Best High Schools in Zip Code 08690

ZIP code 08690 has three high schools serving grades 9–12: Hamilton East - Steinert, Mercer High School, and Mercer County Technical School Health Sciences Academy; enrollment ranges from 137 to 1,437 students. Mercer High’s 2025–2026 test results are suppressed, so current academic comparisons rely on the other two schools. The main takeaway is that strengths vary by test: no one school leads across all subjects.

The Academy stands out in ninth-grade English and NJGPA Mathematics, while Steinert is stronger in Geometry. The Academy scored 84% in ninth-grade English, 42 percentage points above Steinert’s 43%, and 83% in NJGPA Mathematics, 35 points above Steinert’s 48%; it also led Steinert in Science by 14 points. Steinert, in contrast, scored 53% in Geometry End of Course and 55% in ninth-grade Geometry, leading the Academy by 26 and 28 points. The Academy also had the stronger Algebra I results, while Steinert’s Algebra I scores were below the state. These subject-by-subject differences make an overall “top” or “bottom” label misleading.

The Academy’s reported results generally rose from 2024–2025: ninth-grade English increased 16 points, Algebra I rose 39 points, Science gained 13 points, and NJGPA Mathematics improved 10 points; Geometry stayed level. Steinert’s changes were mixed, including declines of 22 points in Algebra II End of Course and 27 points in ninth-grade Algebra II. SchoolDigger’s 2025–2026 percentile ranking was 69 for the Academy and 29 for Steinert; the Academy rebounded from 48 the prior year, while Steinert was near its recent range. In 2024–2025, student-teacher ratios were 15.7 at the Academy, 13.7 at Steinert, and 6 at Mercer High. All three reported free/reduced lunch eligibility for 2024–2025: 48% at the Academy, 37% at Steinert, and 50% at Mercer High. These figures add context, but they do not explain the varied academic results.