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Robert Waters Elementary School

Q: Is Robert Waters Elementary School a good school?

Robert Waters Elementary School ranks 953 rd of 1331 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

953^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,331 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 28% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Robert Waters Elementary School serves students in prekindergarten through grade 6 in Union City, New Jersey, and enrolls 983 students—the largest enrollment among the nearby schools listed. In 2025–2026, its average proficiency was 35% in English language arts (ELA), 35% in math, and 13% in grade 5 science. The most important finding for families is that results were below both district and state averages in every reported grade and subject.

Compared with four nearby Union City elementary schools—George Washington Elementary School, Colin Powell Elementary School, Veterans’ Memorial Elementary School, and Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School—Robert Waters was essentially level: those schools averaged 35% in ELA, 35% in math, and 12% in grade 5 science. Its average results were about 14 points below the state in ELA, 11 points below in math, and 15 points below in science. Math was closest to the state, while science was weakest by a narrow margin; compared with the district, science was closest and math had the largest gap. Grade 5 math stands out as a concern: Robert Waters scored 29%, below nearby results ranging from 33% to 40% at the schools listed above.

Results have moved in different directions: since 2022–2023, ELA fell from 43% to 35%, science rose from 5% to 13%, and math increased overall but dropped 6 points in the latest year. SchoolDigger places the school at the 28th percentile with 1 star, compared with the district’s 40th percentile and 2 stars. The 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 13.1, lower than at nearby elementary peers with comparable grades; 84% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for Low Socio Economic Status Students was at the 59th percentile, above the school’s overall 28th percentile. Its English Language Learner Students ranking fell from the 78th percentile in 2024–2025 to the 43rd in 2025–2026, a notable recent decline.

983

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,726

Per pupil spending ?

83.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

2800 Summit Ave
Union City, NJ 07087-2323

(201) 348-5925

District: Union City School District

Students who attend Robert Waters Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Emerson Middle School
	Union Hill Middle School
High:	Jose Marti STEM Academy
	Union City High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.9%

White:

1.4%

African American:

1.0%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Robert Waters Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 40th percentile in 2022 → 28th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (32% vs 45% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 40th-percentile peak (2022) to 28th (2026)

!Science scores 15 pts below the New Jersey average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg38%

New Jersey avg45%

953^rd of 1,331

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 28%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 21% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Union City School District

364^th of 607Union City 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
2026	28.1	953 of 1331	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.9	828 of 1347	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	884 of 1338	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.4	898 of 1342	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.5	813 of 1345	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	17.4	1071 of 1317	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.0	1050 of 1360	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.7	1047 of 1353	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.1	1053 of 1352	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	24.3	1063 of 1346	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.6	1085 of 1357	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	32.9	1020 of 1363	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.8	1054 of 1367	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.8	1053 of 1363	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	44.7	910 of 1360	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	38.5	975 of 1354	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	55.7	728 of 1346	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	51.9	818 of 1338	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	56.9	766 of 1329	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	60.4	698 of 1314	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	41.7	927 of 1303	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	24.0	1082 of 1298	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	16.2	1015 of 1204	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	37.4	334 of 581	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	72.5	130 of 597	78.2%	★★★★☆
2024	66.6	115 of 559	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	62.3	132 of 499	73.5%	★★★★☆
2022	70.5	97 of 489	80.2%	★★★★☆
2021	43.5	171 of 411	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.3	186 of 463	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.2	159 of 434	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	24.3	1008 of 1311	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.1	857 of 1326	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.1	919 of 1317	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	922 of 1318	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.1	794 of 1326	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	17.7	1081 of 1290	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.7	992 of 1331	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.1	1009 of 1333	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	49.4	468 of 991	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.7	348 of 1032	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.7	392 of 989	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.7	238 of 982	75.8%	★★★★☆
2022	63.5	283 of 953	70.3%	★★★★☆
2021	38.4	536 of 896	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.5	481 of 899	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.1	437 of 870	49.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	54.6	412 of 1002	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.9	236 of 1023	76.9%	★★★★☆
2024	58.9	303 of 939	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.0	337 of 910	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.1	179 of 863	79.3%	★★★★☆
2021	51.7	330 of 839	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.1	383 of 948	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.1	404 of 942	57.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	33.5	873 of 1306	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.6	736 of 1318	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.7	774 of 1313	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.8	795 of 1315	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.7	771 of 1324	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.3	975 of 1297	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.9	1039 of 1335	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.9	1012 of 1334	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2026	23.6	762 of 970	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.4	589 of 1023	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.5	604 of 989	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.8	492 of 958	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.4	570 of 949	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	13.6	926 of 1007	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.1	701 of 1001	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)59th percentile+30 vs school

