Summary:
Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 417 students in grades K-5 in Plainfield, New Jersey, which is part of the Plainfield Public School District. The school has a predominantly Hispanic student population (88.73%) and a very high percentage of students (88.49%) who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high concentration of students from low-income families.
Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of New Jersey elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on state assessments in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. For example, in the 2022-2023 school year, only 13.6% of 3rd graders, 15.7% of 4th graders, and 27.7% of 5th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state averages of 42%, 51.3%, and 53.2%, respectively. The school's performance in mathematics is similarly low, with only 15.9% of 3rd graders, 10.9% of 4th graders, and 13% of 5th graders achieving proficiency, compared to the state averages of 45.9%, 44.3%, and 40.1%. Additionally, Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 9.4% in 2016-2017 to 26.4% in 2020-2021, and 24.2% in 2021-2022, which is substantially higher than the state average.
When comparing Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School to other nearby schools in the Plainfield Public School District, such as Cedarbrook Elementary School, Emerson Community School, Frederic W. Cook Elementary School, and Charles H. Stillman Elementary School, it becomes evident that the academic performance challenges are not unique to this school. However, when comparing Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School to higher-performing schools outside the Plainfield district, such as Bayberry School in Watchung and School One Elementary in Scotch Plains, the academic performance gap becomes even more pronounced.
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