Ola Edwards Community School

Ola Edwards Community School, a middle-of-the-pack K-5 school in HILLSIDE, New Jersey, one of the schools within Hillside Public School District, educates 391 students, covering grades 2 through 6.

Hillside Public School District runs 7 schools in total, collectively educating 2,957 students. Ola Edwards Community School is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Ola Edwards Community School logs that 48% of students identify as Black, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 39% Hispanic, 10% White. By comparison, Union County as a whole is about 20% Black, so the school skews visibly more Black than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Ola Edwards Community School has 34 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.5:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 83% of enrolled students meet the income threshold 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 somewhat above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Ola Edwards Community School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 20.8%; this one delivers 34.3%.

In the area at large, Union County reports that the typical household earns roughly $103,202 per year, about 39% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Ola Edwards Community School is one of 180 public schools in Union County (combined enrollment of about 99,046 students).

Chancellor Avenue School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Ola Edwards Community School ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 15.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Ola Edwards Community School has decreased 17%, going from 469 students in 2018 to 391 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment edged up from 26% to 39% over that span. Class-load math has tightened: from 13.0:1 in 2018 to 11.5:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.