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Washington Community School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1266^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Washington Community School is an elementary school located in Plainfield, New Jersey, serving 540 students from pre-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.

Despite its large student population, Washington Community School consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of New Jersey elementary schools, with academic performance significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 23.9% of 3rd graders, 17.4% of 4th graders, and 9.1% 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 proficiency rates were similarly low. Additionally, Washington Community School has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 14.9% to 29.1% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

While the nearby schools within the Plainfield Public School District, such as Charles H. Stillman Elementary School and Cedarbrook Elementary School, also perform poorly on academic measures, some schools outside the district, such as Franklin Elementary School in South Plainfield and West End School in North Plainfield, demonstrate significantly higher academic performance, suggesting that factors beyond just the district may be contributing to the low performance at Washington Community School.

557

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,327

Per pupil spending ?

87.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

427 Darrow Ave
Plainfield, NJ 07060-2012

(908) 731-4230

District: Plainfield Public School District

Students who attend Washington Community School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

90.5%

African American:

7.9%

White:

0.7%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Washington Community School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 16th percentile in 2014 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (16% vs 46% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school16%

District avg21%

New Jersey avg46%

1,266^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th 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	9.3	1266 of 1347	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	1223 of 1338	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.2	1242 of 1342	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.3	1260 of 1345	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.5	1274 of 1360	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.9	1232 of 1353	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	10.3	1220 of 1352	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.7	1193 of 1346	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.4	1090 of 1357	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.7	1143 of 1363	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	14.5	1204 of 1367	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	5.3	1288 of 1363	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	5.7	1283 of 1360	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.9	1273 of 1354	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.4	1275 of 1346	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.2	1293 of 1338	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	4.8	1273 of 1329	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	0.5	1299 of 1314	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	1.0	1283 of 1303	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	1.0	1276 of 1298	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	2.1	1156 of 1204	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2024	51.3	202 of 469	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.1	253 of 463	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	9.5	491 of 494	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.5	404 of 522	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.8	422 of 517	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	26.0	472 of 597	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.4	375 of 559	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.1	390 of 499	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.1	385 of 489	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.2	341 of 463	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.5	293 of 434	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	7.4	1244 of 1326	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	1172 of 1317	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	1221 of 1318	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.4	1223 of 1326	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.8	1195 of 1331	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.0	1178 of 1333	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	18.0	874 of 1032	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	852 of 989	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.7	818 of 982	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	805 of 953	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.8	730 of 899	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.2	683 of 870	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	21.2	903 of 1023	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	728 of 939	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	674 of 910	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.1	679 of 863	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.8	715 of 948	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.5	794 of 942	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	12.7	1168 of 1318	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.1	1150 of 1313	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.6	1126 of 1315	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.9	1196 of 1324	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.9	1252 of 1335	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.7	1219 of 1334	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	891 of 1023	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	833 of 989	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.0	750 of 958	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.7	775 of 949	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.2	810 of 1007	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.4	818 of 1001	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2024)57th percentile+48 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)21st percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)15th percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2025)13th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)12th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)11th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)6th percentile~ school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics19%-28 vs state

English Language Arts17%-33 vs state

Science2%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Washington 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)						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
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
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
Cedarbrook Elementary School	Public	K-8	1049 Central Ave	Plainfield	07060	Union County	Plainfield Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 731-4280	671	60	11.1	69.2%	5 (0.7%)	188 (28.0%)	463 (69.0%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	6 (0.9%)	14.8	1177^th of 1347 public elementary schools	12.6%		13.9	1166^th of 1338 public elementary schools	12.9%	11	8.0	5.4	31.2	25.0	23.2	29.3	34.7	37.8	25.0	17.6	21.0	23.2	18.8	18.9			$9,658	$142	$9,516
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
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
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
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
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
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

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