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Teachers: what resource would make the biggest difference at South Orange Middle School this year?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
752
Middle
DISTRICT 757 · STATE 578
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTH ORANGE-MAPLEWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 341533002426
South Orange Middle School
70 North Ridgewood Road, S ORANGE, NJ 07079 · (973) 378-2772 · Essex County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL752 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 46% of New Jersey public middle schools
- BTest 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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
9.8:1
77 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 9.7:1 · STATE 10.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
12%
87 students
DISTRICT 14% · STATE 41%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 269 | 36% |
| Grade 7 | 235 | 31% |
| Grade 8 | 248 | 33% |
Student demographics
63%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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
South Orange Middle School→Columbia High School
Based on grade levels within South Orange-Maplewood School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NJSLA 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
71.2%
NJ avg 53.1% . +1.9pp since 2023
Math
55.5%
NJ avg 41.6% . +4.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 71 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 56 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 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 5 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 71.2% | 55.5% |
| 2023-24 | 69.3% | 51.0% |
% 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
52.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
59.8%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 52% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 60% 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 Orange Middle School
South Orange Middle School's state test result (52.4% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Orange Middle School this school | 752 | 11.6% | 52.4% |
| Maplewood Middle School MAPLEWOOD | 762 | 18.6% | 48.2% |
| Buzz Aldrin Middle School UPPER MONTCLAIR | 618 | 17.2% | 52.0% |
| Glenfield Middle School MONTCLAIR | 512 | 19.9% | 56.4% |
| Kingsway Regional Middle School WOOLWICH TWP | 939 | 18.8% | 45.6% |
| Frances DeMasi Middle School MARLTON | 720 | 15.3% | 45.2% |
Matched among New Jersey middle 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 Orange Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Essex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.4% | #158 of 433 | #13 of 27 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.5% | #140 of 437 ▲ 8 | #11 of 28 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 71.2% | #135 of 437 ▼ 12 | #13 of 28 ▼ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 752 | #112 of 445 | #5 of 29 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 9.8:1 | #105 of 417 | #11 of 28 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.7% | #136 of 419 | #13 of 28 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 11.6% | #343 of 436 | #19 of 27 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.3% | #186 of 282 | #10 of 16 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
752
-31 (-4%) vs 2020
+68% since 1990-91, when it was 447
Student : Teacher
9.8:1
was 9.8:1
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 | 752 | 77 | 9.8:1 | 12% (87) |
| 2023-24 | 769 | 80 | 9.6:1 | 11% (86) |
| 2022-23 | 770 | 81.8 | 9.4:1 | 12% (92) |
| 2020-21 | 783 | 80 | 9.8:1 | 12% (96) |
| 2017-18 | 811 | 73.4 | 11.1:1 | 14% (113) |
| 2015-16 | 800 | 66 | 12.1:1 | 17% (139) |
| 2010-11 | 668 | 53 | 12.6:1 | 18% (118) |
| 2000-01 | 765 | 47 | 16.3:1 | 14% (106) |
| 1990-91 | 447 | 33 | 13.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Orange Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 7% (811 to 752); teachers up 5% (73.4 to 77).
About South Orange Middle School
South Orange Middle School, a mid-sized middle school, is located in S ORANGE, New Jersey. Students in grades 6 through 8 make up the school's enrollment of 752 students. Middle schools in New Jersey have about 578 students on average; enrollment here is 30% higher.
South Orange Middle School is among 10 schools run by South Orange-Maplewood School District, which serves 6,728 students.
The student body at South Orange Middle School is 56% White. Other reported shares: 20% Black, 11% multiracial, 9% Hispanic, and 4% Asian. Essex County's residents are about 30% White, 26 points below the school's share. A diversity index of 63% means there is a 63% chance two randomly chosen students at South Orange Middle School are from different groups.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 9.8:1. The school has 77 full-time-equivalent teachers. The school's 9.8:1 compares with an average of 10.9:1 for middle schools in New Jersey. Federal data show 12% of students (87) are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The 54% average for public schools in Essex County is 42 points higher.
South Orange Middle School holds a B- allk12 Grade, placing it above 46% of New Jersey public middle schools.
South Orange Middle School's actual average proficiency rate across its state test results (52.4%) and its predicted rate (59.8%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of New Jersey schools.
For the population of Essex County, median household income comes to about $80,789, roughly 39% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. Essex County counts 249 public schools with about 145,473 students.
Montrose Early Childhood Center is the nearest public school to South Orange Middle School, about 0.5 miles away. South Orange Middle School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. The nearest schools with test data average 55.3%, higher than South Orange Middle School's 52.4%.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Suburb: Large: in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Over 4 years, enrollment decreased by 31 students, from 783 to 752.
This page is a place to ask questions and share updates about open houses, carpools, and field trips at South Orange Middle School. Members of the school community can share what they know.
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 Mountain Elementary SchoolElementary · 613 students
- Clinton Elementary SchoolElementary · 542 students
- Tuscan Elementary SchoolElementary · 531 students
- Delia Bolden Elementary SchoolElementary · 518 students
Other schools in S ORANGE
- South Mountain Elementary SchoolElementary · 613 students
- Marshall Elementary SchoolElementary · 504 students
Nearby schools
- Montrose Early Childhood Center0.5 mi · 98
- South Mountain Elementary School0.5 mi · 613
- STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges0.7 mi · 180
- Marshall Elementary School0.8 mi · 504
- Columbia High School0.9 mi · 1,985
- Clinton Elementary School1.0 mi · 542
Frequently asked questions
About South Orange Middle SchoolHow large is South Orange Middle School?
South Orange Middle School enrolls approximately 752 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does South Orange Middle School serve?
South Orange Middle School serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many teachers does South Orange Middle School have?
South Orange Middle School employs 77 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 9.8:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at South Orange Middle School?
At South Orange Middle School, the student body is approximately 56% White, 9% Hispanic, 20% Black, 4% Asian, 11% Two or more.
Is South Orange Middle School public or private?
South Orange Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by South Orange-Maplewood School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.