th of 1347 public elementary schools	70.3%		86.8	179^th of 1338 public elementary schools	86.6%	221			60.0	69.6					44.6	80.8							$14,461	$243	$14,218
Fredon Township School	Public	PK, KG-6	459 Route 94	Newton	07860	Sussex County	Fredon Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 383-4151	203	19	10.4	12.8%	161 (79.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (15.8%)	4 (2.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)	57.1	585^th of 1347 public elementary schools	56.6%		67.7	444^th of 1338 public elementary schools	66.8%	141	32.4		51.8	40.9	64.7	95.2			51.8	40.9	38.2	52.4					$17,927	$704	$17,223
Alpine Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	151 Andover Road	Sparta	07871	Sussex County	Sparta Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 729-3107	759	63	12.0	6.6%	542 (71.4%)	16 (2.1%)	131 (17.3%)	33 (4.3%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.8%)	30 (4.0%)								(n/a)																	$8,083		$8,083
Marian E. McKeown Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	One School Road	Newton	07860	Sussex County	Hampton Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 383-5300	322	37	8.7	15.8%	268 (83.2%)	8 (2.5%)	38 (11.8%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	72.8	381^st of 1347 public elementary schools	71.7%		60.2	542^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	59.5%	161	48.3		72.4	79.4	68.4	67.4			48.2	76.4	38.6	54.3					$17,454	$552	$16,902
Green Hills School	Public	PK, KG-8	69 Mackerly Road	Greendell	07839	Sussex County	Green Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 300-3800	414	43	9.5	11.4%	334 (80.7%)	18 (4.3%)	49 (11.8%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	64.5	485^th of 1347 public elementary schools	64.0%		70.9	408^th of 1338 public elementary schools	69.5%	77	35.7	34.9	45.0	38.9	62.5	75.4	82.5	81.4	62.5	55.6	58.9	49.1	62.5	20.0	100.0	100.0	$14,773	$261	$14,512
Mohawk Avenue School	Public	3	18 Mohawk Avneue	Sparta	07871	Sussex County	Sparta Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 729-1289	236	21	11.4	9.7%	182 (77.1%)	2 (0.8%)	31 (13.1%)	12 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.8%)	67.8	444^th of 1347 public elementary schools	67.0%		62.1	519^th of 1338 public elementary schools	61.2%	75			51.7						63.9								$9,749		$9,749
Helen Morgan School	Public	4-5	100 Stanhope Road	Sparta	07871	Sussex County	Sparta Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 729-5770	499	43	11.5	8.4%	380 (76.2%)	15 (3.0%)	66 (13.2%)	22 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.0%)								(n/a)	35.7			63.0	66.3					47.7	52.2						$9,972		$9,972
Stillwater Township School	Public	PK, KG-6	904 Stillwater Road	Stillwater	07875	Sussex County	Stillwater Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 383-6171	296	36	8.3	14.9%	267 (90.2%)	3 (1.0%)	24 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	71.9	393^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	70.8%		68.9	430^th of 1338 public elementary schools	67.9%	37	33.3		66.7	76.0	66.6	75.0			63.9	64.0	41.0	62.5					$17,126	$580	$16,546
Frankford Township School	Public	PK, KG-8	4 Pines Road	Branchville	07826	Sussex County	Frankford Township Consolidated School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 948-3727	505	53	9.5	14.7%	454 (89.9%)	3 (0.6%)	29 (5.7%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.2%)	50.4	679^th of 1347 public elementary schools	49.6%		54	621^st of 1338 public elementary schools	53.6%	58	30.3	10.9	49.1	49.0	52.7	78.7	84.7	63.7	43.8	54.9	31.6	31.9	53.8	25.0	81.8	81.8	$16,040	$466	$15,574

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