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Parents: what's one thing you'd want the Joseph J Catena School administration to hear?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
445
Elementary
DISTRICT 375 · STATE 405
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 340564003810
Joseph J Catena School
275 BURLINGTON ROAD, FREEHOLD, NJ 07728 · (732) 431-4430 · Monmouth County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL445 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 58% of New Jersey public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded New Jersey public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
10.2:1
44 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.3:1 · STATE 11.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
14%
64 students
DISTRICT 18% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 83 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 64 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 72 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 79 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 67 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 80 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (83) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (80).
Student demographics
48%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 47% · 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
61.1%
NJ avg 53.1% . -4.6pp since 2023
Math
60.6%
NJ avg 41.6% . +1.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 61 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 61 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New Jersey schools, those numbers are about 53 and 42. Reading and writing scores are down about 5 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 2 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 61.1% | 60.6% |
| 2023-24 | 65.7% | 59.1% |
% 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
57.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
58.3%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 57% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 58% 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 Joseph J Catena School
Joseph J Catena School's state test result (57.0% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph J Catena School this school | 445 | 14.4% | 57.0% |
| Marshall W. Errickson School FREEHOLD | 464 | 14.2% | 56.8% |
| West Freehold School FREEHOLD | 447 | 17.9% | 60.6% |
| Clark Mills School MANALAPAN | 474 | 11.4% | 68.0% |
| Milford Brook School Manalapan | 516 | 14.1% | 61.6% |
| Round Valley LEBANON | 384 | 11.7% | 61.7% |
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 Joseph J Catena School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Monmouth County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 57.0% | #392 of 1,290 | #38 of 89 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 60.6% | #396 of 1,319 no change | #43 of 93 ▼ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 61.1% | #460 of 1,319 ▼ 127 | #41 of 93 ▼ 14 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 445 | #555 of 1,562 | #38 of 112 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.2:1 | #402 of 1,390 | #43 of 98 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 47.6% | #880 of 1,392 | #47 of 98 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 14.4% | #1,151 of 1,481 | #71 of 105 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.4% | #491 of 798 | #32 of 50 |
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
445
-6 (-1%) vs 2020
+9% since 1990-91, when it was 407
Student : Teacher
10.2:1
was 10.3:1
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 | 445 | 43.5 | 10.2:1 | 14% (64) |
| 2023-24 | 426 | 44.5 | 9.6:1 | 11% (47) |
| 2022-23 | 447 | 45.5 | 9.8:1 | 10% (44) |
| 2020-21 | 451 | 44 | 10.3:1 | 8% (36) |
| 2017-18 | 486 | 42 | 11.6:1 | 14% (69) |
| 2015-16 | 497 | 44 | 11.3:1 | 13% (67) |
| 2010-11 | 514 | 43 | 11.9:1 | 5% (24) |
| 2000-01 | 639 | 36 | 17.8:1 | 4% (28) |
| 1990-91 | 407 | 24 | 17.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Joseph J Catena School.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (486 to 445); teachers up 4% (42 to 43.5).
About Joseph J Catena School
Joseph J Catena School is a medium-sized elementary school for students in FREEHOLD, New Jersey. The school had 445 students in kindergarten through 5 in 2024-25.
A total of 8 schools make up Freehold Township School District, with 3,406 students enrolled.
White students are the majority at Joseph J Catena School, with 71% of enrollment. Other groups make up 12% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 5% multiracial, and 4% Black. County-wide, about 74% of residents are White. Pick two students at random and there is a 48% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The school reported 43.5 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 10.2:1. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 11.4:1 average for elementary schools in New Jersey. Eligible students account for 14% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. By comparison, the figure for public schools in Monmouth County is 29%.
allk12 grades Joseph J Catena School a B. The grade compares the school only with New Jersey public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, Joseph J Catena School falls in the middle 80% of New Jersey schools: 57.0% actual against 58.3% predicted.
Census estimates describe Monmouth County this way: the median household income is $124,845, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 51%, and about 4% of people live in poverty. Besides Joseph J Catena School, Monmouth County has 185 other public schools.
The nearest public school is Dwight D. Eisenhower School, at about 0.1 miles. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Among the 7 closest schools with test data, this one included, Joseph J Catena School ranks 2nd on average proficiency.
Federal records code the school's setting as Suburb: Large.
Enrollment was essentially flat over 4 years: 451 in 2020-21, 445 in 2024-25.
To ask about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Monmouth County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
645,353
Census ACS
Median income
$124,845
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
51%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
186
91,053 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Freehold Township School District
- Dwight D. Eisenhower SchoolMiddle · 582 students
- Clifton T. Barkalow SchoolMiddle · 574 students
- Marshall W. Errickson SchoolElementary · 464 students
- West Freehold SchoolElementary · 447 students
- Laura Donovan SchoolElementary · 441 students
- C. Richard Applegate SchoolElementary · 358 students
Other schools in FREEHOLD
- Freehold Borough High SchoolHigh · 1,376 students
- Dwight D. Eisenhower SchoolMiddle · 582 students
- Clifton T. Barkalow SchoolMiddle · 574 students
- Freehold Learning CenterElementary · 562 students
- Freehold Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 498 students
- Marshall W. Errickson SchoolElementary · 464 students
Nearby schools
- Dwight D. Eisenhower School0.1 mi · 582
- Monmouth County Career Center0.5 mi · 5
- Biotechnology High School0.6 mi · 315
- Freehold Learning Center1.2 mi · 562
- Freehold Borough High School1.6 mi · 1,376
- Colts Neck High School1.9 mi · 1,430
Frequently asked questions
About Joseph J Catena SchoolHow large is Joseph J Catena School?
Joseph J Catena School enrolls approximately 445 students in grades KG-05.
Is Joseph J Catena School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Joseph J Catena School is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many students per teacher at Joseph J Catena School?
Approximately 10.2:1 students per teacher at Joseph J Catena School.
How diverse is Joseph J Catena School?
Joseph J Catena School reports a student body of 71% White, 12% Hispanic, 4% Black, 8% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Joseph J Catena School public or private?
Joseph J Catena School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Freehold Township School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.