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Darlene C. McKnight Elementary

Q: Is Darlene C. McKnight Elementary a good school?

Darlene C. McKnight Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.1% of New Jersey elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Darlene C. McKnight Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 350 students attended Darlene C. McKnight Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Darlene C. McKnight Elementary?

Students at Darlene C. McKnight Elementary are 69% Hispanic, 28% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Darlene C. McKnight Elementary attend?

Students who attend Darlene C. McKnight Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Trenton Central High School - Main Campus

Public Grades K-3

1345^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 0% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Darlene C. McKnight Elementary is a public elementary school in Trenton, New Jersey, serving 341 students from kindergarten to 3rd grade. The school is part of the Trenton Public School District, which is ranked among the lowest-performing districts in the state.

Darlene C. McKnight Elementary has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing elementary schools in New Jersey, with only 2.2% of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 6.5% proficient or better in Mathematics in the 2024-2025 school year. These percentages are significantly lower than the district and state averages. The school also faces high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 32.6% to 42.2% in recent years, and serves a high-poverty student population, with 44.57% to 71.19% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

When compared to nearby schools in other districts, such as Greenwood Elementary in Hamilton Township and Slackwood Elementary in Lawrence Township, the performance gap is stark. These schools, while still serving high-poverty populations, demonstrate significantly higher academic achievement and lower chronic absenteeism rates, suggesting that district-level factors may be playing a significant role in the challenges faced by Trenton public schools.

350

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,392

Per pupil spending ?

78.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

175 Girard Avenue
Trenton, NJ 08638-3431

(609) 656-4970

District: Trenton Public School District

Students who attend Darlene C. McKnight Elementary usually attend:

High:

Trenton Central High School - Main Campus

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

68.6%

African American:

28.3%

Two or more races:

2.3%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Darlene C. McKnight Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 4th percentile in 2015 → <1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (4% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (<1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (33% vs 15% New Jersey)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school4%

District avg10%

New Jersey avg47%

1,345^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 4% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Trenton Public School District

609^th of 609Trenton 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	2.4	1345 of 1347	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.9	1334 of 1338	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.2	1330 of 1342	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.8	1287 of 1345	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.0	1275 of 1317	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.5	1350 of 1360	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.7	1284 of 1353	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	3.8	1318 of 1352	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	3.4	1325 of 1346	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	5.9	1299 of 1357	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	3.7	1303 of 1363	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	2.7	1332 of 1367	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.8	1279 of 1363	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.3	1254 of 1360	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	3.3	1308 of 1354	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	7.6	1251 of 1346	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	24.9	1121 of 1338	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	8.2	1226 of 1329	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	1.0	1286 of 1314	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	0.5	1291 of 1303	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	4.0	1233 of 1298	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	1.8	1160 of 1204	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	8.1	428 of 463	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.0	465 of 469	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	395 of 463	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	455 of 494	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.5	394 of 456	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.3	495 of 522	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.7	387 of 517	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2024	12.6	543 of 559	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	485 of 499	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.4	391 of 489	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.0	348 of 411	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.9	431 of 463	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.4	374 of 434	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	3.2	1294 of 1326	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.1	1278 of 1317	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.1	1274 of 1318	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.3	1201 of 1326	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.6	1235 of 1290	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.8	1300 of 1331	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.8	1268 of 1333	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	5.5	964 of 1032	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.5	939 of 989	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.5	929 of 982	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.5	816 of 953	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.2	881 of 896	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.8	825 of 899	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	712 of 870	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	4.2	1020 of 1023	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.4	847 of 939	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.2	785 of 910	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	734 of 863	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	731 of 839	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.5	820 of 948	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	857 of 942	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	2.2	1294 of 1318	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.1	1286 of 1313	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	1281 of 1315	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.8	1292 of 1324	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.2	1242 of 1297	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.0	1308 of 1335	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.7	1217 of 1334	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2024	14.8	897 of 989	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2024)9th percentile+9 vs school

African American (2025)8th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)7th percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)3rd percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics6%-43 vs state

English Language Arts2%-43 vs state

★

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Schools Near Darlene C. McKnight Elementary

