Summary:
ZIP code 07304 has 11 schools—eight elementary, one high school and two alternative schools—with reported assessments spanning grades 3–11. Results show a wide range of outcomes, rather than one consistent picture of local schools: Learning Community Charter School stands out across many grades, while several schools have very low results.
Learning Community led the listed schools in ELA in grades 4–8, math in grades 3–7, and the available grade 5 and 8 science comparisons. In grade 7 ELA, it scored 79%, compared with 28% at Chaplain Charles Watters School, a 51-point gap; in grade 6 math, it scored 67%, versus 3% at Ollie Culbreth Junior School, a 63-point gap. Dr. Paul Rafalides School also had a bright spot: its grade 3 and 4 ELA results, 50% and 51%, were above state results. Joseph H. Brensinger School was an exception in high-school math, with 61% proficient in Algebra I versus 40% statewide; Lincoln High School scored 0% in Geometry and 28% in NJGPA math, versus 61% statewide.
Year-to-year changes were mixed, though matched math results moved closer to state results overall: the local average rose 3 points, while the state benchmark rose less than 1 point; ELA results fell 1 point locally, compared with a 2-point state decline. SchoolDigger’s 2025–2026 rankings reflect the divide: Learning Community was at the 72nd percentile, compared with 4 for Ollie Culbreth, 8 for Watters and 9 for Lincoln. Rafalides rose from the 35th to the 48th percentile between 2023–2024 and 2025–2026, while Learning Community’s matched ELA average fell 7 points but remained a strong performer. As context, free/reduced lunch eligible figures for 2024–2025 were 32% at Learning Community, 86% at Brensinger and 85% at Ollie Culbreth; smaller student-teacher ratios do not guarantee stronger results, as Ollie’s was 8.8 students per teacher and Learning Community’s was 13.7.
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