Howard M. Phifer Middle School

Howard M. Phifer Middle School is a middle-grades school of substantial scale in PENNSAUKEN, New Jersey, run under Pennsauken Township Board of Education School District, teacheing 988 students in grades 6 through 8. That puts it 71% above the typical public school in New Jersey, which averages around 578 students.

Pennsauken Township Board of Education School District runs 10 schools in total, collectively educating 4,891 students. Howard M. Phifer Middle School is one of those campuses.

On demographics, Howard M. Phifer Middle School shows that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 62% of enrollment. Other groups include 21% Black, 9% Asian, 5% White, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Camden County as a whole is about 19% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, The school currently runs with 82 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 10.9:1, putting Howard M. Phifer Middle School higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 81% of students at Howard M. Phifer Middle School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Camden County (around 50%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Howard M. Phifer Middle School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 21.6%; this one delivers 21.9%.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Camden County put median household earnings sit near $88,755, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Camden County runs 158 public schools (combined enrollment of about 82,104 students), of which Howard M. Phifer Middle School is one.

Pennsauken Intermediate School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Howard M. Phifer Middle School comes 6th of 8 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 27.0%.

The school occupies a residential site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Howard M. Phifer Middle School has ticked up 29%, going from 764 students in 2018 to 988 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 45% to 62% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.