Watchung Elementary School

Watchung Elementary School operates as a reasonably sized K-5 school in MONTCLAIR, New Jersey, run under Montclair Public School District. Current enrollment sits at 406 students spanning grades K through 5.

Montclair Public School District runs 11 schools in total, collectively educating 6,193 students. Watchung Elementary School is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Watchung Elementary School shows that White students make up the majority at 60%. The remainder comes out to 14% Hispanic, 11% multiracial, 8% Asian, 7% Black. The wider county runs roughly 30% White, putting the school's mix visibly more White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, The school reports having 34 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.9:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 9% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably below Essex County's rate of about 54%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Watchung Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 61.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 65.9%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Essex County indicate the typical household earns roughly $80,789 per year, 39% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. Across Essex County's 249 public schools (combined enrollment of about 145,473 students), Watchung Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Edgemont Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Watchung Elementary School at 2nd of 8; the average score across the group is 57.0%.

The school occupies a residential site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Watchung Elementary School has declined 5%, going from 426 students in 2018 to 406 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment contracted from 16% to 7% over that span.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.