Hispanic (2026)53rd percentile+24 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)43rd percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)33rd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)23rd percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2026)21st percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts35%-14 vs state

Mathematics34%-11 vs state

Science12%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Robert Waters 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				NJSLA-S Science (2026)		NJSLA English Language Arts (2026)						NJSLA Mathematics (2026)						Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Robert Waters Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2800 Summit Ave	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 348-5925	983	75	13.1	83.8%	14 (1.4%)	10 (1.0%)	953 (96.9%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	28.1	953^rd of 1331 public elementary schools	28.4%		38.9	828^th of 1347 public elementary schools	38.5%	125	12.5		28.4	33.6	38.0	39.3			40.0	38.0	29.4	31.3			$19,726	$2,683	$17,043
Eugenio Maria de Hostos Center for Early Childhood Education	Public	PK-K	2200 Kennedy Blvd	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 271-2311	300	42	7.1	61.0%	18 (6.0%)	2 (0.7%)	275 (91.7%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)															$22,293	$2,200	$20,093
Daniel Webster School	Public	PK, KG-2	2700 Palisade Ave	Weehawken	07086	Hudson County	Weehawken Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 422-6150	406	45	9.0	46.6%	229 (56.4%)	26 (6.4%)	104 (25.6%)	37 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	7 (1.7%)								(n/a)															$22,856	$3,289	$19,567
McKinley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3110 Liberty Ave	North Bergen	07047	Hudson County	North Bergen School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 974-7020	296	35	8.4	69.9%	19 (6.4%)	7 (2.4%)	254 (85.8%)	15 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	27	969^th of 1331 public elementary schools	27.2%		20.7	1086^th of 1347 public elementary schools	19.4%	117	16.1		35.0	42.0	37.9	51.5			32.5	9.7	22.6	22.8			$15,844	$1,822	$14,022
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	3400 Palisade Avenue	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 348-5960	272	27	10.0	85.3%	11 (4.0%)	2 (0.7%)	249 (91.5%)	8 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	42.8	765^th of 1331 public elementary schools	42.5%		42.4	783^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	41.9%	18			38.6	47.3					45.5	44.4					$26,923	$2,749	$24,174
George Washington Elementary School	Public	K-6	3905 New York Ave	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 348-5829	776	55	14.1	82.0%	9 (1.2%)	10 (1.3%)	750 (96.6%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26.4	982^nd of 1331 public elementary schools	26.2%		32.6	917^th of 1347 public elementary schools	31.9%	65	10.8		35.3	18.9	36.1	37.1			31.8	30.6	39.2	31.4			$18,904	$2,669	$16,235
Sara M. Gilmore Academy	Public	1-8	1700 Kerrigan Avenue	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 348-5851	400	28	14.2	54.8%	52 (13.0%)	10 (2.5%)	303 (75.8%)	35 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	97.4	9^th of 1331 public elementary schools	99.3%		97.4	7^th of 1347 public elementary schools	99.5%	2	73.3	42.0	93.8	87.7	86.6	92.0	96.3	94.0	89.6	89.8	88.9	78.0	76.9	80.0	$19,626	$2,060	$17,566
Hudson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	167 19th St	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(201) 624-9800	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	67.2	456^th of 1331 public elementary schools	65.7%					(n/a)			57.6	53.4					47.1	83.3
Veterans' Memorial Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1401 Central Avenue	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 348-2737	502	38	13.2	90.8%	6 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	486 (96.8%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22.6	1039^th of 1331 public elementary schools	21.9%		36	872^nd of 1347 public elementary schools	35.3%	167	13.7		20.7	29.4	36.4	38.3			25.8	38.7	32.9	10.3			$19,371	$2,512	$16,859
Colin Powell Elementary School	Public	K-6	1500 New York Avenue	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 351-5165	692	52	13.3	73.6%	8 (1.2%)	12 (1.7%)	658 (95.1%)	14 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37.7	835^th of 1331 public elementary schools	37.3%		58.4	567^th of 1347 public elementary schools	57.9%	268	13.1		43.1	33.6	41.5	44.7			53.7	39.6	40.2	32.3			$20,943	$2,308	$18,635

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