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Jefferson Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1172^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Jefferson Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Plainfield, New Jersey, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 392 students. The school is part of the Plainfield Public School District, which is ranked 564 out of 609 districts in New Jersey and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Jefferson Elementary School consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of New Jersey elementary schools, with proficiency rates on the NJSLA (New Jersey Student Learning Assessments) significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were 20% in 3rd grade ELA, 23.8% in 4th grade ELA, and 25.7% in 5th grade ELA, compared to the state averages of 44.9%, 53.6%, and 52.7%, respectively. The school also has a high percentage of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, with 84.95% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year, and relatively high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 14.9% to 29.1% over the past few years.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Clinton Elementary School and Washington Community School, which are also part of the Plainfield Public School District, exhibit similar academic performance and demographic challenges as Jefferson Elementary School. However, some schools outside the Plainfield district, like Cresthaven Academy Charter School and Irene E. Feldkirchner Elementary School, demonstrate significantly higher academic achievement, suggesting that factors beyond just the district may be contributing to the low performance of Jefferson Elementary School.

383

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,400

Per pupil spending ?

82.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1700 W. Front St
Plainfield, NJ 07063

(908) 731-4250

District: Plainfield Public School District

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

89.3%

African American:

8.1%

White:

1.3%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Jefferson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 6th percentile in 2014 → 13th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2014

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (23% vs 46% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 27 pts below the New Jersey average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg21%

New Jersey avg46%

1,172^nd of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 9% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	15.1	1172 of 1347	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	1205 of 1338	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.4	1239 of 1342	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.6	1270 of 1345	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.0	1308 of 1360	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.5	1287 of 1353	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	10.3	1221 of 1352	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.5	1258 of 1346	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.1	1229 of 1357	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.5	1279 of 1363	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.4	1274 of 1367	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	3.6	1312 of 1363	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	7.1	1270 of 1360	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.0	1283 of 1354	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	11.0	1215 of 1346	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.8	1287 of 1338	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	6.6	1242 of 1329	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	1.8	1271 of 1314	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	6.9	1215 of 1303	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	13.2	1145 of 1298	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	7.1	1086 of 1204	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2023	39.0	284 of 463	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	79.5	71 of 494	85.6%	★★★★☆
2019	10.3	513 of 522	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.5	457 of 517	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	35.1	371 of 597	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.8	430 of 559	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	425 of 499	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	434 of 489	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	429 of 463	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	383 of 434	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	16.5	1109 of 1326	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	1119 of 1317	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.4	1132 of 1318	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.5	1222 of 1326	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.2	1259 of 1331	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.7	1270 of 1333	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	25.6	787 of 1032	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	802 of 989	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	852 of 982	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.5	843 of 953	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.1	782 of 899	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.9	748 of 870	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	32.9	762 of 1023	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.3	594 of 939	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.9	634 of 910	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.6	674 of 863	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.2	794 of 948	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.1	869 of 942	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	15.9	1134 of 1318	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.1	1188 of 1313	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.1	1197 of 1315	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.0	1210 of 1324	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.5	1273 of 1335	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.0	1210 of 1334	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	41.3	517 of 1023	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.4	689 of 989	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.6	743 of 958	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	908 of 949	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.5	880 of 1007	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.4	876 of 1001	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)49th percentile+36 vs school

African American (2023)39th percentile+31 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)38th percentile+25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)26th percentile+13 vs school

Hispanic (2025)24th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)16th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)14th percentile~ school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics25%-22 vs state

