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Forest Street Community Elementary School

Q: Is Forest Street Community Elementary School a good school?

Forest Street Community Elementary School ranks 986 th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-7

986^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 27% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Forest Street Community Elementary School is a public elementary school in Orange, New Jersey, serving 385 students in grades PK-7. The school is part of the Orange Board of Education School District, which is ranked 488 out of 609 school districts in the state.

Forest Street Community Elementary School has consistently ranked in the bottom 30% of New Jersey elementary schools over the past several years, with low proficiency rates on state assessments across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's English Language Arts proficiency rates ranged from 26.1% in 3rd grade to 62.8% in 7th grade, compared to the state averages of 44.9% to 57%. In mathematics, the school's proficiency rates ranged from 16% in 6th grade to 40.5% in 7th grade, compared to the state averages of 39.8% to 49.8%. The school's 5th-grade science proficiency rate was also significantly below the state average at 8.4%, compared to 30.1% statewide.

The school faces challenges related to high rates of poverty, with 81.04% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and chronic absenteeism, which has ranged from 10.9% to 18.3% in recent years. While the nearby Orange Board of Education schools also struggle with low academic performance, the South Orange-Maplewood School District schools, such as Marshall Elementary School, have significantly higher academic achievement and lower rates of poverty. Further investigation into the practices and strategies employed by the higher-performing schools could provide valuable insights for improving the performance of Forest Street Community Elementary School and other schools in the Orange district.

384

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,797

Per pupil spending ?

70.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

651 Forest St
Orange, NJ 07050

(973) 677-4120

District: ORANGE BOARD OF EDUCATION School District

Students who attend Forest Street Community Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Orange Preparatory Academy School of Inquiry and Innovation
High:	Orange High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.6%

African American:

45.6%

Two or more races:

1.8%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Forest Street Community Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 43rd percentile in 2019 → 27th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (35% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 43rd-percentile peak (2019) to 27th (2025)

!Science scores 22 pts below the New Jersey average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg30%

New Jersey avg47%

Elementary school

986^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 27%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

421^st of 752

New Jersey public middle schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 23 pts since 2015

From bottom 21% (2015) to bottom 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6Elementary Schools in the ORANGE BOARD OF EDUCATION School District

488^th of 609ORANGE BOARD OF EDUCATION 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	27.6	986 of 1347	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.3	964 of 1338	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.2	842 of 1342	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.0	838 of 1345	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.9	906 of 1317	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.4	781 of 1360	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.8	1057 of 1353	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.7	1098 of 1352	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.0	1089 of 1346	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.3	1171 of 1357	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	21.7	1133 of 1363	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	18.9	1155 of 1367	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	17.5	1168 of 1363	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	22.6	1132 of 1360	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.2	1096 of 1354	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	29.0	1076 of 1346	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	17.7	1166 of 1338	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	16.2	1173 of 1329	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	32.6	1029 of 1314	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	12.9	1172 of 1303	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	1.7	1257 of 1298	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	18.0	998 of 1204	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	79.7	60 of 463	87.0%	★★★★☆
2024	71.0	90 of 469	80.8%	★★★★☆
2023	74.0	94 of 463	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	72.7	97 of 494	80.4%	★★★★☆
2021	58.5	137 of 456	70.0%	★★★★☆
2019	82.1	64 of 522	87.7%	★★★★☆
2018	59.8	174 of 517	66.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	25.9	474 of 597	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.5	452 of 559	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.2	211 of 499	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.2	227 of 489	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.9	209 of 411	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.8	152 of 463	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.3	141 of 434	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	34.0	875 of 1326	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.9	941 of 1317	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.3	793 of 1318	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.3	808 of 1326	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.9	909 of 1290	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.8	822 of 1331	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.9	1075 of 1333	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	33.0	689 of 1032	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.7	468 of 989	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.0	377 of 982	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.4	327 of 953	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.9	381 of 896	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.7	219 of 899	75.6%	★★★★☆
2018	48.9	412 of 870	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	47.5	521 of 1023	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.0	365 of 939	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.6	342 of 839	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.2	497 of 942	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	25.3	994 of 1318	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.0	883 of 1313	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.6	825 of 1315	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.3	795 of 1324	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.4	867 of 1297	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.9	833 of 1335	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.6	929 of 1334	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2018	19.8	787 of 1001	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	421 of 752	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.8	368 of 743	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.5	356 of 748	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.5	261 of 745	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.0	336 of 652	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.8	332 of 745	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.0	490 of 716	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.9	482 of 712	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	37.0	475 of 713	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	21.1	565 of 713	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	36.1	499 of 717	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	26.9	541 of 704	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	8.2	621 of 684	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	83.4	26 of 359	92.8%	★★★★★
2024	88.9	14 of 352	96.0%	★★★★★
2023	79.2	42 of 361	88.4%	★★★★☆
2022	88.4	14 of 356	96.1%	★★★★★
2021	64.1	51 of 291	82.5%	★★★★☆
2019	89.1	22 of 326	93.3%	★★★★★
2018	70.8	65 of 326	80.1%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	45.3	157 of 343	54.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	46.6	372 of 728	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.7	349 of 717	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.0	329 of 720	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.3	247 of 726	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.2	347 of 625	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.4	312 of 703	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.1	483 of 680	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	44.2	314 of 608	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.3	192 of 589	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.3	113 of 587	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	75.9	85 of 591	85.6%	★★★★☆
2021	63.4	120 of 480	75.0%	★★★★☆
2018	46.9	254 of 504	49.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	61.3	181 of 613	70.5%	★★★★☆
2021	73.6	49 of 467	89.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	40.6	412 of 726	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.2	343 of 719	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.1	401 of 718	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.5	256 of 730	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.3	306 of 635	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.9	502 of 697	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	503 of 675	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

