Maxson Middle School

Summary:

Maxson Middle School is a public middle school in Plainfield, New Jersey, serving 818 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Plainfield Public School District, which is ranked 564 out of 615 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Maxson Middle School faces significant challenges compared to nearby schools. The school has a much higher percentage of Hispanic students (80.56%) than surrounding schools like South Plainfield Middle School and Valley View School. Academically, Maxson Middle School consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of New Jersey middle schools, with proficiency rates on state assessments ranging from just 2% to 26.3%. The school also has high rates of chronic absenteeism, rising from 16.9% in 2017-2018 to 25.8% in 2021-2022, well above the state average.

Maxson Middle School's challenges extend beyond its own performance. The school's spending per student ($9,328 in 2018-2019) is higher than the state average, yet its academic outcomes and other key metrics suggest the school may not be effectively utilizing its resources. Compared to nearby schools in districts like Westfield Public Schools and Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District, Maxson Middle School lags significantly in areas like academic achievement, student engagement, and equitable outcomes for diverse subgroups. Addressing these persistent issues will require a comprehensive review of the school's educational practices, resource allocation, and support systems.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 920 E Seventh St
       Plainfield, NJ  07062-1854


(908) 731-4310

District: Plainfield Public School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
690th of 748 New Jersey Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,328 Help


Students who attend Maxson Middle School usually attend:

High:    Plainfield Academy For The Arts & Advanced Studies
    Plainfield High School

Feeder schools for Maxson Middle School:

Elementary:    Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School
    Emerson Community School
    Evergreen Elementary School
    Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio:  11.8 Help
Number of students:  818

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
80.6%
African American:
16.9%
White:
1.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  84.2% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Maxson Middle School ranks worse than 92.2% of middle schools in New Jersey. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.77. (See more...)
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Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (80.6%), African American (16.9%), White (1.2%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 84.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Maxson Middle School is 11.8. (See more...)
Help
Compare Maxson Middle School employs 69 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Maxson Middle School is $9,328.
Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

Maxson Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Maxson Middle School 690th of 748 New Jersey public middle schools. (See Maxson Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:


Plainfield Public School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Plainfield Public School District 564th of 615 New Jersey school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Maxson Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Maxson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 5.65 519th 574 9.6%
2004 21.35 483rd 588 17.9%
2005 11.03 530th 599 11.5%
2006 7.32 556th 615 9.6%
2007 4.40 591st 631 6.3%
2008 8.42 580th 640 9.4%
2009 9.45 593rd 664 10.7%
2010 5.92 632nd 677 6.6%
2011 7.37 627th 684 8.3%
2012 3.48 647th 677 4.4%
2013 4.68 661st 704 6.1%
2014 6.19 653rd 717 8.9%
2015 13.95 621st 713 12.9%
2016 15.97 609th 713 14.6%
2017 13.56 616th 712 13.5%
2018 11.42 641st 716 10.5%
2019 9.80 674th 745 9.5%
2022 13.48 666th 745 10.6%
2023 11.77 690th 748 7.8%
See the entire list of New Jersey Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Maxson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 35.60 128th 202 36.6%
2019 31.59 151st 227 33.5%
2022 28.88 202nd 270 25.2%
2023 29.22 221st 288 23.3%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Maxson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 30.58 330th 471 29.9%
2019 22.43 422nd 492 14.2%
2022 23.80 449th 535 16.1%
2023 27.54 390th 505 22.8%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Maxson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 23.62 408th 522 21.8%
2019 17.14 449th 541 17.0%
2022 25.74 417th 549 24.0%
2023 22.80 452nd 568 20.4%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Maxson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 10.71 614th 680 9.7%
2019 10.61 628th 703 10.7%
2022 12.85 658th 726 9.4%
2023 11.12 670th 720 6.9%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Maxson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 13.70 598th 675 11.4%
2019 9.47 648th 697 7.0%
2022 15.41 624th 730 14.5%
2023 14.51 641st 718 10.7%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Maxson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 34.50 219th 326 32.8%
2019 24.19 270th 326 17.2%
2022 30.62 266th 356 25.3%
2023 30.89 264th 361 26.9%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Maxson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 17.93 440th 504 12.7%
2019 14.58 472nd 524 9.9%
2022 18.79 517th 591 12.5%
2023 16.87 525th 587 10.6%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: New Jersey Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Maxson Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: New Jersey Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Maxson Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 13 423 10 102 0 n/a n/a 0 548
1989 13 397 7 101 0 n/a n/a 0 518
1990 9 402 5 112 0 n/a n/a 0 528
1991 8 447 5 116 0 n/a n/a 0 576
1992 5 418 5 109 0 n/a n/a 0 537
1993 9 411 3 97 0 n/a n/a 0 520
1994 8 385 4 105 0 n/a n/a 0 502
1995 6 403 2 79 0 n/a n/a 0 490
1996 6 403 2 79 0 n/a n/a 0 490
1998 9 607 3 140 0 n/a n/a 0 759
1999 13 733 7 193 0 n/a n/a 0 946
2000 8 737 8 200 0 n/a n/a 0 953
2001 7 684 5 262 0 n/a n/a 0 958
2002 1 660 5 311 0 n/a n/a 0 977
2003 1 660 5 311 0 n/a n/a 0 977
2004 1 653 2 329 0 n/a n/a 0 985
2005 2 666 6 363 1 n/a n/a 0 1038
2006 4 596 5 351 1 n/a n/a 0 957
2007 5 571 5 321 1 n/a n/a 0 903
2008 5 460 2 278 0 n/a n/a 0 745
2009 2 418 0 295 1 2 0 0 718
2010 1 238 0 201 1 1 0 0 442
2011 0 159 3 167 0 0 0 0 329
2012 0 128 1 184 1 0 0 0 314
2013 1 181 1 246 1 0 1 0 431
2014 1 198 2 251 0 0 0 0 452
2015 4 250 3 318 0 0 0 0 575
2016 7 268 5 381 2 1 2 0 666
2017 6 279 4 437 0 3 2 0 731
2018 8 226 2 438 0 3 2 0 679
2019 3 218 3 498 0 1 3 0 726
2020 5 216 3 569 1 0 3 0 797
2021 8 203 2 609 0 2 5 0 829
2022 13 167 5 666 2 3 7 0 863
2023 10 138 4 659 1 3 3 0 818

