Enrollment
406
Elementary
DISTRICT 419 · STATE 405
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MONTCLAIR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 341056002184
Watchung Elementary School
14 GARDEN ST, MONTCLAIR, NJ 07042 · (973) 509-4259 · Essex County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL406 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 77% of New Jersey public elementary schools
- A-Test 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
11.9:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.0:1 · STATE 11.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
9%
37 students
DISTRICT 15% · STATE 41%
Community
0
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 67 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 63 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 72 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 69 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 64 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 71 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (67) is 6% smaller than its 5th grade class (71).
Student demographics
59%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
Test scores
NJSLA 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
68.7%
NJ avg 53.1% . +0.3pp since 2023
Math
71.2%
NJ avg 41.6% . +5.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 69 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 71 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New Jersey schools, those numbers are about 53 and 42. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores are up about 5 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 68.7% | 71.2% |
| 2023-24 | 68.4% | 65.8% |
% 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
65.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
61.2%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 66% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 61% 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 Watchung Elementary School
Watchung Elementary School's state test result (65.9% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watchung Elementary School this school | 406 | 9.1% | 65.9% |
| Bradford Elementary School UPPER MONTCLAIR | 388 | 8.2% | 67.5% |
| Richard L Rice School MARLTON | 492 | 7.7% | 44.7% |
| Greenwich School STEWARTSVILLE | 397 | 11.8% | 46.3% |
| School One Elementary SCOTCH PLAINS | 424 | 9.0% | 61.2% |
| Memorial School Emerson | 374 | 9.4% | 51.0% |
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 Watchung Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Essex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 65.9% | #214 of 1,290 | #23 of 131 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 71.2% | #225 of 1,319 ▲ 50 | #26 of 141 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 68.7% | #295 of 1,319 ▼ 14 | #40 of 141 ▼ 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 406 | #682 of 1,562 | #86 of 162 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.9:1 | #874 of 1,390 | #46 of 140 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.3% | #522 of 1,392 | #38 of 141 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 9.1% | #1,269 of 1,481 | #116 of 142 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.7% | #624 of 798 | #55 of 73 |
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
406
+6 (+2%) vs 2020
-6% since 1990-91, when it was 433
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
was 11.8:1
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 | 406 | 34 | 11.9:1 | 9% (37) |
| 2023-24 | 385 | 33 | 11.7:1 | 10% (37) |
| 2022-23 | 394 | 33 | 11.9:1 | 10% (39) |
| 2020-21 | 400 | 34 | 11.8:1 | 10% (41) |
| 2017-18 | 426 | 33 | 12.9:1 | 8% (34) |
| 2015-16 | 439 | 33 | 13.3:1 | 10% (45) |
| 2010-11 | 446 | 26 | 17.1:1 | 0% (0) |
| 2000-01 | 441 | 28 | 15.8:1 | 16% (70) |
| 1990-91 | 433 | 23 | 18.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Watchung Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 5% (426 to 406); teachers up 3% (33 to 34).
About Watchung Elementary School
Watchung Elementary School is the name of a medium-sized elementary school in MONTCLAIR, New Jersey. The latest federal count shows 406 students in kindergarten through 5.
Watchung Elementary School is among 11 schools run by Montclair Public School District, which serves 6,193 students.
Watchung Elementary School's enrollment is 60% White. Next come 14% Hispanic, 11% multiracial, 8% Asian, and 7% Black. That compares with about 30% White among all Essex County residents. By the diversity index, Watchung Elementary School comes in at 59%.
The school reported 34 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 11.9:1. Across elementary schools in New Jersey, the average ratio is about 11.4:1. Eligible students account for 9% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. Compared with the 54% average for public schools in Essex County, the school's rate is lower.
The allk12 Grade for Watchung Elementary School is A-. Compared with New Jersey public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 77% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
A school with Watchung Elementary School's lunch-eligibility share in New Jersey is predicted to score 61.2%. Watchung Elementary School scores 65.9%, 4.8 points above that line.
In Essex County (population about 863,002), median household income is about $80,789, roughly 39% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Watchung Elementary School is one of 249 public schools in Essex County, which together enroll about 145,473 students.
The next-closest public school is Edgemont Elementary School, about 0.5 miles away. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Watchung Elementary School. Its average proficiency rate of 65.9% is above the 57.0% average for nearby schools.
Its NCES locale code is Suburb: Large: the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
The student count changed little between 2020-21 (400) and 2024-25 (406).
Parents and students can post about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at Watchung Elementary School. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Essex County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
863,002
Census ACS
Median income
$80,789
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
39%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
249
145,473 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Montclair Public School District
- Montclair High SchoolHigh · 1,925 students
- Hillside Elementary SchoolElementary · 684 students
- Buzz Aldrin Middle SchoolMiddle · 618 students
- Glenfield Middle SchoolMiddle · 512 students
- Charles H. Bullock SchoolElementary · 438 students
- Northeast Elementary SchoolElementary · 391 students
Other schools in MONTCLAIR
- Montclair High SchoolHigh · 1,925 students
- Hillside Elementary SchoolElementary · 684 students
- Glenfield Middle SchoolMiddle · 512 students
- Charles H. Bullock SchoolElementary · 438 students
- Nishuane Elementary SchoolElementary · 377 students
- Edgemont Elementary SchoolElementary · 251 students
Other Watchung Elementary schools
One other US public school is named Watchung Elementary. Watchung Elementary School is the largest of the 2.
- Watchung Elementary SchoolMIDDLESEX, NJ · 221 students
Nearby schools
- Edgemont Elementary School0.5 mi · 251
- Montclair High School0.5 mi · 1,925
- Renaissance Middle School at the Rand Building0.6 mi · 203
- Forest Avenue School0.8 mi · 127
- Buzz Aldrin Middle School0.9 mi · 618
- Bloomfield Middle School1.1 mi · 944
Frequently asked questions
About Watchung Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Watchung Elementary School?
Watchung Elementary School enrolls approximately 406 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Watchung Elementary School serve?
Watchung Elementary School serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Watchung Elementary School?
Approximately 11.9:1 students per teacher at Watchung Elementary School.
How diverse is Watchung Elementary School?
Watchung Elementary School reports a student body of 60% White, 14% Hispanic, 7% Black, 8% Asian, 11% Two or more.
What district is Watchung Elementary School in?
Watchung Elementary School is part of Montclair Public School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.