African American (2025)87th percentile+60 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)49th percentile+22 vs school

Female (2025)34th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)33rd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)25th percentile~ school

Special Education (2018)21st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)21st percentile-6 vs school

Middle school

African American (2025)93rd percentile+49 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)70th percentile+26 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)54th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)49th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)48th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)43rd percentile~ school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts48%-5 vs state

Mathematics26%-18 vs state

Science8%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Forest Street Community 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)					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 English Language Arts 7th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Forest Street Community Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-7	651 Forest St	Orange	07050	Essex County	ORANGE BOARD OF EDUCATION School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 677-4120	384	33	11.8	70.1%	2 (0.5%)	175 (45.6%)	198 (51.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	27.6	986^th of 1347 public elementary schools	26.8%		28.3	964^th of 1338 public elementary schools	28.0%	22	8.4	26.1	56.5	48.6	51.0	62.8	17.4	36.7	20.0	16.0	40.5	$9,797	$522	$9,275
Hazel Avenue Elementary School	Public	K-5	45 Hazel Ave	West Orange	07052	Essex County	West Orange Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 669-5448	334	34	9.7	58.7%	50 (15.0%)	93 (27.8%)	166 (49.7%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.3%)	54.7	620^th of 1347 public elementary schools	54.0%		60.9	532^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	60.2%	88	34.4	52.1	61.3	54.7			50.0	38.6	50.0			$11,540	$966	$10,574
Gregory Elementary School	Public	K-5	301 Gregory Ave	West Orange	07052	Essex County	West Orange Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 669-5397	484	41	11.9	18.8%	171 (35.3%)	118 (24.4%)	132 (27.3%)	14 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (10.1%)	85.5	188^th of 1347 public elementary schools	86.0%		83.5	228^th of 1338 public elementary schools	83.0%	40	64.6	62.0	81.8	79.3			58.2	74.0	74.4			$11,810		$11,810
Heywood Avenue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-7	421 Heywood Ave	Orange	07050	Essex County	ORANGE BOARD OF EDUCATION School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 677-4105	363	31	11.7	58.1%	3 (0.8%)	279 (76.9%)	66 (18.2%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.3%)	30.8	943^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	30.0%		35.4	863^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	35.5%	80	26.5	32.5	42.6	45.5	45.4	63.9	34.2	29.2	29.4	29.5	41.1	$11,274	$312	$10,962
Lincoln Avenue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-7	216 Lincoln Ave	Orange	07050	Essex County	ORANGE BOARD OF EDUCATION School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 677-4130	728	63	11.5	71.8%	7 (1.0%)	323 (44.4%)	386 (53.0%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (0.8%)	15.1	1174^th of 1347 public elementary schools	12.8%		15.6	1136^th of 1338 public elementary schools	15.1%	38	6.4	16.7	27.9	29.0	41.7	52.5	23.6	19.8	9.6	27.8	17.9	$9,475	$416	$9,059
Central Elementary School	Public	K-2	33 Cleveland Street	Orange	07050	Essex County	ORANGE BOARD OF EDUCATION School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 677-4000	369	27	13.9	86.7%	2 (0.5%)	91 (24.7%)	275 (74.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Oakwood Avenue Community School	Public	PK, KG-7	135 Oakwood Ave	Orange	07050	Essex County	ORANGE BOARD OF EDUCATION School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 677-4095	272	28	9.7	75.0%	2 (0.7%)	175 (64.3%)	89 (32.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	12.7	1206^th of 1347 public elementary schools	10.5%		12.8	1188^th of 1338 public elementary schools	11.2%	18	5.0	22.7	27.2	25.0	45.8	41.4	8.3	12.5	5.0	16.7	23.3	$10,552	$432	$10,120
Marshall Elementary School	Public	K-4	262 Grove Rd	South Orange	07079	Essex County	South Orange-Maplewood School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 378-7698	504	39	12.9	8.5%	284 (56.3%)	82 (16.3%)	60 (11.9%)	15 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	62 (12.3%)	88.8	146^th of 1347 public elementary schools	89.2%					(n/a)		76.9	83.6				82.0	60.7				$4,860		$4,860
Park Avenue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	231 Park Ave	Orange	07050	Essex County	ORANGE BOARD OF EDUCATION School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 677-4124	423	34	12.6	65.2%	1 (0.2%)	223 (52.7%)	193 (45.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.2%)	14.4	1185^th of 1347 public elementary schools	12.0%		19.1	1088^th of 1338 public elementary schools	18.7%	97	6.3	23.5	39.2	14.2	30.1	25.5	19.6	32.7	12.2	14.5	9.8	$11,933	$426	$11,507
East Orange Community Charter School	Public, Charter	K-4	99 Washington Street	East Orange	07017	Essex County	East Orange Community Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 996-0400	414	19	21.7	84.8%	1 (0.2%)	385 (93.0%)	27 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22.3	1058^th of 1347 public elementary schools	21.5%		21.1	1058^th of 1338 public elementary schools	20.9%			25.0	48.2				27.4	25.3				$7,509	$993	$6,516

Frequently Asked Questions about Forest Street Community Elementary School

What district is Forest Street Community Elementary School in?

ORANGE BOARD OF EDUCATION School District

What is the racial makeup of Forest Street Community Elementary School?

Students at Forest Street Community Elementary School are 52% Hispanic, 46% African American, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Forest Street Community Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Forest Street Community Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Orange Preparatory Academy School of Inquiry and Innovation
High : Orange High School

Is Forest Street Community Elementary School a good school?

Forest Street Community Elementary School ranks 986^th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Forest Street Community Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 384 students attended Forest Street Community Elementary School.

Rate Forest Street Community 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.