Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School

Set in Wharton, New Jersey, Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School is an intimate middle-grades school, part of Wharton Borough School District. It teaches 265 students across grades 6 through 8. Compared to the state average of about 578 students per school, that is 54% smaller than typical.

Wharton Borough School District runs 2 schools in total, collectively educating 699 students. Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School logs that 69% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Other groups include 20% White, 5% Asian, 5% Black. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 16%.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School has 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 8.5:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 10.9:1, putting Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 46% of students at Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is above Morris County's rate of about 19%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 41.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 40.8%.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Morris County indicate median household earnings sit near $137,326, roughly 58% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 3%. Across Morris County's 156 public schools (combined enrollment of about 72,239 students), Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School is one campus in the mix.

Marie V. Duffy Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School at 3rd of 9; the average score across the group is 32.6%.

Geographically, the school is in an outer-ring area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count changed only slightly: 265 students in 2018 compared to 265 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.