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Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

Q: Is Frederic W. Cook Elementary School a good school?

Frederic W. Cook Elementary School ranks 580 th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

580^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Frederic W. Cook Elementary School is a public elementary school in Plainfield, New Jersey, serving 144 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. 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.

Academically, Frederic W. Cook Elementary School has shown relatively strong performance compared to the district and state averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school had 67.8% of 3rd graders, 66.7% of 4th graders, and 84% of 5th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, outperforming the district and state. In mathematics, the school had 51.6% of 3rd graders, 39.3% of 4th graders, and 24% of 5th graders proficient or better, also outperforming the district but not the state. The school has particularly strong performance among certain student subgroups, ranking 39th out of 463 New Jersey elementary schools for African American students and 119th out of 1,032 schools for Hispanic students.

However, the school faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 14.9% to 29.1% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 63.19% to 78.83% over the past few years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population. While Frederic W. Cook Elementary School generally outperforms the other Plainfield public elementary schools, it lags behind the nearby Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District, which has several top-ranked elementary schools in the state.

198

Students ?

5.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,721

Per pupil spending ?

49.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

739 Leland Ave
Plainfield, NJ 07062-2140

(908) 731-4215

District: Plainfield Public School District

Students who attend Frederic W. Cook Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Maxson Middle School
High:	Plainfield Academy For The Arts & Advanced Studies
	Plainfield High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

54.0%

Hispanic:

39.9%

White:

2.5%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Frederic W. Cook Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 20th percentile in 2014 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

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

✓Ranking is trending up — up 37 percentile points since 2014

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Plainfield Public School District

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg21%

New Jersey avg46%

580^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 35 pts since 2015

From bottom 22% (2015) to top 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 9Elementary 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	57.4	580 of 1347	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.3	779 of 1338	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.1	889 of 1342	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.3	958 of 1345	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.7	1176 of 1360	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.6	1151 of 1353	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.7	1056 of 1352	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	36.0	898 of 1346	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	23.8	1056 of 1357	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	26.5	1085 of 1363	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	35.8	993 of 1367	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	27.2	1082 of 1363	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	21.9	1144 of 1360	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	26.4	1105 of 1354	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	20.8	1140 of 1346	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	23.8	1126 of 1338	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.9	1065 of 1329	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	33.9	1017 of 1314	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	33.2	1003 of 1303	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	19.2	1105 of 1298	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	13.4	1029 of 1204	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	86.7	39 of 463	91.6%	★★★★★
2024	72.2	86 of 469	81.7%	★★★★☆
2023	72.0	101 of 463	78.2%	★★★★☆
2022	74.1	92 of 494	81.4%	★★★★☆
2019	65.0	149 of 522	71.5%	★★★★☆
2018	60.2	170 of 517	67.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2023	57.2	155 of 499	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.2	194 of 489	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	17.9	400 of 463	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	53.3	607 of 1326	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	30.9	910 of 1318	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.9	1015 of 1326	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.8	1130 of 1331	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	5.6	1271 of 1333	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	84.5	119 of 1032	88.5%	★★★★☆
2024	75.2	186 of 989	81.2%	★★★★☆
2023	52.3	413 of 982	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.6	591 of 953	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.7	766 of 899	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	77.1	149 of 1023	85.4%	★★★★☆
2024	42.8	495 of 939	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.3	278 of 910	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.3	381 of 863	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.0	636 of 948	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	18.9	845 of 942	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	60.4	514 of 1318	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.0	789 of 1315	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.3	845 of 1324	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.8	1146 of 1335	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.8	1101 of 1334	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)92nd percentile+35 vs school

Hispanic (2025)88th percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)85th percentile+28 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)69th percentile+35 vs school

Male (2025)61st percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)54th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts72%+22 vs state

Mathematics39%-8 vs state

Science24%-6 vs state

3.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, March 24, 2012

My daughter started kindergarten last fall at Cook. Her kindergarten teacher Mrs.Rodgers has been an attentive, strict,and exemplary instructor. I believe kindergarten is a crucial first step in procuring the educational foundation block of every student. Now, I will also state that there is always room for improvement. As a parent I am proud to lend my time and support along with the entire staff at the school to provide a good learning environment at cook school. Close Quote

