How South Brunswick Schools Rank In New State Report

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — In a controversial new grading system released Wednesday by the New Jersey Department of Education, Monmouth Junction and Brooks Crossing elementary schools were ranked as the best schools in the South Brunswick school district, while Indian Fields and Crossroads North were at the bottom of the list.

For the second year in a row, the NJ DOE grades every school in the state (all 2,088 of them) on a 1-100 scale. The new ratings were established to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced the No Child Left Behind Act.

The ratings for high schools are based on graduation and absenteeism rates and PARCC scores, while elementary and middle school scores are based on absenteeism, PARCC and student progress on PARCC tests.

Based on the reports, schools that finished with at least a 50 score could be considered average. Schools that finish in the top 20 percent are considered above average. Schools below 50 percent are considered below-average schools.

Here's how South Brunswick Twp. public schools performed (out of 2,088 total public schools in the state of New Jersey):

• Number 129: MONMOUTH JUNCTION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SOUTH BRUNSWICK TWP, MIDDLESEX 84.48
• Number 261: BROOKS CROSSING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SOUTH BRUNSWICK TWP, MIDDLESEX 77.09
• Number 440: CAMBRIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SOUTH BRUNSWICK TWP, MIDDLESEX 69.96

• Number 462: SOUTH BRUNSWICK HIGH SCHOOL, SOUTH BRUNSWICK TWP, MIDDLESEX 69.04

• Number 476: GREENBROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SOUTH BRUNSWICK TWP, MIDDLESEX 68.34

• Number 749: BRUNSWICK ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SOUTH BRUNSWICK TWP, MIDDLESEX 59.33

• Number 890: CONSTABLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SOUTH BRUNSWICK TWP, MIDDLESEX 55.55
• Number 1,101: CROSSROADS SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL, SOUTH BRUNSWICK TWP, MIDDLESEX 48.97
• Number 1,171: INDIAN FIELDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SOUTH BRUNSWICK TWP, MIDDLESEX 46.77
• Number 1,367: CROSSROADS NORTH MIDDLE SCHOOL, SOUTH BRUNSWICK TWP, MIDDLESEX 41.25

Educators say the rankings paint an incomplete picture.

Frank Belluscio, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association, has said a single number or letter grade by itself "draws an incomplete picture of school performance and the quality of education provided to its students."

On the other hand, New Jersey PTA president Rose Acerra has said "parents now have more information than ever before."

"They have the tools to ask questions of their teachers and other stakeholders such as the superintendent, principal, and Board of Education," she said.

For a complete statewide list of rankings, click here.

Schools that have third grade or higher also have "summative percentile rating," which shows how they compare to other high schools, middle and elementary schools. Those give elementary schools more weight in their scoring because they don't have the exact same criteria as high schools (like graduation rates).

According to Wednesday's ranking, here are the top five schools in the state:

1. EDWARD H. BRYAN, CRESSKILL BORO, BERGEN 97.47
2. WYOMING SCHOOL, MILLBURN TWP, ESSEX 97.05
3. KNOLLWOOD SCHOOL, FAIR HAVEN BORO, MONMOUTH 96.73
4. COMMUNICATIONS HIGH SCHOOL, MONMOUTH CO VOCATIONAL, MONMOUTH 96.45
5. MENDHAM TOWNSHIP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MENDHAM TWP, MORRIS 96.31

And here are the bottom five:

2084. PAULSBORO JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, PAULSBORO BORO, GLOUCESTER 0.12

2085. RILETTA TWYNE CREAM FAMILY SCHOOL, CAMDEN CITY, CAMDEN 0.06

2086. PALISADES PARK JR-SR HIGH SCHOOL, PALISADES PARK, BERGEN 0.00

2087. CAMDEN HIGH SCHOOL, CAMDEN CITY, CAMDEN 0.00

2088. EAGLE ACADEMY FOR YOUNG MEN OF NEWARK, NEWARK CITY, ESSEX 0.00