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Alumni: what's one memory from South River Elementary School that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
496
Elementary
DISTRICT 385 · STATE 405
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTH RIVER PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 341539000236
South River Elementary School
81 JOHNSON PLACE, SOUTH RIVER, NJ 08882 · (732) 613-4073 · Middlesex County
GRADES 03–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL496 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 36% of New Jersey public elementary schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats 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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
8.8:1
57 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 56.6:1 · STATE 11.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
71%
352 students
DISTRICT 64% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 177 | 36% |
| Grade 4 | 171 | 34% |
| Grade 5 | 148 | 30% |
Student demographics
61%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 60% · 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
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within South River Public School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NJSLA 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
37.2%
NJ avg 53.1% . -1.7pp since 2023
Math
28.2%
NJ avg 41.6% . -2.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 37 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 28 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New Jersey schools, those numbers are about 53 and 42. Reading and writing scores are down about 2 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 2 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 37.2% | 28.2% |
| 2023-24 | 38.9% | 30.3% |
% 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
30.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
27.3%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 30% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 27% 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 River Elementary School
South River Elementary School's state test result (30.4% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South River Elementary School this school | 496 | 71.0% | 30.4% |
| South River Primary School SOUTH RIVER | 508 | 65.0% | N/A |
| Joseph A. Citta Elementary School TOMS RIVER | 511 | 73.8% | 24.0% |
| School #13 CLIFTON | 443 | 67.9% | 39.1% |
| South Amboy Elementary SOUTH AMBOY | 584 | 62.0% | 30.7% |
| Lakehurst Elementary School LAKEHURST | 411 | 69.1% | 17.3% |
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 River Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Middlesex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 30.4% | #952 of 1,290 | #88 of 111 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.2% | #1,012 of 1,319 ▼ 80 | #93 of 111 ▼ 5 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 37.2% | #988 of 1,319 ▼ 81 | #86 of 111 ▼ 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 496 | #419 of 1,562 | #44 of 130 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 8.8:1 | #104 of 1,390 | #11 of 120 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 61.1% | #459 of 1,392 | #68 of 121 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 71.0% | #336 of 1,481 | #23 of 128 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.8% | #504 of 798 | #66 of 84 |
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
496
-159 (-24%) vs 2020
-39% since 2000-01, when it was 819
Student : Teacher
8.8:1
was 11.1:1
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 | 496 | 56.5 | 8.8:1 | 71% (352) |
| 2023-24 | 683 | 59.8 | 11.4:1 | 59% (403) |
| 2022-23 | 659 | 60.3 | 10.9:1 | 57% (378) |
| 2020-21 | 655 | 59 | 11.1:1 | 56% (369) |
| 2017-18 | 538 | 44.2 | 12.2:1 | 46% (246) |
| 2015-16 | 584 | 47 | 12.4:1 | 20% (115) |
| 2010-11 | 582 | 30 | 19.4:1 | 38% (221) |
| 2000-01 | 819 | 43 | 19.1:1 | 27% (221) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South River Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (538 to 496); teachers up 28% (44.2 to 56.5).
About South River Elementary School
South River Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary school based in SOUTH RIVER, New Jersey. The school's 496 students are in grades 3 through 5. Statewide, elementary schools in New Jersey average about 405 students each.
South River Public School District operates 5 schools. Combined enrollment is 2,395 students.
South River Elementary School has no majority group; Hispanic students are the largest, at 48%. Beyond that, enrollment is 39% White, 8% Black, and 3% multiracial. In Middlesex County overall, about 24% of residents are Hispanic. Pick two students at random and there is a 61% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
South River Elementary School operates with 56.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 8.8:1. On average, elementary schools in New Jersey have 11.4:1, compared with 8.8:1 here. South River Elementary School reports 71% of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. That rate is above the 42% average among public schools in Middlesex County.
allk12 grades South River Elementary School a C+. The grade compares the school only with New Jersey public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
Test results at South River Elementary School are 3.1 points above what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (30.4% actual, 27.3% predicted).
Among Middlesex County residents, the median household income is $111,549, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 46%, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. Besides South River Elementary School, Middlesex County has 213 other public schools.
The school nearest to South River Elementary School is South River Middle School, at a distance of less than a tenth of a mile. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Among the 7 closest schools with test data, this one included, South River Elementary School ranks 5th on average proficiency.
South River Elementary School falls in the Suburb: Large locale category, used for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment is down 24% from 2020-21, when South River Elementary School had 655 students, to 2024-25, when it had 496. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio fell from 11.1:1 to 8.8:1.
Posts about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
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 River Public School District
- South River High SchoolHigh · 716 students
- South River Middle SchoolMiddle · 524 students
- South River Primary SchoolElementary · 508 students
- South River Early Learning CenterElementary · 151 students
Other schools in SOUTH RIVER
- South River High SchoolHigh · 716 students
- South River Middle SchoolMiddle · 524 students
- South River Primary SchoolElementary · 508 students
- South River Early Learning CenterElementary · 151 students
Other South River Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named South River Elementary. South River Elementary School is the 2nd largest of the 3.
- South River Elementary SchoolHARRISON TOWNSHIP, MI · 515 students
- South River ElementaryGrottoes, VA · 316 students
Nearby schools
- South River Middle School0.0 mi · 524
- South River High School0.1 mi · 716
- South River Early Learning Center0.2 mi · 151
- South River Primary School0.2 mi · 508
- Central Elementary School1.0 mi · 349
- Irwin Elementary School1.0 mi · 305
Frequently asked questions
About South River Elementary SchoolHow large is South River Elementary School?
South River Elementary School enrolls approximately 496 students in grades 03-05.
Is South River Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
South River Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades 03-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South River Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at South River Elementary School is approximately 8.8:1 (57 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at South River Elementary School?
Student demographics at South River Elementary School are roughly 39% White, 48% Hispanic, 8% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is South River Elementary School in?
South River Elementary School is part of South River Public School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.