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William C. McGinnis Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

668^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 743 New Jersey Middle Schools

Better than 10% of New Jersey middle schools

Summary

William C. McGinnis Middle School is a 984-student school serving grades 6–8 in Perth Amboy, NJ. Its 2025–2026 results show a sharp contrast between regular-grade tests and Algebra I. In regular English language arts, mathematics, and science, proficiency was generally low compared with the state and nearby schools. The main concern is broad weakness across regular-grade subjects, not just one test area.

In 2025–2026, ELA proficiency was 24% in grade 6, 26% in grade 7, and 24% in grade 8; the school had the lowest results among nearby schools reporting those grades. Math was 8% in grade 6 and 12% in grade 7, also the lowest among nearby same-grade schools; eighth-grade math was 5%, with two nearby schools lower. Eighth-grade science was 2%, below every nearby school reporting that grade. Algebra I is the standout strength: end-of-course proficiency was 80%, compared with 40% statewide and 13% in the Perth Amboy Public School District. Eighth-grade Algebra I was 80%, above the state’s 75% but just below the district’s 82%; nearby results place the school around the middle of the group.

SchoolDigger gives the school 1 star and a 10th-percentile statewide ranking for 2025–2026, down from the 18th percentile in 2022–2023; nearby Samuel E. Shull Middle School was next-lowest at the 15th percentile. The English Language Learner Students subgroup fell to the 1st percentile in 2025–2026, from the 34th percentile in 2023–2024, a much sharper drop than the school’s overall ranking. In 2024–2025, 79% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, the second-highest share among 11 nearby schools with the same measure; their average was 58%. The student-teacher ratio was 12.3, close to the nearby average of 12.0. Chronic absenteeism improved to 13.6% in 2024–2025 from 18.1% the year before, below the state’s 14.4% and the district’s 16.2%.

984

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,929

Per pupil spending ?

78.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

271 State Street
Perth Amboy, NJ 08861-4347

(732) 376-6040

District: Perth Amboy Public School District

Students who attend William C. McGinnis Middle School usually attend:

High:

Perth Amboy High School

Feeder schools for William C. McGinnis Middle School:

Elementary:	Anthony V. Ceres Elementary School
	Herbert N. Richardson 21st Century School
	Robert N. Wilentz Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.3%

African American:

1.8%

White:

0.4%

See top rated New Jersey middle schools

Compare William C. McGinnis Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2016 → 10th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (16% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school16%

District avg17%

New Jersey avg42%

668^th of 743

New Jersey public middle schools ?

Bottom 10%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 15% (2016) to bottom 10% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Perth Amboy Public School District

568^th of 607Perth Amboy 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
2026	12.1	668 of 743	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.7	662 of 752	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.7	649 of 743	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	617 of 748	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	620 of 745	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.8	548 of 652	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.2	613 of 745	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.2	585 of 716	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.9	607 of 712	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.3	608 of 713	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.3	573 of 713	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	6.6	649 of 717	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	7.6	635 of 704	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.5	612 of 677	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	7.4	626 of 684	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	11.9	594 of 677	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	8.7	597 of 664	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	10.3	566 of 640	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	10.8	555 of 631	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	9.4	551 of 615	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	6.7	543 of 599	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	6.8	530 of 588	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	6.8	512 of 574	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2021	56.6	83 of 291	71.5%	★★★★☆
2019	45.6	165 of 326	49.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	79.2	45 of 326	86.2%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	14.6	332 of 336	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	31.1	239 of 343	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.2	210 of 320	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	175 of 288	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.4	155 of 270	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.3	104 of 197	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.1	161 of 227	29.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.8	171 of 202	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	11.6	667 of 716	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.5	629 of 728	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.9	623 of 717	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.8	595 of 720	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	613 of 726	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	528 of 625	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.2	577 of 703	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.9	542 of 680	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	16.9	532 of 589	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.6	500 of 608	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.4	493 of 589	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	425 of 587	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	438 of 591	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.9	378 of 480	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.8	410 of 524	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.3	369 of 504	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	19.2	530 of 590	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.8	504 of 613	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	459 of 584	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.8	372 of 568	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.0	387 of 549	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.9	312 of 467	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.7	379 of 541	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.3	318 of 522	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	13.1	645 of 714	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.6	638 of 726	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.9	632 of 719	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.4	595 of 718	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	600 of 730	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	522 of 635	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.3	588 of 697	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	560 of 675	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	15.9	463 of 482	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.6	431 of 507	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.0	418 of 510	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.6	433 of 505	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	473 of 535	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.0	450 of 492	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	35.3	289 of 471	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2021)71st percentile+56 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)10th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)10th percentile~ school

Male (2026)10th percentile~ school

Female (2026)7th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)4th percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)1st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I80%+33 vs state

English Language Arts25%-29 vs state

Mathematics8%-27 vs state

Science2%-17 vs state

2.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Saturday, June 5, 2021

Okay so i’m a student, and I would like to note something for parents. Please be aware that fights happen a lot, kids vape and smoke weed in bathrooms, kids argue with the teachers disrupting the class. Its not that great of a school to be honest. But my experience was good i mean as long as you stay in your own lane and mind your business you’re good. Close Quote

by a citizen
Monday, April 16, 2018

Very bad very bad. I am a former student, and I really despised the part of my life in which I attended this pathetic excuse of a school. I wish I could give it zero stars, because if I could, I would. Close Quote

