NJ School Rankings: Here's How Princeton Schools Measure Up Statewide

PRINCETON, NJ — For the first time since 2020, New Jersey released school rankings, showing how local schools compare across the state. And according to the data, the numbers at each school from elementary to high school can vary greatly.

The school-by-school summative scores and ratings compare districts and also give a number score that measures how well each school is doing in academic achievement and progress.

Here's how Princeton schools compare:

The scores were established to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced the No Child Left Behind Act. The state did not score schools in 2019-20 and 2020-21, as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted state testing and New Jersey was granted a waiver from accountability-related requirements under ESSA.

How are summative scores calculated?

Schools are broken down into categories by configuration, or what grade levels they serve, and compared to others in that category. These include elementary/middle school, high school, and a mixed configuration school that combines many grades into one building.

Elementary schools which only teach children under grade three are not included, as there is no state testing at this level.

Based on the configuration, the NJ Department of Education looks at the school’s four-year graduation rate, five-year graduation rate, English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency, math proficiency, ELA growth, math growth, and progress towards English language proficiency (ELP). A school needs to have data on three of these elements to have its score reviewed in a standard manner.

The rate of chronic absenteeism is also included in the score. Student performance is measured overall but also focuses on how students are doing in underserved subgroups classified by race, nationality, economic situation, and special education.

What do these scores and ratings mean?

"Summative scores" provide a number from 1-100, and are based on factors listed above such as graduation rates and progress in English and math. Higher scores are better, and certain schools with lower scores are put into categories for support and improvement.

Schools are compared to one another based on grade level, as well, in "summative ratings." For example, schools that serve high school students only are compared with one another. These are percentile ratings from 1-100, so a school with a rating closer to 100 is among the best of its peers.
It is possible for a school to have a higher summative rating than summative score, and vice-versa.

You can see scores and percentile rankings for every school here – School Ratings Return In NJ: See Where Your School Ranks

(With reporting from Michelle Rotuno-Johnson)

Have a correction or a news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com