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What's the biggest difference between Jefferson Elementary School and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
383
Elementary
DISTRICT 456 · STATE 405
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PLAINFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 341314005622
Jefferson Elementary School
1700 W. FRONT ST, PLAINFIELD, NJ 07063 · (908) 731-4250 · Union County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL383 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
10.2:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.8:1 · STATE 11.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
83%
316 students
DISTRICT 78% · STATE 41%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 6 | 2% |
| Kindergarten | 74 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 50 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 57 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 64 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 60 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 72 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (74) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (72).
Student demographics
20%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 30% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NJSLA 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
23.3%
NJ avg 53.1% . +6.5pp since 2023
Math
25.2%
NJ avg 41.6% . +6.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 23 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 25 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New Jersey schools, those numbers are about 53 and 42. Reading and writing scores are up about 7 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 6 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 23.3% | 25.2% |
| 2023-24 | 16.8% | 19.1% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: NJSLA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
19.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
21.0%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 19% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 21% typical for New Jersey schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among New Jersey's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Jefferson Elementary School
Jefferson Elementary School's state test result (19.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Elementary School this school | 383 | 82.5% | 19.2% |
| Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School PLAINFIELD | 423 | 83.2% | 19.6% |
| Greater Brunswick Charter School NEW BRUNSWICK | 397 | 83.1% | 23.1% |
| Brilla New Jersey Charter School PATERSON | 362 | 81.5% | 11.1% |
| School 8 PATERSON | 411 | 78.3% | 11.8% |
| Carroll Robbins Elementary School TRENTON | 459 | 85.2% | 12.8% |
Matched among New Jersey elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Jefferson Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Union County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 19.2% | #1,145 of 1,290 | #82 of 92 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 25.2% | #1,065 of 1,319 ▲ 45 | #63 of 93 ▲ 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 23.3% | #1,201 of 1,319 ▲ 46 | #88 of 93 ▲ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 383 | #767 of 1,562 | #65 of 108 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.2:1 | #396 of 1,390 | #12 of 103 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 19.6% | #1,306 of 1,392 | #99 of 103 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 82.5% | #182 of 1,481 | #29 of 105 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.0% | #469 of 798 | #26 of 58 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
383
-135 (-26%) vs 2020
-11% since 1990-91, when it was 430
Student : Teacher
10.2:1
was 15.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 383 | 37.5 | 10.2:1 | 83% (316) |
| 2023-24 | 392 | 35.5 | 11.0:1 | 85% (333) |
| 2022-23 | 441 | 34.5 | 12.8:1 | 86% (380) |
| 2020-21 | 518 | 34 | 15.2:1 | 77% (398) |
| 2017-18 | 421 | 34.5 | 12.2:1 | 89% (376) |
| 2015-16 | 436 | 34 | 12.8:1 | 88% (385) |
| 2010-11 | 395 | 26 | 15.2:1 | 90% (357) |
| 2000-01 | 408 | 34 | 12.0:1 | 89% (363) |
| 1990-91 | 430 | 26 | 16.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Jefferson Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (421 to 383); teachers up 9% (34.5 to 37.5).
About Jefferson Elementary School
Jefferson Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school that serves part of PLAINFIELD, New Jersey. It reports enrollment of 383 students in pre-K through 5.
Plainfield Public School District serves 8,522 students across 15 schools.
By race and ethnicity, Jefferson Elementary School is 89% Hispanic. The next largest groups are 8% Black. The school's Hispanic share is 54 points above the 35% share among Union County residents. A diversity index of 20% means there is a 20% chance two randomly chosen students at Jefferson Elementary School are from different groups.
Its staff includes 37.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, for about 10.2 students per teacher. The gap from the 11.4:1 average for elementary schools in New Jersey is 1.2 students per teacher. Roughly 83% of students at Jefferson Elementary School can receive free or reduced-price lunch. Compared with the 52% average for public schools in Union County, the school's rate is higher.
Jefferson Elementary School sits between the top and bottom 10% of New Jersey schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 19.2% and a predicted 21.0%.
Census data for Union County show median household income comes to about $103,202, about 39% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 7%. The county has 180 public schools and about 99,046 students.
The closest school to Jefferson Elementary School is Plainfield Academy For The Arts & Advanced Studies, located less than a tenth of a mile away. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. Local comparison: Jefferson Elementary School ranks 8th of 9 nearby schools, at 19.2% versus a 34.6% average.
By NCES locale, the school is Suburb: Large, or in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
The school's enrollment fell 26% from 2020-21 to 2024-25. Federal data show the ratio falling from 15.2:1 to 10.2:1.
People who know Jefferson Elementary School can post here about homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Union County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
579,290
Census ACS
Median income
$103,202
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
39%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
180
99,046 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Plainfield Public School District
- Plainfield High SchoolHigh · 2,077 students
- Charles and Anna Booker Elementary SchoolElementary · 816 students
- Hubbard Middle SchoolMiddle · 737 students
- Maxson Middle SchoolMiddle · 721 students
- Cedarbrook Elementary SchoolElementary · 671 students
- Washington Community SchoolElementary · 557 students
Other schools in PLAINFIELD
- Plainfield High SchoolHigh · 2,077 students
- College Achieve Central Charter SchoolCombined · 1,572 students
- Charles and Anna Booker Elementary SchoolElementary · 816 students
- Hubbard Middle SchoolMiddle · 737 students
- Maxson Middle SchoolMiddle · 721 students
- Cedarbrook Elementary SchoolElementary · 671 students
Other Jefferson Elementary schools
143 other US public schools in 31 states are named Jefferson Elementary. Jefferson Elementary School is the 61st largest of the 144.
- Jefferson ElementaryUNION, NJ · 564 students
- Jefferson Elementary SchoolWestfield, NJ · 467 students
- Jefferson Elementary SchoolSUCCASUNNA, NJ · 346 students
- Jefferson Elementary SchoolBERGENFIELD, NJ · 291 students
- Jefferson Elementary SchoolUNION CITY, NJ · 272 students
Nearby schools
- Plainfield Academy For The Arts & Advanced Studies0.0 mi · 357
- Arbor Elementary School0.6 mi · 528
- Green Brook Middle School0.7 mi · 304
- Clinton Elementary School0.7 mi · 386
- Lincoln Middle School0.8 mi · 333
- Dunellen High School0.8 mi · 409
Frequently asked questions
About Jefferson Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Jefferson Elementary School?
Jefferson Elementary School enrolls approximately 383 students in grades PK-05.
Is Jefferson Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Jefferson Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Jefferson Elementary School?
Approximately 10.2:1 students per teacher at Jefferson Elementary School.
How diverse is Jefferson Elementary School?
Jefferson Elementary School reports a student body of 1% White, 89% Hispanic, 8% Black, 1% Asian.
Is Jefferson Elementary School public or private?
Jefferson Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Plainfield Public School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.