Summary:
ZIP code 07036 has 12 schools serving students from pre-K through grade 12: nine elementary schools, two middle schools and Linden High; Winfield Township serves pre-K through grade 8 in a separate district. Results differ considerably from school to school, but the broadest concern is that proficiency generally trails state results, especially in math.
Number 9 stands out among elementary schools, leading four of seven grade-and-subject groups; its grade 3 math result was 57%, compared with 49% statewide. Number 2 led grade 3 ELA at 46%, just 2 percentage points below the state. Winfield Township led middle-grade ELA and exceeded the state in grades 6, 7 and 8 by 12, 4 and 13 points, respectively, but its grade 8 math result was 0%, versus 23% statewide. At the other end, Number 5 had the lowest grade 5 math result, 7%; Number 8 had the lowest grade 4 math result, 11%, compared with Winfield’s leading 56%—a 45-point spread.
Recent trends are mixed, with Number 5 the clearest warning sign and Number 2 a notable exception. Across seven matched elementary results, the average change was down 2 points, compared with a 1-point state decline; school averages ranged from a 5-point gain at Number 2 to a 9-point drop at Number 5. SchoolDigger ranking percentiles also fell 28 points for Number 5, from 35 to 7, while Number 2 rose 9 points, from 12 to 21. Context figures do not make a simple achievement ranking: for 2024–2025, free/reduced lunch eligible shares ranged from 37% at Winfield to 79% at Number 2, and student-teacher ratios ranged from 7.7 at Winfield to 13.9 at Number 4 and Number 6. At Linden High, graduation was 91% in 2024–2025, above the state’s 89%, but chronic absenteeism was 34%, compared with 14% statewide.
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