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Emerson Community School

Q: Is Emerson Community School a good school?

Emerson Community School ranks 931 st of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

931^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 31% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Emerson Community School is an elementary school in Plainfield, New Jersey, serving 424 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.

Emerson Community School consistently ranks in the bottom 20-25% of New Jersey elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on state assessments. In 2024-2025, only 47.7% of 3rd graders, 33.9% of 4th graders, and 43.3% of 5th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state averages of 44.9%, 53.6%, and 52.7%, respectively. The school's mathematics and science scores are also well below the state average. Emerson Community School has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 14.9% to 29.1% over the past few years.

In comparison, nearby schools like Frederic W. Cook Elementary School and schools in the Watchung Borough and Scotch Plains-Fanwood school districts significantly outperform Emerson Community School on academic measures. However, the school's performance for specific student subgroups, such as African American and Hispanic students, is relatively stronger compared to the overall school performance.

414

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,801

Per pupil spending ?

72.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

305 Emerson Ave
Plainfield, NJ 07062-1701

(908) 731-4205

District: Plainfield Public School District

Students who attend Emerson Community School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

71.5%

African American:

25.4%

White:

1.4%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Emerson Community School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 19th percentile in 2014 → 31st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2014

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

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (35% vs 46% meeting standards)

!Science scores 22 pts below the New Jersey average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg21%

New Jersey avg46%

931^st of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 31%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 18% (2015) to bottom 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	31.9	931 of 1347	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.5	1054 of 1338	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.3	1101 of 1342	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.7	1109 of 1345	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.8	1102 of 1360	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.1	1117 of 1353	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.9	1148 of 1352	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.8	1156 of 1346	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.8	1117 of 1357	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	24.9	1105 of 1363	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.3	1151 of 1367	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	17.9	1163 of 1363	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	11.3	1235 of 1360	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.5	1254 of 1354	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	9.5	1232 of 1346	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	5.2	1274 of 1338	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	7.9	1230 of 1329	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	6.7	1216 of 1314	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	2.8	1261 of 1303	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	8.4	1191 of 1298	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	7.4	1082 of 1204	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	52.8	183 of 463	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.9	137 of 469	70.8%	★★★★☆
2023	60.0	163 of 463	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.2	237 of 494	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.6	346 of 522	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.3	354 of 517	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	57.8	192 of 597	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.4	314 of 559	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.8	339 of 499	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.3	237 of 489	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.6	125 of 463	73.0%	★★★★☆
2018	62.4	127 of 434	70.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	30.4	923 of 1326	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.8	960 of 1317	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.3	984 of 1318	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	996 of 1326	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.0	1010 of 1331	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.2	1023 of 1333	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	52.5	429 of 1032	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.1	625 of 989	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.6	663 of 982	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.4	635 of 953	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.9	258 of 899	71.3%	★★★★☆
2018	48.8	413 of 870	52.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	53.0	437 of 1023	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.2	439 of 939	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.0	586 of 910	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	533 of 863	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.9	484 of 948	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.8	585 of 942	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	35.2	840 of 1318	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.9	1025 of 1313	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	1089 of 1315	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.4	1161 of 1324	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	1067 of 1335	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.9	1117 of 1334	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	50.9	407 of 1023	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.3	497 of 989	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.9	566 of 958	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	14.7	876 of 949	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	742 of 1007	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.8	674 of 1001	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)68th percentile+37 vs school

African American (2025)60th percentile+30 vs school

Special Education (2025)60th percentile+29 vs school

Hispanic (2025)58th percentile+28 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)57th percentile+26 vs school

Male (2025)36th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)30th percentile~ school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts42%-9 vs state

Mathematics38%-9 vs state

Science8%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Emerson Community 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Bayberry School	Public	PK, KG-4	113 Bayberry Lane	Watchung	07069	Somerset County	Watchung Borough School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 755-8184	391	42	9.4	1.3%	203 (51.9%)	18 (4.6%)	75 (19.2%)	71 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.1%)	75.6	347^th of 1347 public elementary schools	74.2%		68.7	437^th of 1338 public elementary schools	67.3%	90		61.6	62.5		81.6	57.5		$9,432	$20	$9,412

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