Totowa Public School District

The Totowa Public School District in New Jersey operates two schools: Washington Park School, a middle school serving grades 4-8, and Memorial School, an elementary school serving grades PK-3. The district's middle school, Washington Park, appears to be the stronger performing school, ranking in the top 40% of New Jersey middle schools and consistently maintaining a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past 3 years.

A standout finding is that 90% of 8th graders at Washington Park School scored proficient or better on the NJSLA Algebra I exam, significantly outpacing the state average of 66%. This exceptional Algebra I proficiency rate suggests the middle school is doing an excellent job preparing students for advanced math coursework. In contrast, Memorial School, the district's elementary school, has a higher chronic absenteeism rate of 12.0% compared to 7.3% at Washington Park.

Despite Memorial School's higher per-student spending of $14,009 compared to $11,100 at Washington Park, the data indicates the middle school is outperforming the elementary school on key metrics like test scores and school rankings. This could suggest the district may want to examine how resources are being allocated across the schools to ensure equitable and effective use of funding.