Downe Township School District

The Downe Township School District consists of a single school, Downe Township Elementary School, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. The district is located in a rural area and has faced persistent challenges in academic achievement, with the elementary school consistently ranking in the bottom 10-15% of New Jersey elementary schools over the past three school years.

Downe Township Elementary School's performance on standardized tests is significantly below the state average. In the 2023-2024 school year, the percentage of students proficient or better in English Language Arts ranged from 11.1% (3rd grade) to 38.5% (7th grade), compared to the state average of 43.6% to 53.9%. Similarly, the school's Mathematics proficiency rates ranged from 5.6% (3rd grade) to 31.3% (4th grade), compared to the state average of 36.2% to 47.6%. The school's Science proficiency rates are also low, with 10.5% of 5th graders and 9.5% of 8th graders scoring proficient or better, compared to the state averages of 27.5% and 18.8%, respectively.

Despite the school's low academic performance, it has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 9.3 to 1 and the district's per-student spending for the 2018-2019 school year was $15,041, which is higher than the state average. However, the high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (45.75%) may be a contributing factor to the school's challenges, as socioeconomic status is often correlated with educational outcomes. Addressing these issues will require a comprehensive approach that goes beyond simply increasing funding and resources, focusing on identifying and addressing the root causes of the low academic achievement.