Here's How West Windsor Schools Were Graded On New State Report

WEST WINDSOR, NJ — The New Jersey Department of Education released its latest controversial ratings that educators say paints an incomplete picture of the state's 2,100 schools on Wednesday.

The schools are rated on a 0-100 scale. The ratings, which were released Wednesday, were established to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced the controversial 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, according to the state Department of Education.

Patch obtained the "summative scores" from the state Department of Education, which shows schools in Cresskill, Millburn and Fair Haven as having the highest scores, getting a 96.73 or higher.

Based on the reports, it appears that 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 in West Windsor received the following scores and overall rankings, out of 2,088 schools:

• 111. COMMUNITY MIDDLE SCHOOL, W WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REG, MERCER 85.66
• 162. WEST WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO HIGH SCHOOL SOUTH, W WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REG, MERCER 82.15
• 342. WEST WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO HIGH SCHOOL NORTH, W WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REG, MERCER 73.66
• 527. THOMAS R GROVER MIDDLE SCHOOL, W WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REG, MERCER 66.34
• 530. MILLSTONE RIVER SCHOOL, W WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REG, MERCER 66.31
• 534. VILLAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, W WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REG, MERCER 66.15

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).

• 97. COMMUNITY MIDDLE SCHOOL, W WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REG, MERCER 95.44
• 229. WEST WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO HIGH SCHOOL SOUTH, W WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REG, MERCER 89.11
• 426. WEST WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO HIGH SCHOOL NORTH, W WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REG, MERCER 79.66
• 514. THOMAS R GROVER MIDDLE SCHOOL, W WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REG, MERCER 75.41
• 518. MILLSTONE RIVER SCHOOL, W WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REG, MERCER 75.24
• 523. VILLAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, W WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REG, MERCER 75.00

For a complete statewide list of rankings, click here.