Thomas Jefferson Elementary School

Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, a low-enrollment elementary campus in HAWTHORNE, New Jersey, part of Hawthorne Public School District, serves 264 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 35% smaller than the state mean of about 405.

Hawthorne Public School District runs 5 schools in total, collectively educating 2,129 students. Thomas Jefferson Elementary School is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School shows that the most-represented group is White (53%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest is composed of 33% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 5% multiracial, 2% Black. By comparison, Passaic County as a whole is about 41% White, so the school skews meaningfully more White than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School has 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.8:1. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 24% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Passaic County (around 61%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Thomas Jefferson Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 53.1% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 55.3%.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Passaic County put median household income runs about $87,522, roughly 31% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. Thomas Jefferson Elementary School is one of 155 public schools in Passaic County (combined enrollment of about 83,237 students).

Roosevelt Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School comes 2nd of 7 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 44.6%.

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

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 3%: 273 students in 2018 compared to 264 in 2025. The White share of enrollment shrank from 71% to 53% over that span.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.