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John E. Riley Elementary School

Q: Is John E. Riley Elementary School a good school?

John E. Riley Elementary School ranks 600 th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-4

600^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 55% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

John E. Riley Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 364 students in grades K-4 in South Plainfield, New Jersey, which is part of the South Plainfield School District. While the school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, it has consistently lower test scores compared to the district and state averages, with only 37.3% of 3rd graders proficient or better in ELA and 62.8% of 4th graders proficient in math, both below the district and state levels.

Additionally, John E. Riley Elementary School has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 13.0% to 16.6% over the past few years, which is higher than the state average. The school has also seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 22.74% in 2021-2022 to 33.24% in 2023-2024, indicating a growing population of economically disadvantaged students. When compared to other elementary schools in the South Plainfield School District, John E. Riley generally performs worse on test scores and has higher chronic absenteeism rates.

The school's inconsistent performance, with its statewide ranking fluctuating from 215 out of 1,353 schools in 2017-2018 to 793 out of 1,342 schools in 2022-2023, suggests the need for targeted interventions and support to address these challenges and improve overall student outcomes. While the school's low student-teacher ratio could be an advantage, the combination of lower academic performance, higher chronic absenteeism, and a growing population of economically disadvantaged students presents unique challenges that the school and district will need to address.

367

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,256

Per pupil spending ?

39%

Free/discounted lunch ?

100 Morris Ave
South Plainfield, NJ 07080

(908) 754-4620

District: South Plainfield School District

Students who attend John E. Riley Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Grant Elementary School
	South Plainfield Middle School
High:	South Plainfield High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

45.5%

White:

32.2%

African American:

10.1%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare John E. Riley Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 57th percentile in 2015 → 55th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the New Jersey median (55th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school53%

District avg51%

New Jersey avg49%

600^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Top 45%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the South Plainfield School District

316^th of 609South Plainfield 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	55.8	600 of 1347	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.0	782 of 1338	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.8	793 of 1342	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.1	677 of 1345	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.1	724 of 1317	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	74.5	379 of 1360	72.1%	★★★★☆
2018	82.7	215 of 1353	84.1%	★★★★☆
2017	76.4	344 of 1352	74.6%	★★★★☆
2016	68.6	459 of 1346	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.5	585 of 1357	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	75.1	360 of 1363	73.6%	★★★★☆
2013	72.1	440 of 1367	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	78.5	266 of 1363	80.5%	★★★★☆
2011	75.3	345 of 1360	74.6%	★★★★☆
2010	65.4	564 of 1354	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.9	573 of 1346	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	74.3	351 of 1338	73.8%	★★★★☆
2007	80.1	126 of 1329	90.5%	★★★★★
2006	73.6	380 of 1314	71.1%	★★★★☆
2005	72.0	413 of 1303	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	82.9	111 of 1298	91.4%	★★★★★
2003	66.7	497 of 1204	58.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2023	97.6	8 of 463	98.3%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2021	34.3	250 of 339	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.1	301 of 370	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	56.1	203 of 597	66.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	576 of 1326	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.4	823 of 1317	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.3	811 of 1318	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.6	694 of 1326	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.6	719 of 1290	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	74.5	343 of 1331	74.2%	★★★★☆
2018	80.0	245 of 1333	81.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	57.6	367 of 1032	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	27.9	727 of 989	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.2	708 of 982	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.6	378 of 953	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.5	506 of 896	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	80.6	121 of 899	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	94.5	29 of 870	96.7%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	72.1	203 of 1023	80.2%	★★★★☆
2024	56.1	338 of 939	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	29.7	646 of 910	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	90.5	50 of 863	94.2%	★★★★★
2019	81.6	91 of 948	90.4%	★★★★★
2018	79.4	131 of 942	86.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	56.1	565 of 1318	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.5	695 of 1313	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.1	713 of 1315	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.0	603 of 1324	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.9	685 of 1297	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.8	372 of 1335	72.1%	★★★★☆
2018	82.1	217 of 1334	83.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	858 of 1023	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.9	514 of 989	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.3	453 of 958	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.3	582 of 949	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.2	585 of 868	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.7	402 of 1007	60.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	43.7	561 of 970	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.4	467 of 963	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	25.5	756 of 975	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.3	666 of 976	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.0	802 of 964	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	69.7	276 of 1023	73.0%	★★★★☆
2018	79.3	163 of 1022	84.1%	★★★★☆

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 (2023)98th percentile+57 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)80th percentile+25 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)66th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)64th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)57th percentile~ school

Female (2025)57th percentile~ school

White (2025)42nd percentile-13 vs school

Asian (2021)26th percentile-19 vs school

Special Education (2025)16th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics53%+5 vs state

English Language Arts52%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near John E. Riley 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 (2025)	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
John E. Riley Elementary School	Public	K-4	100 Morris Ave	South Plainfield	07080	Middlesex County	South Plainfield School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 754-4620	367	36	10.2	39.0%	118 (32.2%)	37 (10.1%)	167 (45.5%)	26 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	17 (4.6%)	55.8	600^th of 1347 public elementary schools	55.5%		41	782^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	41.6%	182			37.3	67.2					44.8	62.8							$6,256	$226	$6,030
John F Kennedy Elementary School	Public	K-4	2900 Norwood Avenue	South Plainfield	07080	Middlesex County	South Plainfield School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(908) 754-4620	256	27	9.4	27.0%	112 (43.8%)	18 (7.0%)	73 (28.5%)	40 (15.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	10 (3.9%)	44.4	749^th of 1347 public elementary schools	44.4%		49.2	678^th of 1338 public elementary schools	49.3%	71			34.0	55.4					46.9	46.8							$5,833		$5,833
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
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
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
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
Martin Luther King Elementary School	Public	K-5	285 Tingley Lane	Edison	08820	Middlesex County	Edison Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 452-2980	591	45	13.0	14.7%	27 (4.6%)	34 (5.8%)	29 (4.9%)	482 (81.6%)	5 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	12 (2.0%)	89.6	125^th of 1347 public elementary schools	90.7%		90.8	98^th of 1338 public elementary schools	92.7%	27	60.3		72.5	69.3	80.4				84.7	80.4	75.2						$5,998		$5,998
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
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
Roosevelt Elementary School	Public	K-4	135 Jackson Avenue	South Plainfield	07080	Middlesex County	South Plainfield School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 754-4620	472	46	10.3	35.6%	67 (14.2%)	37 (7.8%)	136 (28.8%)	206 (43.6%)	10 (2.1%)	2 (0.4%)	14 (3.0%)	52.3	646^th of 1347 public elementary schools	52.0%		48	695^th of 1338 public elementary schools	48.1%	49			47.8	48.0					48.9	56.4							$5,795	$202	$5,593

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