Summary:
Zip code 07012 has two Clifton elementary schools serving prekindergarten through grade 5: School #14 (355 students) and School #9 (306 students). In 2025–2026, their average grades 3–5 results were 47% proficient in English language arts (ELA) and 48% in math, compared with state averages of 49% and 47%; grade 5 science averaged 25%, versus 27% statewide. Math was the area’s relative bright spot, while science was below the state. The most important finding is that these area-wide averages hide a substantial gap between the two schools, especially in grade 5.
School #9 stands out overall in the latest results: its grades 3–5 averages were 54% in ELA and 57% in math, compared with 41% and 39% at School #14. School #9 led in four of six grade-level ELA and math comparisons and was 25 percentage points higher in grade 5 science. Its largest leads were 29 points in grade 5 ELA and 52 points in grade 5 math; School #14, however, was ahead by 2 points in grade 3 ELA and 6 points in grade 3 math. SchoolDigger ranks School #9 472nd of 1,331 statewide (65th percentile, 3 stars), compared with School #14 at 883rd (34th percentile, 2 stars).
Results declined from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026 at both schools, with larger drops at School #9: its ELA average fell 14 percentage points and math fell 9, while School #14’s averages fell 4 and 2 points. Not every result declined: School #14’s grade 4 math rose 17 points, and School #9’s grade 5 math was nearly unchanged. As context, School #9’s student–teacher ratio was 10.9, compared with 9.4 at School #14 (2024–2025); free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 38% and 63%, respectively, in 2024–2025. These are observations, not explanations of test results, and the school-year comparisons do not track the same students over time.
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