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Maxson Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 548 51.0 10.7 n/a
1989 518 46.0 11.2 n/a
1990 528 45.0 11.7 30.5
1991 576 42.0 13.7 48.4
1992 537 42.0 12.7 56.4
1993 520 42.0 12.4 66.2
1994 502 45.0 11.2 56
1995 490 44.0 11.1 55.9
1996 490 44.0 11.1 55.9
1998 759 54.0 14.1 51
1999 946 67.0 14.1 43
2000 953 64.0 14.9 53
2001 958 64.2 14.9 56.6
2002 977 86.5 11.3 63.3
2003 977 86.5 11.3 63.3
2004 985 82.0 12.0 60.2
2005 1038 82.0 12.7 n/a
2006 957 87.0 11.0 50.9
2007 903 69.0 13.1 59
2008 745 54.0 13.8 67.7
2009 718 63.3 9.8 65
2010 442 33.0 13.3 74.4
2011 329 31.0 10.6 81.8
2012 314 29.2 10.7 87.9
2013 431 35.0 12.3 87.5
2014 452 44.0 10.2 87.6
2015 575 49.0 11.7 79.5
2016 666 51.0 13.0 75.4
2017 731 50.0 14.6 81
2018 679 56.0 12.1 78.1
2019 726 58.0 12.5 81.7
2020 797 64.0 12.4 82.2
2021 829 60.5 13.7 73.6
2022 863 63.0 13.6 81.2
2023 818 69.0 11.8 84.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Maxson Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 548 51.0 10.7 n/a
1989 518 46.0 11.2 n/a
1990 528 45.0 11.7 30.5
1991 576 42.0 13.7 48.4
1992 537 42.0 12.7 56.4
1993 520 42.0 12.4 66.2
1994 502 45.0 11.2 56
1995 490 44.0 11.1 55.9
1996 490 44.0 11.1 55.9
1998 759 54.0 14.1 51
1999 946 67.0 14.1 43
2000 953 64.0 14.9 53
2001 958 64.2 14.9 56.6
2002 977 86.5 11.3 63.3
2003 977 86.5 11.3 63.3
2004 985 82.0 12.0 60.2
2005 1038 82.0 12.7 n/a
2006 957 87.0 11.0 50.9
2007 903 69.0 13.1 59
2008 745 54.0 13.8 67.7
2009 718 63.3 9.8 65
2010 442 33.0 13.3 74.4
2011 329 31.0 10.6 81.8
2012 314 29.2 10.7 87.9
2013 431 35.0 12.3 87.5
2014 452 44.0 10.2 87.6
2015 575 49.0 11.7 79.5
2016 666 51.0 13.0 75.4
2017 731 50.0 14.6 81
2018 679 56.0 12.1 78.1
2019 726 58.0 12.5 81.7
2020 797 64.0 12.4 82.2
2021 829 60.5 13.7 73.6
2022 863 63.0 13.6 81.2
2023 818 69.0 11.8 84.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Maxson Middle School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $135 (1.4%) $9,193 (98.6%) $9,328

Data source: New Jersey Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Maxson Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 674th of 745 Middle schoolsRanks 690th of 748 Middle schools
 1.8%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Maxson Middle School)2226.3
 4.3%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Plainfield Public School District)20.520.6
 0.1%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)56.149
 7.1%
6th Grade Mathematics (Maxson Middle School)11.311.2
 0.1%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Plainfield Public School District)10.411.8
 1.4%
   6th Grade Mathematics (New Jersey)40.634.3
 6.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Maxson Middle School)29.513.8
 15.7%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Plainfield Public School District)29.719.6
 10.1%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)62.855.7
 7.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Maxson Middle School)87.8
 0.2%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Plainfield Public School District)11.510.4
 1.1%
   7th Grade Mathematics (New Jersey)42.133.8
 8.3%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Maxson Middle School)26.919.8
 7.1%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Plainfield Public School District)27.724
 3.7%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)62.955.3
 7.6%
8th Grade Mathematics (Maxson Middle School)11.32
 9.3%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Plainfield Public School District)15.73.8
 11.9%
   8th Grade Mathematics (New Jersey)29.317.8
 11.5%
8th Grade Algebra I (Maxson Middle School)93.818
 75.8%
   8th Grade Algebra I (Plainfield Public School District)71.434.9
 36.5%
   8th Grade Algebra I (New Jersey)75.166
 9.1%
End of Course Algebra I (Maxson Middle School)93.818
 75.8%
   End of Course Algebra I (Plainfield Public School District)20.515.4
 5.1%
   End of Course Algebra I (New Jersey)43.335.1
 8.2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students726818
 12.7%
African American218138
 36.7%
American Indian01
Asian34
 33.3%
Hispanic498659
 32.3%
Pacific Islander13
 200%
White310
 233.3%
Two or More Races33
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients81.7%84.2%
 2.5%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Maxson Middle School

Maxson Middle School ranks in the bottom 7.8% of New Jersey middle schools.

Students at Maxson Middle School are 81% Hispanic, 17% African American, 1% White.

In the 2022-23 school year, 818 students attended Maxson Middle School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Jersey Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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