English Language Arts23%-27 vs state

Science14%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Jefferson 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)						NJSLA Algebra I (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-S Science 8th 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 English Language Arts 8th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1700 W. Front St	Plainfield	07063	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4250	383	38	10.2	82.5%	5 (1.3%)	31 (8.1%)	342 (89.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15.1	1172^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	13.0%		12.1	1205^th of 1338 public elementary schools	9.9%	33	13.7		20.0	23.8	25.7				18.1	27.0	29.6						$10,400	$232	$10,168
Arbor Elementary School	Public	4-5	1717 Lester Place	Piscataway	08854	Middlesex County	Piscataway Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 752-8652	528	38	13.8	55.7%	51 (9.7%)	118 (22.3%)	190 (36.0%)	144 (27.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	22 (4.2%)								(n/a)	21.9			51.5	48.9					46.9	41.6						$6,205	$157	$6,048
Clinton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	West 4th St And Clinton Ave	Plainfield	07063	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4220	386	37	10.5	83.9%	2 (0.5%)	61 (15.8%)	317 (82.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	12.7	1205^th of 1347 public elementary schools	10.5%		12.4	1199^th of 1338 public elementary schools	10.4%	6	8.0		30.0	22.6	31.4				16.4	17.5	19.2						$10,979	$261	$10,718
West End School	Public	PK, KG-4	447 Greenbrook Road	North Plainfield	07060	Somerset County	North Plainfield School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 769-6083	600	51	11.7	76.0%	42 (7.0%)	125 (20.8%)	399 (66.5%)	20 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.3%)	22	1061^st of 1347 public elementary schools	21.2%		19.7	1078^th of 1338 public elementary schools	19.4%	17			38.3	39.9					27.9	19.4							$10,488	$705	$9,783
Irene E. Feldkirchner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	105 Andrew Street	Green Brook	08812	Somerset County	Green Brook Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 968-1052	404	36	11.2	18.6%	170 (42.1%)	26 (6.4%)	97 (24.0%)	83 (20.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (6.7%)	80.5	281^st of 1347 public elementary schools	79.1%		63.9	490^th of 1338 public elementary schools	63.4%	209			63.9	77.2					67.1	63.8							$17,389	$93	$17,296
John P. Faber Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 High Street	Dunellen	08812	Middlesex County	Dunellen Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 400-5900	621	63	9.8	55.4%	123 (19.8%)	57 (9.2%)	374 (60.2%)	34 (5.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (4.8%)	30	955^th of 1347 public elementary schools	29.1%		23.5	1026^th of 1338 public elementary schools	23.3%	71	20.0		22.9	48.9	50.0				28.1	36.3	33.7						$4,605		$4,605
Franklin Elementary School	Public	K-4	1000 Franklin Ave	South Plainfield	07080	Middlesex County	South Plainfield School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 754-4620	270	23	11.5	33.0%	111 (41.1%)	28 (10.4%)	94 (34.8%)	20 (7.4%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	13 (4.8%)	58.9	560^th of 1347 public elementary schools	58.4%		46.9	711^th of 1338 public elementary schools	46.9%	151			38.1	56.7					52.3	66.7							$7,790	$219	$7,571
Washington Community School	Public	PK, KG-5	427 Darrow Ave	Plainfield	07060	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4230	557	45	12.3	87.6%	4 (0.7%)	44 (7.9%)	504 (90.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.5%)	9.3	1266^th of 1347 public elementary schools	6.0%		10.9	1223^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	8.6%	43	2.5		23.9	17.4	9.1				23.7	23.1	8.9						$10,327	$167	$10,160
Cresthaven Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	530 West 7th Street	Plainfield	07060	Union County	Cresthaven Academy Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 756-1234	621	29	21.4	82.4%	7 (1.1%)	100 (16.1%)	507 (81.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	26.6	1003^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	25.5%		27.9	970^th of 1338 public elementary schools	27.5%	33	4.8	7.8	36.4	33.3	49.2	49.1	28.8	49.0	46.1	14.7	15.9	28.8	11.9	0.0	26.3	26.3	$9,510	$673	$8,837
Stony Brook School	Public	PK, KG-4	269 Grove Street	North Plainfield	07060	Somerset County	North Plainfield School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 769-6063	272	28	9.7	89.3%	16 (5.9%)	6 (2.2%)	244 (89.7%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	9.9	1256^th of 1347 public elementary schools	6.8%		9.9	1240^th of 1338 public elementary schools	7.3%	16			14.8	30.2					15.8	22.2							$13,043	$923	$12,120

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