1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Van Derveer Elementary School right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
745
Elementary
DISTRICT 719 · STATE 405
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOMERVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 341509005296
Van Derveer Elementary School
51 Union Avenue, Somerville, NJ 08876 · (908) 218-4105 · Somerset County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL745 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 35% of New Jersey public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats 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
10.0:1
74 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.0:1 · STATE 11.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
43%
320 students
DISTRICT 37% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 68 | 9% |
| Kindergarten | 108 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 136 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 120 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 105 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 98 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 110 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (108) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (110).
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 67% · 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
Based on grade levels within Somerville Public School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NJSLA 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
54.4%
NJ avg 53.1% . +10.2pp since 2023
Math
42.7%
NJ avg 41.6% . +6.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 54 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 43 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 10 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 7 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 54.4% | 42.7% |
| 2023-24 | 44.2% | 36.2% |
% 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
39.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
42.6%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 40% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 43% 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 Van Derveer Elementary School
Van Derveer Elementary School's state test result (39.9% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Derveer Elementary School this school | 745 | 43.0% | 39.9% |
| Switlik Elementary School Jackson | 758 | 47.0% | 34.3% |
| Keyport Central School KEYPORT | 605 | 47.3% | 40.5% |
| Mansfield Township Elementary PORT MURRAY | 570 | 46.0% | 38.4% |
| Elms Elementary School Jackson | 705 | 38.0% | 43.5% |
| Emma Havens Young Elementary School BRICK | 843 | 51.5% | 34.4% |
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 Van Derveer Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Somerset County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 39.9% | #753 of 1,290 | #33 of 42 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.7% | #726 of 1,319 ▲ 87 | #35 of 42 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 54.4% | #609 of 1,319 ▲ 188 | #29 of 42 ▲ 4 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 745 | #87 of 1,562 | #2 of 46 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.0:1 | #337 of 1,390 | #25 of 45 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 67.7% | #229 of 1,392 | #14 of 45 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 43.0% | #697 of 1,481 | #14 of 45 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.7% | #477 of 798 | #21 of 31 |
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
745
-4 (-1%) vs 2020
+99% since 1990-91, when it was 375
Student : Teacher
10.0:1
was 9.5:1
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 | 745 | 74.4 | 10.0:1 | 43% (320) |
| 2023-24 | 734 | 81 | 9.1:1 | 38% (280) |
| 2022-23 | 717 | 78.6 | 9.1:1 | 40% (288) |
| 2020-21 | 749 | 79 | 9.5:1 | 37% (275) |
| 2017-18 | 816 | 72.3 | 11.3:1 | 39% (317) |
| 2015-16 | 886 | 70 | 12.7:1 | 38% (337) |
| 2010-11 | 860 | 50 | 17.2:1 | 38% (324) |
| 2000-01 | 423 | 31 | 13.7:1 | 41% (172) |
| 1990-91 | 375 | 19 | 19.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Van Derveer Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (816 to 745); teachers up 3% (72.3 to 74.4).
About Van Derveer Elementary School
Van Derveer Elementary School is an elementary school with a street address in Somerville, New Jersey. The school reports 745 students in pre-K through 5. The typical figure for elementary schools in New Jersey is about 405 students.
Enrollment across the 3 schools in Somerville Public School District totals 2,156 students.
No single group makes up more than half of enrollment at Van Derveer Elementary School. The largest is White students, at 42%. The remaining students are 36% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 8% Black, and 6% multiracial. Census figures show Somerset County is about 52% White. Pick two students at random and there is a 68% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
A ratio of 10.0:1 comes from the school's 74.4 full-time-equivalent teachers. That is 1.4 students per teacher below the 11.4:1 average for elementary schools in New Jersey. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 43% in 2024-25. The 28% average for public schools in Somerset County is 15 points lower.
The allk12 Grade for Van Derveer Elementary School is C+. Compared with New Jersey public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 35% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
In New Jersey, Van Derveer Elementary School is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 39.9% actual against a predicted 42.6%.
Somerset County census figures show that the median household income is $140,374, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 58% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 4%. Somerset County is home to 84 public schools and about 51,276 public school students.
The nearest public school is Adamsville Primary School, at about 0.8 miles. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. On state test proficiency, Van Derveer Elementary School ranks 5th in a group of 6 nearby schools.
Federal data place Van Derveer Elementary 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 in 2024-25 was 745, close to the 749 recorded in 2020-21.
Topics for discussion here include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Somerset County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
349,846
Census ACS
Median income
$140,374
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
58%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
84
51,276 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Somerville Public School District
- Somerville High SchoolHigh · 1,072 students
- Somerville Middle SchoolMiddle · 339 students
Other schools in Somerville
- Somerville High SchoolHigh · 1,072 students
- Somerville Middle SchoolMiddle · 339 students
Nearby schools
- Adamsville Primary School0.8 mi · 461
- Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School0.8 mi · 1,220
- Somerville Middle School0.9 mi · 339
- Somerville High School0.9 mi · 1,072
- Somerset County Vocational Technical High School1.2 mi · 332
- The Career Center of the SCESC1.3 mi · 7
Frequently asked questions
About Van Derveer Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Van Derveer Elementary School?
Van Derveer Elementary School enrolls approximately 745 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Van Derveer Elementary School serve?
Van Derveer Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Van Derveer Elementary School?
Approximately 10.0:1 students per teacher at Van Derveer Elementary School.
How diverse is Van Derveer Elementary School?
Van Derveer Elementary School reports a student body of 42% White, 36% Hispanic, 8% Black, 8% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is Van Derveer Elementary School public or private?
Van Derveer Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Somerville Public School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.