Middle Schools in Plainfield Public School District

The Plainfield Public School District in New Jersey is home to two struggling middle schools, Maxson Middle School and Hubbard Middle School, which serve students in grades 6-8. Both schools have consistently low academic performance, high rates of chronic absenteeism, and rank among the lowest-performing middle schools in the state.

Academically, both Maxson Middle School and Hubbard Middle School struggle, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics well below the state average. Maxson's proficiency rates range from 13.8% to 26.3% in ELA and 2% to 11.2% in Math, while Hubbard's rates range from 12.3% to 17.2% in ELA and 5.8% to 11.1% in Math. The schools also perform poorly in other subject areas, such as Science and Algebra I. Additionally, both schools have high rates of chronic absenteeism, with Maxson at 25.8% and Hubbard at 27.3%, significantly higher than the state average.

Demographic data reveals that both schools have a predominantly Hispanic student population, with Maxson at 80.56% and Hubbard at 85.94%, as well as a significant African American student population. The schools also have high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, with Maxson at 84.23% and Hubbard at 90.84%. Despite these challenges, the per-student spending at the two schools varies, with Maxson spending $9,328 and Hubbard spending $7,716 per student in the 2018-2019 school year. Both schools are ranked in the bottom quartile of New Jersey middle schools and have a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating they are among the lowest-performing schools in the state.