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Teachers: what resource would make the biggest difference at South Mountain Elementary School this year?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
613
Elementary
DISTRICT 461 · STATE 405
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTH ORANGE-MAPLEWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 341533002442
South Mountain Elementary School
444 WEST SOUTH ORANGE AVE, S ORANGE, NJ 07079 · (973) 378-5216 · Essex County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL613 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 67% of New Jersey public elementary schools
- A-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.
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
11.5:1
53 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.1:1 · STATE 11.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
6%
34 students
DISTRICT 14% · 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 | 85 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 109 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 113 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 107 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 92 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 107 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (85) is 21% smaller than its 5th grade class (107).
Student demographics
60%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · 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
72.2%
NJ avg 53.1% . +4.4pp since 2023
Math
66.4%
NJ avg 41.6% . +5.6pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 72 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 66 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 4 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 6 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 72.2% | 66.4% |
| 2023-24 | 67.8% | 60.8% |
% 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
63.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
63.1%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 63% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 63% 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 South Mountain Elementary School
South Mountain Elementary School's state test result (63.0% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Mountain Elementary School this school | 613 | 5.5% | 63.0% |
| Tuscan Elementary School MAPLEWOOD | 531 | 7.2% | 70.6% |
| Delia Bolden Elementary School MAPLEWOOD | 518 | 8.5% | 64.5% |
| Marshall Elementary School S ORANGE | 504 | 8.5% | 75.4% |
| Richard L Rice School MARLTON | 492 | 7.7% | 44.7% |
| Hainesport Township School HAINESPORT | 523 | 13.8% | 44.4% |
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 South Mountain Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Essex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 63.0% | #279 of 1,290 | #32 of 131 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 66.4% | #305 of 1,319 ▲ 62 | #35 of 141 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 72.2% | #221 of 1,319 ▲ 72 | #33 of 141 ▲ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 613 | #209 of 1,562 | #31 of 162 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.5:1 | #735 of 1,390 | #33 of 140 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.8% | #497 of 1,392 | #36 of 141 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 5.5% | #1,334 of 1,481 | #126 of 142 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +3.7% | #420 of 545 | #42 of 61 |
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
613
+1 (+0%) vs 2020
+47% since 1990-91, when it was 416
Student : Teacher
11.5:1
was 12.5:1
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 | 613 | 53.4 | 11.5:1 | 6% (34) |
| 2023-24 | 650 | 49.4 | 13.2:1 | 4% (27) |
| 2022-23 | 618 | 49.4 | 12.5:1 | 3% (16) |
| 2020-21 | 612 | 49 | 12.5:1 | 3% (19) |
| 2017-18 | 591 | 46.5 | 12.7:1 | 5% (31) |
| 2015-16 | 607 | 38 | 16.0:1 | 5% (31) |
| 2010-11 | 623 | 36 | 17.3:1 | 6% (35) |
| 2000-01 | 542 | 30 | 18.1:1 | 8% (44) |
| 1990-91 | 416 | 24 | 17.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Mountain Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 4% (591 to 613); teachers up 15% (46.5 to 53.4).
About South Mountain Elementary School
South Mountain Elementary School, located in S ORANGE, New Jersey, is a high-enrollment elementary school. Total enrollment is 613 students, and the grades served are kindergarten through 5. Elementary schools in New Jersey have about 405 students on average; enrollment here is 51% higher.
South Mountain Elementary School reports to South Orange-Maplewood School District, which has 10 schools and 6,728 students.
More than half of the students at South Mountain Elementary School are White (60%). Other reported shares: 13% multiracial, 12% Black, 11% Hispanic, and 4% Asian. That compares with about 30% White among all Essex County residents. The diversity index for South Mountain Elementary School is 60%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Based on 53.4 full-time-equivalent teachers, South Mountain Elementary School has a ratio of 11.5:1. The average for elementary schools in New Jersey is about 11.4:1. Income data for the school show 6% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The 54% average for public schools in Essex County is 48 points higher.
South Mountain Elementary School holds a B+ allk12 Grade, placing it above 67% of New Jersey public elementary schools.
Schools in New Jersey with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to score about 63.1%. South Mountain Elementary School scores 63.0%.
In Essex County, home to about 863,002 people, the median household earns about $80,789 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 39% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. Public schools in Essex County number 249, with about 145,473 students.
Among nearby public schools, South Orange Middle School is closest at about 0.5 miles. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of South Mountain Elementary School. On state test proficiency, South Mountain Elementary School ranks 4th in a group of 8 nearby schools.
South Mountain Elementary School is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more, a location NCES labels Suburb: Large.
The school's size has been steady, with 612 students in 2020-21 and 613 in 2024-25. Its ratio of students to teachers was 12.5:1 in 2020-21, and 11.5:1 in 2024-25.
On allk12, people connected to South Mountain Elementary School can post about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Essex County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
863,002
Census ACS
Median income
$80,789
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
39%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
249
145,473 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in South Orange-Maplewood School District
- Columbia High SchoolHigh · 1,985 students
- Maplewood Middle SchoolMiddle · 762 students
- South Orange Middle SchoolMiddle · 752 students
- Clinton Elementary SchoolElementary · 542 students
- Tuscan Elementary SchoolElementary · 531 students
- Delia Bolden Elementary SchoolElementary · 518 students
Other schools in S ORANGE
- South Orange Middle SchoolMiddle · 752 students
- Marshall Elementary SchoolElementary · 504 students
Other South Mountain Elementary schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named South Mountain Elementary. South Mountain Elementary School is the largest of the 4.
- South Mountain Elementary SchoolDillsburg, PA · 389 students
- SOUTH MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARYMORIARTY, NM · 303 students
- South Mountain ElementaryWausau, WI · 235 students
Nearby schools
- South Orange Middle School0.5 mi · 752
- Columbia High School0.9 mi · 1,985
- Delia Bolden Elementary School0.9 mi · 518
- Montrose Early Childhood Center1.0 mi · 98
- STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges1.2 mi · 180
- Clinton Elementary School1.2 mi · 542
Frequently asked questions
About South Mountain Elementary SchoolHow large is South Mountain Elementary School?
South Mountain Elementary School enrolls approximately 613 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does South Mountain Elementary School serve?
South Mountain Elementary School serves grades KG-05.
How many teachers does South Mountain Elementary School have?
South Mountain Elementary School employs 53 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.5:1.
How diverse is South Mountain Elementary School?
South Mountain Elementary School reports a student body of 60% White, 11% Hispanic, 12% Black, 4% Asian, 13% Two or more.
What district is South Mountain Elementary School in?
South Mountain Elementary School is part of South Orange-Maplewood School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.