Hillside Public School District

The Hillside Public School District in New Jersey consists of 7 schools, including 4 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school. The district as a whole is ranked 464 out of 613 in the state and is rated 1 star out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

One standout school in the district is the Hillside Innovation Academy, a middle school that ranks 184 out of 743 New Jersey middle schools and is rated 4 stars. This school significantly outperforms the district and state averages on standardized test scores, with over 80% of 7th graders and 69% of 8th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to district averages around 45% and 32%. In math, over 35% of 7th and 8th graders at Hillside Innovation Academy are proficient or better, compared to just 15-10% district-wide. Another high-performing school is Hurden Looker Elementary, which has particularly strong English Language Arts scores, with over 60% of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders proficient or better.

However, the data also reveals significant disparities in academic performance between the highest and lowest performing schools in the district. For example, in 6th grade English Language Arts, Hurden Looker has 70.7% proficiency compared to just 61.4% at Deanna G. Taylor Academy. Additionally, the schools with the highest rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch tend to have the lowest test scores, suggesting a correlation between socioeconomic status and academic achievement. Overall, while the Hillside Public School District has some bright spots, there is significant room for improvement in academic outcomes across the system.