Best Public Schools in South River, NJ

The South River Public School District in New Jersey consists of four schools: two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The district serves a diverse student population, with a significant percentage of minority and economically disadvantaged students. However, the academic performance across the district is generally below state averages, with low proficiency rates on standardized assessments and high chronic absenteeism rates, particularly at the high school level.

South River High School stands out as the largest school in the district with 762 students, but it struggles with low academic achievement, with only 37.3% of 9th graders proficient or better in ELA and just 10.8% proficient or better in Algebra I. The school also has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 29.6%, which is significantly higher than the other schools in the district. In contrast, South River Elementary School has the second-highest enrollment with 659 students and generally performs on par with the district average, though still lagging behind state averages.

Across the district, the schools face significant socioeconomic challenges, with high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 38.62% at South River Primary School to 60.38% at South River Middle School. The district's per-student spending is generally in line with the state average, but the consistent low performance across the schools suggests that additional resources and targeted interventions may be needed to address the systemic issues and improve outcomes for all students in the South River Public School District.