1
What clubs or activities at Washington Community School are worth joining?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
557
Elementary
DISTRICT 456 · STATE 405
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PLAINFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 341314005628
Washington Community School
427 DARROW AVE, PLAINFIELD, NJ 07060 · (908) 731-4230 · Union County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL557 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 10% of New Jersey public elementary schools
- DTest 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
12.4:1
45 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.8:1 · STATE 11.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
88%
488 students
DISTRICT 78% · 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 | 32 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 84 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 83 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 89 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 94 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 98 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 77 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (84) is 9% larger than its 5th grade class (77).
Student demographics
18%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 30% · 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
Test scores
NJSLA 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
17.1%
NJ avg 53.1% . +6.1pp since 2023
Math
19.0%
NJ avg 41.6% . -2.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 17 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 19 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 6 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 2 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 17.1% | 19.0% |
| 2023-24 | 11.0% | 21.3% |
% 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
14.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
18.2%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 14% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 18% 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 Washington Community School
Washington Community School's state test result (14.4% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Community School this school | 557 | 87.6% | 14.4% |
| Sonia Sotomayor School No 25 ELIZABETH | 591 | 90.5% | 22.2% |
| SALOME URENA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Newark | 516 | 87.0% | 20.1% |
| Maria Varisco Rogers Charter School NEWARK | 572 | 88.5% | 39.9% |
| Anthony V. Ceres Elementary School PERTH AMBOY | 559 | 83.7% | 22.8% |
| Christopher Columbus School No. 15 ELIZABETH | 672 | 86.3% | 24.4% |
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 Washington Community School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Union County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 14.4% | #1,210 of 1,290 | #90 of 92 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 19.0% | #1,168 of 1,319 ▼ 96 | #83 of 93 ▼ 19 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 17.1% | #1,258 of 1,319 ▲ 24 | #90 of 93 ▲ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 557 | #298 of 1,562 | #34 of 108 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.4:1 | #976 of 1,390 | #58 of 103 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 17.5% | #1,325 of 1,392 | #101 of 103 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 87.6% | #85 of 1,481 | #9 of 105 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -5.3% | #603 of 798 | #38 of 58 |
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
557
-140 (-20%) vs 2020
+17% since 1990-91, when it was 477
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
was 16.2:1
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 | 557 | 45 | 12.4:1 | 88% (488) |
| 2023-24 | 540 | 39 | 13.8:1 | 84% (456) |
| 2022-23 | 649 | 43 | 15.1:1 | 81% (527) |
| 2020-21 | 697 | 43 | 16.2:1 | 77% (538) |
| 2017-18 | 588 | 45.5 | 12.9:1 | 90% (530) |
| 2015-16 | 654 | 49 | 13.3:1 | 82% (536) |
| 2010-11 | 565 | 39 | 14.5:1 | 84% (472) |
| 2000-01 | 500 | 29 | 17.2:1 | 84% (421) |
| 1990-91 | 477 | 29 | 16.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Washington Community School.
Since 2017-18: students down 5% (588 to 557); teachers down 1% (45.5 to 45).
About Washington Community School
PLAINFIELD, New Jersey, is home to Washington Community School, a mid-sized elementary school. It reports enrollment of 557 students in pre-K through 5. Across elementary schools in New Jersey, the average enrollment is about 405.
District-wide, Plainfield Public School District has 15 schools and 8,522 students.
Hispanic students are 90% of those enrolled at Washington Community School. The next largest groups are 8% Black. In Union County overall, about 35% of residents are Hispanic. A diversity index of 18% means there is an 18% chance two randomly chosen students at Washington Community School are from different groups.
A staff of 45 full-time-equivalent teachers puts the student-to-teacher ratio at 12.4:1. Across elementary schools in New Jersey, the average ratio is 11.4:1. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 88%. Among public schools in Union County, the average eligibility rate is 52%.
Washington Community School holds a D allk12 Grade, placing it above 10% of New Jersey public elementary schools.
In New Jersey, Washington Community School is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 14.4% actual against a predicted 18.2%.
In Union County, home to about 579,290 people, median household income comes to about $103,202, 39% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Union County's 180 public schools enroll about 99,046 students and include Washington Community School.
The Queen City Academy Charter School is about 0.2 miles away, making it the nearest public school. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. Nearby schools average 22.2% on proficiency, and Washington Community School is below that at 14.4%.
Its location is classified as Suburb: Large by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Enrollment decreased 20% over 4 years, reaching 557 in 2024-25. The student-to-teacher ratio dropped from 16.2:1 in 2020-21 to 12.4:1 in 2024-25.
This page collects posts and questions about Washington Community School, such as open houses, carpools, and field trips. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Union County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
579,290
Census ACS
Median income
$103,202
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
39%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
180
99,046 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Plainfield Public School District
- Plainfield High SchoolHigh · 2,077 students
- Charles and Anna Booker Elementary SchoolElementary · 816 students
- Hubbard Middle SchoolMiddle · 737 students
- Maxson Middle SchoolMiddle · 721 students
- Cedarbrook Elementary SchoolElementary · 671 students
- Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary SchoolElementary · 423 students
Other schools in PLAINFIELD
- Plainfield High SchoolHigh · 2,077 students
- College Achieve Central Charter SchoolCombined · 1,572 students
- Charles and Anna Booker Elementary SchoolElementary · 816 students
- Hubbard Middle SchoolMiddle · 737 students
- Maxson Middle SchoolMiddle · 721 students
- Cedarbrook Elementary SchoolElementary · 671 students
Nearby schools
- The Queen City Academy Charter School0.2 mi · 378
- Hubbard Middle School0.3 mi · 737
- Cresthaven Academy Charter School0.4 mi · 621
- Union County TEAMS Charter School0.4 mi · 304
- Charles H. Stillman Elementary School0.8 mi · 317
- Cedarbrook Elementary School0.8 mi · 671
Frequently asked questions
About Washington Community SchoolHow many students attend Washington Community School?
Washington Community School enrolls approximately 557 students in grades PK-05.
Is Washington Community School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Washington Community School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Washington Community School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Washington Community School is approximately 12.4:1 (45 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Washington Community School?
At Washington Community School, the student body is approximately 1% White, 90% Hispanic, 8% Black, 1% Two or more.
Is Washington Community School public or private?
Washington Community School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Plainfield Public School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.