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Plainfield High School

Public Grades 9-12

425^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 434 New Jersey High Schools

Better than 2% of New Jersey high schools

Summary

Plainfield High School is a public high school in Plainfield, New Jersey, serving 2,145 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Plainfield Public School District, which is ranked 564 out of 609 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Plainfield High School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of New Jersey high schools over the past decade, with a current statewide ranking of 425 out of 434 high schools and a 0-star rating.

Plainfield High School significantly underperforms the state and district averages on standardized tests, with only 16.5% of 9th-grade students proficient or better in NJSLA/English Language Arts, compared to 49.9% statewide. In NJSLA/Algebra I, the proficiency rates were even lower, with 0% of 10th-grade students and only 3.3% of 9th-grade students meeting the standard, compared to 17.9% and 20.3% statewide, respectively. The school also has a four-year graduation rate of 73.8%, which is significantly lower than the state average of 91.3%, and a higher dropout rate of 3.1%, compared to the state average of 1.0%. Additionally, Plainfield High School has a very high chronic absenteeism rate of 41.0%, significantly higher than the state average of 14.9%.

Plainfield High School's performance is significantly lower than that of nearby schools, such as South Plainfield High School and North Plainfield High School, which have higher academic proficiency rates, graduation rates, and lower chronic absenteeism. The school's challenges are not solely due to a lack of funding, as its spending per student of $10,696 in the 2018-2019 school year is higher than the state average. Addressing the issues at Plainfield High School will require a comprehensive approach to improve the educational outcomes for its diverse student population.

2,077

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,696

Per pupil spending ?

75.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

950 Park Avenue
Plainfield, NJ 07060-3002

(908) 731-4390

District: Plainfield Public School District

Feeder schools for Plainfield High School:

Elementary:	Cedarbrook Elementary School
	Charles H. Stillman Elementary School
	Clinton Elementary School
	Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School
	More...
	Emerson Community School
	Evergreen Elementary School
	Frederic W. Cook Elementary School
	Jefferson Elementary School
	Washington Community School
Middle:	Hubbard Middle School
	Maxson Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

82.2%

African American:

15.7%

White:

0.8%

See top rated New Jersey high schools

Compare Plainfield High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 8th percentile in 2014 → 2nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (15% vs 49% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Graduation rate below the New Jersey average (70% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg19%

New Jersey avg49%

425^th of 434

New Jersey public high schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 6% (2015) to bottom 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Plainfield Public School District

564^th of 609Plainfield 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	8.0	425 of 434	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.0	415 of 429	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	373 of 422	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	385 of 415	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.3	377 of 416	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.9	393 of 415	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.6	394 of 411	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	14.7	386 of 409	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	15.9	383 of 406	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	7.3	377 of 411	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.5	368 of 396	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.4	377 of 388	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	1.2	368 of 378	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	2.1	357 of 371	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	6.2	343 of 370	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	4.1	335 of 359	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.2	335 of 361	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	2.1	340 of 357	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	3.6	330 of 351	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	11.4	313 of 348	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	8.8	313 of 343	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	22.7	244 of 283	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	242 of 282	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.0	160 of 250	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.4	179 of 256	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.7	210 of 254	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	234 of 266	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	21.1	192 of 215	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.0	177 of 191	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	140 of 161	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	102 of 137	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.4	108 of 138	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.2	144 of 146	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	6.8	412 of 426	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.7	403 of 420	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.5	393 of 416	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.3	386 of 414	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.2	378 of 408	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.3	396 of 403	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	9.8	391 of 406	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.6	383 of 403	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.3	342 of 385	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	346 of 382	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	336 of 364	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.0	353 of 368	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	12.4	357 of 377	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.5	338 of 358	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	283 of 344	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.1	279 of 324	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.7	306 of 347	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	326 of 345	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	6.8	409 of 426	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.8	409 of 419	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	364 of 414	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.6	373 of 410	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.1	387 of 407	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.2	394 of 405	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	27.7	276 of 359	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.3	244 of 361	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.3	108 of 339	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.8	203 of 344	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.6	296 of 355	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)23rd percentile+21 vs school

African American (2025)14th percentile+12 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)11th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)5th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)4th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)4th percentile~ school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics17%-41 vs state

