Berkeley Heights 2023-2024 NJ School Performance Report Drill Down

The recently published 2023-2024 NJ School Performance Report reveals a mixed academic recovery for Berkeley Heights, shaped not only by the pandemic but also by years of inconsistent leadership and problematic board governance.

Student proficiency in Math and English Language Arts (ELA) has shown modest improvement—Math rising to 69.65%, and ELA stabilizing at 75.93%—yet overall performance still trails both pre-pandemic and pre-reconfiguration levels. ELA scores remain 3.4 points below the 2018–2019 average, and foundational math skills continue to lag

Mountain Park Elementary saw the sharpest decline in ELA (−10 percentage points), while Governor Livingston recorded some of the strongest gains. Meanwhile, Columbia Middle School’s Algebra I scores remain 5 points below their 2018–2019 benchmark, and GL Geometry continues to struggle, with 42% of students not meeting proficiency.

These metrics underscore a broader truth: while progress is underway, the district has yet to fully confront the systemic challenges that continue to undermine student outcomes. Recovery has begun—but real accountability and structural change are still needed.

ELA

2022–2023, showed encouraging signs of recovery. Average scores climbed back up to 76.25%, indicating that students were beginning to regain their academic footing. By 2023–2024, the average held steady at 75.93%, suggesting that the district has entered a period of stabilization, but still trailing slightly behind pre-pandemic/pre-reconfiguration levels.

Math

GL improved in math proficiency from 47.6% in 2018–2019 to 55.7% in 2023–2024 — a gain of 8.1 percentage points. While a notable improvement, the landing score for this past year is still abysmal and reflects concerns many parents and students have about BHPSNJ Math and Science.

The overall Math average inched back up to 66.1% in 2022-2023, and the most recent data from 2023–2024 indicates further progress, with proficiency reaching 69.65%. While the district has not yet returned to its 2018-2019 levels in math, the upward trend suggests a gradual recovery is underway.

Algebra & Geometry

CMS Algebra I is still 5 points below 2018–19 while GL Geometry made an 8 point gain from its original baseline with 42% of students not meeting proficiency.

Science

Modest recovery to 49.6% in 2022-2023 and remained level at 50% proficiency. The line graph below presents the average score across three grading point (elementary, CMS and GL).

Link to Source Documents from NJ DOE

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