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
Darlene C. McKnight Elementary	Public	K-3	175 Girard Avenue	Trenton	08638	Mercer County	Trenton Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 656-4970	350	26	13.7	78.6%	3 (0.9%)	99 (28.3%)	240 (68.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	2.4	1345^th of 1347 public elementary schools	0.1%		2.9	1334^th of 1338 public elementary schools	0.3%	11			2.2						6.5								$9,392	$641	$8,751
Paul Robeson Charter School for the Humanities	Public, Charter	K-8	643 Indiana Ave	Trenton	08638	Mercer County	Paul Robeson Charter School for the Humanities	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 394-7727	545	33	16.5	94.9%	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	396 (72.7%)	144 (26.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22.4	1056^th of 1347 public elementary schools	21.6%		30.3	940^th of 1338 public elementary schools	29.7%	116	11.6	13.6	15.1	46.9	30.8	46.0	42.1	41.9	18.5	35.8	20.5	21.6	19.7	11.3	100.0	100.0	$12,952	$1,300	$11,652
Dr. Crosby Copeland Junior Elementary	Public	K-3	1200 Brunswick Avenue	Trenton	08638	Mercer County	Trenton Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 656-4690	353	26	13.5	84.1%	2 (0.6%)	191 (54.1%)	145 (41.1%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	3.2	1343^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	0.3%		4.6	1321^st of 1338 public elementary schools	1.3%	22			4.9						9.4								$11,353	$835	$10,518
Patton J. Hill Elementary School	Public	K-3	1010 East State Street	Trenton	08609	Mercer County	Trenton Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 656-4980	555	41	13.7	87.2%	5 (0.9%)	116 (20.9%)	424 (76.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.6%)	3	1344^th of 1347 public elementary schools	0.2%		2.7	1336^th of 1338 public elementary schools	0.1%	8			4.8						8.6								$10,318	$806	$9,512
Paul S. Robeson Elementary School	Public	K-3	350 Cuyler Avenue	Trenton	08629	Mercer County	Trenton Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(609) 656-4920	390	28	13.9	81.8%	5 (1.3%)	85 (21.8%)	295 (75.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	2.1	1346^th of 1347 public elementary schools	0.1%		2.9	1335^th of 1338 public elementary schools	0.2%	11			2.3						4.5
Greenwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2069 Greenwood Avenue	Hamilton	08609	Mercer County	Hamilton Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 631-4151	270	20	13.5	83.3%	9 (3.3%)	119 (44.1%)	134 (49.6%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	17.1	1144^th of 1347 public elementary schools	15.1%		16.8	1121^st of 1338 public elementary schools	16.2%	23	12.2		31.4	22.4	38.6				30.1	22.0	18.0						$10,973	$1,204	$9,769
Slackwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	2060 Princeton Pike	Lawrenceville	08648	Mercer County	Lawrence Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 671-5580	251	24	10.5	59.8%	89 (35.5%)	28 (11.2%)	93 (37.1%)	37 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	31.6	934^th of 1347 public elementary schools	30.7%		57.4	572^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	57.2%	362			32.2						42.0								$16,162	$474	$15,688
Luis Munoz-Rivera Elementary School	Public	K-3	401 North Montgomery St	Trenton	08638	Mercer County	Trenton Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(609) 656-4841	468	33	14.1	85.7%	4 (0.9%)	165 (35.3%)	282 (60.3%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.0%)	2	1347^th of 1347 public elementary schools	0.0%		2.4	1337^th of 1338 public elementary schools	0.1%	10			2.7						2.7
Carroll Robbins Elementary School	Public	K-3	283 Tyler Street	Trenton	08609	Mercer County	Trenton Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 656-4910	459	38	12.2	85.2%	6 (1.3%)	38 (8.3%)	405 (88.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.7%)	6.6	1301^st of 1347 public elementary schools	3.4%		6	1301^st of 1338 public elementary schools	2.8%				7.6						20.2								$8,534	$733	$7,801
Kuser Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	70 Newkirk Avenue	Hamilton	08629	Mercer County	Hamilton Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 631-4155	512	38	13.3	80.3%	34 (6.6%)	143 (27.9%)	303 (59.2%)	15 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.1%)	9.1	1269^th of 1347 public elementary schools	5.8%		13.1	1182^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	11.7%	87	14.9		13.5	22.7	18.0				14.6	13.5	18.7						$9,545	$1,106	$8,439

Frequently Asked Questions about Darlene C. McKnight Elementary

What schools do graduates of Darlene C. McKnight Elementary attend?

Students who attend Darlene C. McKnight Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Trenton Central High School - Main Campus

How many students attend Darlene C. McKnight Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 350 students attended Darlene C. McKnight Elementary.

Is Darlene C. McKnight Elementary a good school?

Darlene C. McKnight Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.1% of New Jersey elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Darlene C. McKnight Elementary?

Students at Darlene C. McKnight Elementary are 69% Hispanic, 28% African American, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Darlene C. McKnight Elementary in?

Trenton Public School District

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Jersey Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.