1
What clubs or activities at South Plainfield Middle School are worth joining?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
553
Middle
DISTRICT 561 · STATE 578
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTH PLAINFIELD SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 341536003634
South Plainfield Middle School
2201 PLAINFIELD AVENUE, SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ 07080 · (908) 754-4620 · Middlesex County
GRADES 07–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL553 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 45% of New Jersey public middle schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-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
10.7:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.9:1 · STATE 10.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
37%
205 students
DISTRICT 31% · 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 7 | 279 | 50% |
| Grade 8 | 274 | 50% |
Student demographics
72%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 73% · 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 Plainfield Middle School→South Plainfield High School
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within South Plainfield School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NJSLA 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
55.0%
NJ avg 53.1% . +8.4pp since 2023
Math
40.5%
NJ avg 41.6% . +1.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 55 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 41 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 8 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 1 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 55.0% | 40.5% |
| 2023-24 | 46.6% | 39.5% |
% 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
43.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
45.9%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 46% 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 Plainfield Middle School
South Plainfield Middle School's state test result (43.4% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Plainfield Middle School this school | 553 | 37.1% | 43.4% |
| Grant Elementary School SOUTH PLAINFIELD | 568 | 35.4% | 37.2% |
| Lawrence Middle School LAWRENCEVILLE | 584 | 37.7% | 48.7% |
| John Hill School BOONTON | 556 | 40.1% | 51.6% |
| Lawrence Intermediate School LAWRENCEVILLE | 775 | 38.2% | 40.7% |
| Von E. Mauger Middle School MIDDLESEX | 502 | 43.8% | 37.6% |
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 Plainfield Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Middlesex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.4% | #230 of 433 | #15 of 39 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 40.5% | #229 of 437 ▼ 10 | #17 of 39 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 55.0% | #260 of 437 ▲ 23 | #18 of 39 ▲ 4 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 553 | #217 of 445 | #27 of 40 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.7:1 | #197 of 417 | #16 of 39 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 71.9% | #21 of 419 | #8 of 40 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 37.1% | #201 of 436 | #23 of 40 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -1.3% | #266 of 282 | #21 of 23 |
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
553
+24 (+5%) vs 2020
-23% since 1990-91, when it was 717
Student : Teacher
10.7:1
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 | 553 | 51.7 | 10.7:1 | 37% (205) |
| 2023-24 | 503 | 53.7 | 9.4:1 | 35% (174) |
| 2022-23 | 464 | 51.7 | 9.0:1 | 30% (137) |
| 2020-21 | 529 | 54 | 9.8:1 | 21% (110) |
| 2017-18 | 560 | 48.1 | 11.6:1 | 27% (152) |
| 2015-16 | 523 | 52 | 10.1:1 | 31% (162) |
| 2010-11 | 581 | 45 | 12.9:1 | 23% (134) |
| 2000-01 | 572 | 68 | 8.4:1 | 16% (89) |
| 1990-91 | 717 | 67 | 10.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Plainfield Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (560 to 553); teachers up 7% (48.1 to 51.7).
About South Plainfield Middle School
In SOUTH PLAINFIELD, New Jersey, South Plainfield Middle School is a medium-sized middle-grades school. The school counts 553 students across grades 7 through 8.
South Plainfield Middle School sits within South Plainfield School District, which has 9 schools and 3,767 students.
Hispanic students form the largest group at South Plainfield Middle School, 37% of enrollment. Enrollment also includes 33% White, 16% Asian, 11% Black, and 3% multiracial. Among people living in Middlesex County, the Hispanic share is about 24%. The chance that two students picked at random at South Plainfield Middle School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 72%.
South Plainfield Middle School's 51.7 full-time-equivalent teachers put its ratio at 10.7:1. Middle schools in New Jersey average about 10.9:1, a similar figure. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 37%.
Measured against New Jersey public middle schools, South Plainfield Middle School receives a B-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
South Plainfield Middle School is 2.5 points below its predicted average proficiency rate on state tests (43.4% versus 45.9%), which places it in neither the top nor the bottom 10% in New Jersey.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Middlesex County show that median household income is about $111,549, roughly 46% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Federal data list 214 public schools in Middlesex County, with a combined enrollment of about 129,255.
Of nearby public schools, South Plainfield High School is the closest, at about 0.3 miles. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. Its average proficiency rate of 43.4% is above the 40.5% average for nearby schools.
Federal data place South Plainfield Middle School in the Suburb: Large locale, which means it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment was 529 in 2020-21 and 553 in 2024-25, a increase of 24 students.
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week at South Plainfield Middle School. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Middlesex County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
871,290
Census ACS
Median income
$111,549
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
46%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
214
129,255 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in South Plainfield School District
- South Plainfield High SchoolHigh · 1,044 students
- Grant Elementary SchoolMiddle · 568 students
- Roosevelt Elementary SchoolElementary · 472 students
- John E. Riley Elementary SchoolElementary · 367 students
- Franklin Elementary SchoolElementary · 270 students
- John F Kennedy Elementary SchoolElementary · 256 students
Other schools in SOUTH PLAINFIELD
- South Plainfield High SchoolHigh · 1,044 students
- Grant Elementary SchoolMiddle · 568 students
- Roosevelt Elementary SchoolElementary · 472 students
- John E. Riley Elementary SchoolElementary · 367 students
- Franklin Elementary SchoolElementary · 270 students
- John F Kennedy Elementary SchoolElementary · 256 students
Nearby schools
- South Plainfield High School0.3 mi · 1,044
- Grant Elementary School0.3 mi · 568
- Riley Preschool Annex0.7 mi · 145
- John E. Riley Elementary School0.8 mi · 367
- Franklin Elementary School0.8 mi · 270
- John F Kennedy Elementary School1.0 mi · 256
Frequently asked questions
About South Plainfield Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at South Plainfield Middle School?
South Plainfield Middle School enrolls approximately 553 students in grades 07-08.
Is South Plainfield Middle School an elementary, middle, or high school?
South Plainfield Middle School is a middle school covering grades 07-08.
How many teachers does South Plainfield Middle School have?
South Plainfield Middle School employs 52 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 10.7:1.
How diverse is South Plainfield Middle School?
South Plainfield Middle School reports a student body of 33% White, 37% Hispanic, 11% Black, 16% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees South Plainfield Middle School?
South Plainfield Middle School is overseen by South Plainfield School District in Middlesex County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.