Schools Near William C. McGinnis 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				NJSLA-S Science (2026)		NJSLA English Language Arts (2026)					NJSLA Mathematics (2026)					NJSLA Algebra I (2026)			NJSLA Geometry (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
William C. McGinnis Middle School	Public	6-8	271 State Street	Perth Amboy	08861	Middlesex County	Perth Amboy Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 376-6040	984	80	12.3	78.8%	4 (0.4%)	18 (1.8%)	957 (97.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	12.1	668^th of 743 public middle schools	10.1%		14.7	662^nd of 752 public middle schools	12.0%	6		1.9			24.0	26.2	24.1			7.8	11.8	5.3		80.0	80.0			$18,929		$18,929
Samuel E. Shull Middle School	Public	6-8	380 Hall Avenue	Perth Amboy	08861	Middlesex County	Perth Amboy Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 376-6060	941	73	12.9	73.3%	13 (1.4%)	50 (5.3%)	867 (92.1%)	8 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	16.8	630^th of 743 public middle schools	15.2%		16.6	645^th of 752 public middle schools	14.2%	15		4.8			24.9	30.4	31.1			15.4	13.6	11.2		83.3	83.3			$18,296		$18,296
Dual Language School	Public	4-6	300 Eagle Avenue	Perth Amboy	08861	Middlesex County	Perth Amboy Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 376-6200	384	23	16.6	76.3%	4 (1.0%)	5 (1.3%)	374 (97.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)	12.4		34.2	41.6	39.8			27.9	31.0	22.0								$14,351		$14,351
Fords Middle School	Public	6-8	Fanning Street	Fords	08863	Middlesex County	Woodbridge Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 596-4200	645	63	10.2	56.9%	124 (19.2%)	64 (9.9%)	336 (52.1%)	113 (17.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.2%)	33.9	474^th of 743 public middle schools	36.2%		26.9	538^th of 752 public middle schools	28.5%	64		12.5			46.2	43.1	44.2			24.3	22.8	15.8		100.0	100.0			$13,899	$314	$13,585
Woodbridge Middle School	Public	6-8	525 Barron Avenue	Woodbridge	07095	Middlesex County	Woodbridge Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 602-8690	513	56	9.2	56.7%	158 (30.8%)	82 (16.0%)	215 (41.9%)	46 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.3%)	18.6	615^th of 743 public middle schools	17.2%		16.5	646^th of 752 public middle schools	14.1%	31		8.2			31.5	31.4	36.3			12.9	17.3	4.8		55.5	55.5			$16,615	$567	$16,048
Herbert Hoover Middle School	Public	6-8	174 Jackson Avenue	Edison	08837	Middlesex County	Edison Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 452-2940	1,060	81	13.1	44.3%	158 (14.9%)	140 (13.2%)	266 (25.1%)	459 (43.3%)	3 (0.3%)	4 (0.4%)	30 (2.8%)	46.5	379^th of 743 public middle schools	49.0%		46.4	386^th of 752 public middle schools	48.7%	7		20.2			55.8	56.5	56.3			39.2	17.3	2.2	90.3	47.5	63.3	89.6	89.6	$14,507	$520	$13,987
Sayreville Middle School	Public	6-8	800 Washington Road	Parlin	08859	Middlesex County	Sayreville School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 525-5290	1,294	122	10.6	46.4%	460 (35.5%)	207 (16.0%)	343 (26.5%)	196 (15.1%)	11 (0.9%)	7 (0.5%)	69 (5.3%)	43.8	398^th of 743 public middle schools	46.4%		42.8	419^th of 752 public middle schools	44.3%	21		15.9			48.0	53.3	45.5			41.2	37.0	8.9	96.8	51.0	57.5	91.3	91.3	$11,881	$330	$11,551
Iselin Middle School	Public	6-8	900 Woodruff Street	Iselin	08830	Middlesex County	Woodbridge Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 602-8450	794	72	11.0	36.1%	119 (15.0%)	48 (6.0%)	139 (17.5%)	481 (60.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.9%)	67.2	215^th of 743 public middle schools	71.1%		68.8	211^th of 752 public middle schools	71.9%	4		26.5			52.3	60.9	60.5			43.4	48.3	42.3		98.3	98.3			$12,498	$257	$12,241
Edgar Middle School	Public	5-8	49 Brunswick Avenue	Metuchen	08840	Middlesex County	Metuchen Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 321-8770	761	64	11.8	10.0%	340 (44.7%)	30 (3.9%)	101 (13.3%)	233 (30.6%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (7.0%)	86.8	71^st of 743 public middle schools	90.4%		86.8	70^th of 752 public middle schools	90.7%	1	51.9	42.2		75.1	78.6	79.1	73.3		78.8	70.5	56.9	39.6	97.8	91.1	93.8	98.0	98.0	$12,715		$12,715
Carteret Middle School	Public	5-6	300 Carteret Avenue	Carteret	07008	Middlesex County	Carteret Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 541-8960	540	48	11.1	80.0%	42 (7.8%)	80 (14.8%)	281 (52.0%)	115 (21.3%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.3%)								(n/a)	5.9			32.3	38.2				30.2	26.7								$13,838	$382	$13,456

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