Maplewood Middle School

Maplewood Middle School operates as a medium-sized middle-grades school in MAPLEWOOD, New Jersey, overseen by South Orange-Maplewood School District. Current enrollment sits at 762 students spanning grades 6 through 8. That puts it 32% larger than the typical public school in New Jersey, which averages around 578 students.

Across the 10 schools in South Orange-Maplewood School District (6,728 students total), Maplewood Middle School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Maplewood Middle School reports that the most-represented group is White (53%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school shows 23% Black, 12% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, 4% Asian. By comparison, Essex County as a whole is about 30% White, so the school skews visibly more White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 80 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 9.5:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 10.9:1, putting Maplewood Middle School tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 19% of students at Maplewood Middle School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is noticeably below Essex County's rate of about 54%.

With demographic context factored in, Maplewood Middle School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 56.0%; this one delivers 48.2%.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Essex County indicate the typical household earns roughly $80,789 per year, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. In all, Essex County runs 249 public schools (combined enrollment of about 145,473 students), of which Maplewood Middle School is one.

Tuscan Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Maplewood Middle School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Maplewood Middle School at 7th of 9; the average score across the group is 59.2%.

The campus sits in an outer-ring setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count held roughly steady: 753 students in 2018 compared to 762 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment edged down from 34% to 23% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 10.6:1 in 2018 to 9.5:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.