English Language Arts16%-33 vs state

Geometry10%-46 vs state

Science5%-26 vs state

Algebra I3%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Plainfield High 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)				NJGPA English Language Arts (2025)	NJGPA Mathematics (2025)	NJSLA-S Science (2025)		NJSLA English Language Arts (2025)				NJSLA Mathematics (2025)			NJSLA Algebra I (2025)				NJSLA Geometry (2025)			NJSLA Algebra II (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	NJGPA English Language Arts 11th Grade	NJGPA Mathematics 11th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 8th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 11th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 6th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 7th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 8th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 9th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 10th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	NJSLA Geometry 9th Grade	NJSLA Geometry 10th Grade	NJSLA Geometry End of Course	NJSLA Algebra II End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Plainfield High School	Public	9-12	950 Park Avenue	Plainfield	07060	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4390	2,077	156	13.3	75.4%	17 (0.8%)	326 (15.7%)	1,708 (82.2%)	8 (0.4%)	4 (0.2%)	3 (0.1%)	11 (0.5%)	8	425^th of 434 public high schools	2.1%		8	415^th of 429 public high schools	3.3%	10	46.6	16.8		5.0				16.5					3.3	0.0	2.9	10.4		10.2		$10,696		$10,696
The Barack Obama Green Charter School	Public, Charter	6-12	35 Watchung ave	Plainfield	07060	Union County	The Barack Obama Green Charter High School District	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(877) 643-4064	358	25	14.3	78.2%	1 (0.3%)	92 (25.7%)	262 (73.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	17.7	370^th of 434 public high schools	14.7%		30.2	307^th of 429 public high schools	28.4%	63	66.7	23.3	5.0	6.7	12.2	4.9	37.5	19.7	14.6	2.4	0.0	60.0	3.7	12.2	12.4					$9,321	$950	$8,371
Pinnacle Academy High School	Public	9-12	209 Berckman St	Plainfield	07062	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(908) 731-4270	67	3	22.3	74.6%	0 (0.0%)	12 (17.9%)	55 (82.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
South Plainfield High School	Public	9-12	200 Lake Street	South Plainfield	07080	Middlesex County	South Plainfield School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 754-4620	1,044	93	11.2	36.3%	348 (33.3%)	140 (13.4%)	385 (36.9%)	141 (13.5%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (0.7%)	19 (1.8%)	57.1	164^th of 434 public high schools	62.2%		59.4	150^th of 429 public high schools	65.0%	14	89.3	66.2		38.6				42.4					23.1		23.6	62.0		62.0		$6,934		$6,934
North Plainfield High School	Public	9-12	34 Wilson Avenue	North Plainfield	07060	Somerset County	North Plainfield School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 769-6000	1,141	100	11.4	75.7%	86 (7.5%)	189 (16.6%)	828 (72.6%)	26 (2.3%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	7 (0.6%)	24.2	340^th of 434 public high schools	21.7%		27	328^th of 429 public high schools	23.5%	12	68.9	40.9		10.1				36.9					10.2		10.0	65.2		50.0		$11,138	$46	$11,092
Plainfield Academy For The Arts & Advanced Studies	Public	7-12	1700 West Front St	Plainfield	07063	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4421	357	40	8.9	77.3%	2 (0.6%)	112 (31.4%)	239 (66.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	20.5	357^th of 434 public high schools	17.7%		23.2	339^th of 429 public high schools	21.0%	18		57.0	6.3	22.1		54.8	56.3	41.4		16.1	0.0	40.0	0.0		14.9	28.6		28.6		$12,696		$12,696
Academy For Allied Health Sciences	Public	9-12	1776 Raritan Road	Scotch Plains	07076	Union County	Union County Vocational-Technical School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 889-8288	308	15	20.2	10.4%	91 (29.5%)	40 (13.0%)	77 (25.0%)	86 (27.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.9%)	92.8	6^th of 434 public high schools	98.6%		92	8^th of 429 public high schools	98.1%	2				89.7				100.0					86.7		86.7	92.3	57.9	77.8	92.3	$8,221	$35	$8,186
Academy For Performing Arts	Public	9-12	1776 Raritan Road	Scotch Plains	07076	Union County	Union County Vocational-Technical School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 889-8288	242	15	16.0	5.0%	104 (43.0%)	37 (15.3%)	73 (30.2%)	10 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	8 (3.3%)	91.2	10^th of 434 public high schools	97.7%		80	55^th of 429 public high schools	87.2%	45		89.1		67.3				95.0					60.0		60.0		25.0	38.3		$11,042	$46	$10,996
Union County Technical	Public	9-12	1776 Raritan Rd	Scotch Plains	07076	Union County	Union County Vocational-Technical School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 889-8288	502	25	20.3	10.2%	186 (37.1%)	76 (15.1%)	160 (31.9%)	55 (11.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.4%)	89.3	16^th of 434 public high schools	96.3%		83.4	44^th of 429 public high schools	89.7%	28				73.2				98.3					70.8		70.8	100.0	46.7	68.0		$6,462	$23	$6,439
Union County Career & Technical Institute	Public	9-12	1776 Raritan Road	Scotch Plains	07076	Union County	Union County Vocational-Technical School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 889-8288	67	24	2.8	10.4%	24 (35.8%)	12 (17.9%)	26 (38.8%)	4 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.5%)	78.3	55^th of 434 public high schools	87.3%					(n/a)								79.5					42.9		42.9					$8,313	$972	$7,341

Frequently Asked Questions about Plainfield High School

Plainfield High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cedarbrook Elementary School
Elementary : Charles H. Stillman Elementary School
Elementary : Clinton Elementary School
Elementary : Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School
Elementary : Emerson Community School
Elementary : Evergreen Elementary School
Elementary : Frederic W. Cook Elementary School
Elementary : Jefferson Elementary School
Elementary : Washington Community School
Middle : Hubbard Middle School
Middle : Maxson Middle School

How many students attend Plainfield High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,077 students attended Plainfield High School.

What is the racial makeup of Plainfield High School?

Students at Plainfield High School are 82% Hispanic, 16% African American.

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