Mildred Barry Garvin Elementary

Mildred Barry Garvin Elementary, a low-enrollment primary school in EAST ORANGE, New Jersey, run under East Orange School District, educates 245 students, covering grades 3 through 5. Compared to the state average of about 405 students per school, that is 40% smaller than typical.

Across the 19 schools in East Orange School District (8,348 students total), Mildred Barry Garvin Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Mildred Barry Garvin Elementary reports that the largest single group is Black, at 73% of enrollment. Other groups include 24% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 36% Black, putting the school's mix noticeably more Black than the area baseline.

On the resource side, The school reports having 20 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.3:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 11.4:1 average. Around 13% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Essex County runs at roughly 54%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Mildred Barry Garvin Elementary falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 59.2%; this one comes in at 22.3%, -36.9 points off the demographic line.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Essex County put median household income runs about $80,789, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Essex County's 249 public schools (combined enrollment of about 145,473 students), Mildred Barry Garvin Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Gordon Parks Academy is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Mildred Barry Garvin Elementary comes 5th of 6 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 29.4%.

Mildred Barry Garvin Elementary operates from a bedroom-community location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 34%: 374 students in 2018 compared to 245 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share fell from 94% to 73%.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.