Grade Downing Elementary School

Grade Downing Elementary School is a tiny K-5 school in RUNNEMEDE, New Jersey, overseen by Runnemede Public School District. The school teaches 149 students in grades K through 3. Enrollment runs roughly 63% below the state mean of about 405.

Grade Downing Elementary School is one of 3 schools operated by Runnemede Public School District, a district that educates 845 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Grade Downing Elementary School shows that 57% of the student body identifies as White. The remainder is composed of 17% Hispanic, 10% Black, 9% Asian, 6% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

On the resource side, On paper, Grade Downing Elementary School has 9 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 17.5:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 11.4:1 average. Around 46% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

With demographic context factored in, Grade Downing Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 41.2%; this one delivers 31.4%.

In the area at large, Camden County reports that median household earnings sit near $88,755, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. In all, Camden County runs 158 public schools (combined enrollment of about 82,104 students), of which Grade Downing Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is Triton Regional High School, roughly 0.4 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Grade Downing Elementary School. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Grade Downing Elementary School ranks 7th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 38.4%.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 19%: 184 students in 2018 compared to 149 in 2025. The White share of enrollment contracted from 71% to 57% over that span.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.