J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School

Located at 16 KEVIN ROAD, in SCOTCH PLAINS, New Jersey, J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School is an average-sized elementary-level community that serves 526 students (grades pre-K through 4), run under Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District. That puts it 30% bigger than the typical public school in New Jersey, which averages around 405 students.

Within Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District, which oversees 8 schools and 5,673 students, J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School is one campus in the system.

On demographics, J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School shows that the largest single group is White, at 63% of enrollment; the rest is composed of 13% Asian, 12% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 6% Black. The wider county runs roughly 39% White, putting the school's mix considerably more White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, On paper, J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School has 44 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.9:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 3% of students at J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Union County (around 52%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

With demographic context factored in, J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 64.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 75.4%.

Across the wider county, census data for Union County shows median household income runs about $103,202, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School is one of 180 public schools in Union County (combined enrollment of about 99,046 students).

Nearest neighbor: Terrill Middle School, around 0.3 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School. On composite proficiency, J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School comes 2nd of 9 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 49.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 3%: 540 students in 2018 compared to 526 in 2025. Class-load math has pulled in: from 14.1:1 in 2018 to 11.9:1 in 2025.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.