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What's the biggest difference between West Essex Middle School and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
558
Middle
DISTRICT 810 · STATE 578
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WEST ESSEX REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 341746002464
West Essex Middle School
65 WEST GREENBROOK RD, NORTH CALDWELL, NJ 07006 · (973) 228-1200 · Essex County
GRADES 07–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL558 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 60% of New Jersey public middle schools
- B+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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
9.4:1
60 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.4:1 · STATE 10.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
5%
27 students
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 41%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 250 | 45% |
| Grade 8 | 308 | 55% |
Student demographics
42%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 38% · 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
West Essex Middle School→West Essex High School
Based on grade levels within West Essex Regional School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NJSLA 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
76.9%
NJ avg 53.1% . +1.7pp since 2023
Math
58.7%
NJ avg 41.6% . +1.6pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 77 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 59 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 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 2 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 76.9% | 58.7% |
| 2023-24 | 75.2% | 57.1% |
% 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
58.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
63.5%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 59% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 64% 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 West Essex Middle School
West Essex Middle School's state test result (58.6% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Essex Middle School this school | 558 | 4.8% | 58.6% |
| Valleyview Middle School DENVILLE | 571 | 6.0% | 61.5% |
| Eric S. Smith Middle School RAMSEY | 613 | 5.7% | 64.6% |
| Long Valley Middle School LONG VALLEY | 625 | 7.7% | 60.3% |
| Deerfield Elementary School MOUNTAINSIDE | 483 | 2.9% | 73.6% |
| Madison Junior School MADISON | 555 | 7.6% | 64.8% |
Matched among New Jersey middle 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 West Essex Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Essex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 58.6% | #109 of 433 | #5 of 27 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 58.7% | #116 of 437 ▼ 7 | #9 of 28 ▼ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 76.9% | #83 of 437 ▼ 10 | #8 of 28 ▼ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 558 | #213 of 445 | #15 of 29 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 9.4:1 | #77 of 417 | #7 of 28 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 42.0% | #322 of 419 | #21 of 28 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 4.8% | #390 of 436 | #22 of 27 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +0.7% | #117 of 122 | #10 of 11 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
558
0 (0%) vs 2020
-15% since 1990-91, when it was 656
Student : Teacher
9.4:1
was 10.0:1
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 | 558 | 59.6 | 9.4:1 | 5% (27) |
| 2023-24 | 622 | 58.6 | 10.6:1 | 4% (22) |
| 2022-23 | 599 | 58.6 | 10.2:1 | 2% (12) |
| 2020-21 | 558 | 56 | 10.0:1 | 1% (6) |
| 2017-18 | 554 | 54.2 | 10.2:1 | 3% (14) |
| 2015-16 | 588 | 51 | 11.5:1 | 3% (17) |
| 2010-11 | 564 | 37 | 15.2:1 | 2% (13) |
| 2000-01 | 678 | 58 | 11.7:1 | 1% (10) |
| 1990-91 | 656 | 56 | 11.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Essex Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students up 1% (554 to 558); teachers up 10% (54.2 to 59.6).
About West Essex Middle School
West Essex Middle School is a medium-sized middle-grades school in NORTH CALDWELL, New Jersey. Its 558 students are spread across grades 7 through 8.
West Essex Regional School District enrolls 1,619 students, and its 2 schools include West Essex Middle School.
West Essex Middle School's enrollment is 75% White. Enrollment also includes 11% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 3% Black, and 3% multiracial. Among people living in Essex County, the White share is about 30%. West Essex Middle School has a diversity index of 42%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Federal data list 59.6 full-time-equivalent teachers at West Essex Middle School in 2024-25, for a ratio of 9.4:1. Among middle schools in New Jersey, the typical ratio is 10.9:1. The lunch program counts 5% of students at West Essex Middle School as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. For comparison, public schools in Essex County average 54%.
The allk12 Grade for West Essex Middle School is B. Compared with New Jersey public middle schools, the school scored higher than 60% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
A school with West Essex Middle School's lunch-eligibility share in New Jersey is predicted to score 63.5%. West Essex Middle School scores 58.6%, 4.9 points below that line.
Essex County has about 863,002 residents, and median household income is about $80,789, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 39%, and roughly 11% of residents are in poverty. The public schools of Essex County number 249 and enroll about 145,473.
The nearest other public school, West Essex High School, is about 0.2 miles away. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of West Essex Middle School. West Essex Middle School places 2nd of 4 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
NCES describes the area around West Essex Middle School as Suburb: Large, meaning in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
West Essex Middle School had 558 students in 2020-21 and 558 in 2024-25, nearly the same.
Discussions about West Essex Middle School may include school safety, transportation, and start times. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
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 West Essex Regional School District
- West Essex High SchoolHigh · 1,061 students
Nearby schools
- West Essex High School0.2 mi · 1,061
- Grandview Elementary School0.6 mi · 420
- Essex High School1.0 mi · 34
- Essex Junior Academy1.0 mi · 15
- Essex Campus Academy1.0 mi · 37
- Gould/Mountain Elementary School1.1 mi · 279
Frequently asked questions
About West Essex Middle SchoolHow large is West Essex Middle School?
West Essex Middle School enrolls approximately 558 students in grades 07-08.
What grades does West Essex Middle School serve?
West Essex Middle School serves grades 07-08.
How many teachers does West Essex Middle School have?
West Essex Middle School employs 60 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 9.4:1.
What is the student diversity at West Essex Middle School?
Student demographics at West Essex Middle School are roughly 75% White, 11% Hispanic, 3% Black, 8% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is West Essex Middle School in?
West Essex Middle School is part of West Essex Regional School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.