Schools Near Frederic W. Cook Elementary 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)			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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Frederic W. Cook Elementary School	Public	K-5	739 Leland Ave	Plainfield	07062	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4215	198	36	5.5	49.5%	5 (2.5%)	107 (54.0%)	79 (39.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	4 (2.0%)	57.4	580^th of 1347 public elementary schools	56.9%		41.3	779^th of 1338 public elementary schools	41.8%	199	24.0	67.8	66.7	84.0	51.6	39.3	24.0	$11,721		$11,721
Charles and Anna Booker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	730 Central Street	Plainfield	07062	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(908) 731-4290	816	34	24.0	85.9%	6 (0.7%)	69 (8.5%)	728 (89.2%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.7%)	7.8	1287^th of 1347 public elementary schools	4.5%					(n/a)	4.4	6.8	10.7	18.2	30.9	11.4	12.4
Emerson Community School	Public	K-5	305 Emerson Ave	Plainfield	07062	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4205	414	36	11.5	72.7%	6 (1.4%)	105 (25.4%)	296 (71.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	31.9	931^st of 1347 public elementary schools	30.9%		21.5	1054^th of 1338 public elementary schools	21.2%	123	8.0	47.7	33.9	43.3	53.6	30.8	28.9	$9,801	$208	$9,593
J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	16 Kevin Road	Scotch Plains	07076	Union County	Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 757-7555	526	44	11.9	3.4%	329 (62.5%)	29 (5.5%)	62 (11.8%)	69 (13.1%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	33 (6.3%)	90.1	113^th of 1347 public elementary schools	91.6%		86.9	178^th of 1338 public elementary schools	86.7%	65		78.5	75.0		83.2	74.0		$7,390	$09	$7,381
Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School	Public	K-5	E Front St & Farragut Rd	Plainfield	07060	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4300	423	33	12.6	83.2%	8 (1.9%)	37 (8.7%)	375 (88.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	14.1	1189^th of 1347 public elementary schools	11.7%		12.2	1202^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	10.2%	13	7.2	22.9	21.4	30.4	32.8	20.8	21.4	$10,430	$260	$10,170
School One Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	563 Willow Avenue	Scotch Plains	07076	Union County	Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 322-7731	424	34	12.4	9.0%	229 (54.0%)	37 (8.7%)	85 (20.0%)	49 (11.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.4%)	67	455^th of 1347 public elementary schools	66.2%		74.4	361^st of 1338 public elementary schools	73.0%	94		44.1	75.7		54.9	70.5		$8,863	$53	$8,810
Evergreen Elementary School	Public	K-5	1033 Evergreen Ave	Plainfield	07060	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4260	398	47	8.5	75.1%	8 (2.0%)	36 (9.0%)	350 (87.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	8.9	1272^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	5.6%		10.5	1229^th of 1338 public elementary schools	8.1%	43	9.0	10.4	15.8	10.6	27.9	20.7	11.9	$9,188	$181	$9,007
William J. McGinn Elementary School	Public	K-4	1100 Roosevelt Avenue	Scotch Plains	07076	Union County	Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 233-7950	543	42	12.7	1.1%	364 (67.0%)	13 (2.4%)	63 (11.6%)	67 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.6%)	87.1	169^th of 1347 public elementary schools	87.5%		87.4	162^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	87.9%	7		68.0	78.4		70.2	83.5		$8,178	$04	$8,174
East End School	Public	PK, KG-4	170 Oneida Avenue	North Plainfield	07060	Somerset County	North Plainfield School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 769-6070	451	45	10.0	80.5%	22 (4.9%)	61 (13.5%)	354 (78.5%)	11 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	19.8	1103^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	18.1%		20.4	1070^th of 1338 public elementary schools	20.0%	33		15.1	37.8		23.9	38.5		$10,925	$775	$10,150
Charles H. Stillman Elementary School	Public	K-5	201 W Fourth St	Plainfield	07062	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4240	317	28	11.3	87.4%	1 (0.3%)	31 (9.8%)	283 (89.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10	1255^th of 1347 public elementary schools	6.8%		14.5	1153^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	13.8%	102	10.9	5.4	18.6	26.0	18.6	16.3	21.9	$8,813	$613	$8,200

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