Is Jefferson Elementary School a good school?

Jefferson Elementary School ranks 604 th of 1338 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Jefferson Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 302 students attended Jefferson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson Elementary School?

Students at Jefferson Elementary School are 90% Hispanic, 5% White, 3% African American, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Jefferson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Emerson Middle School Middle : Union Hill Middle School High : Jose Marti STEM Academy High : Union City High School

Jefferson Elementary School

Summary:

Jefferson Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Union City, New Jersey, serving 302 students from pre-kindergarten to 4th grade. The school is part of the Union City School District, which is ranked 291 out of 613 school districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Jefferson Elementary School has shown significant improvements in student performance over the years, with its ranking among New Jersey elementary schools improving from 998 out of 1,357 in 2014-2015 to 604 out of 1,338 in 2023-2024. In the 2022-2023 school year, the school earned a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger, the highest rating it has received in the past 10 years. The school's performance on the NJSLA tests is also noteworthy, with 56.8% of 4th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 45.4% proficient or better in Mathematics, outperforming both the district and state averages. The school has consistently performed well in terms of student subgroup performance, particularly for Hispanic students and English Language Learner (ELL) students.

While Jefferson Elementary School performs significantly better than some nearby schools in the Union City School District, such as George Washington Elementary School and Robert Waters Elementary School, it lags behind the high-performing Sara M. Gilmore Academy, which is ranked 23 out of 1,338 New Jersey elementary schools in the 2023-2024 school year. Despite having a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, Jefferson Elementary School has been able to achieve strong academic performance, suggesting effective strategies and interventions in place to support student learning.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-4

3400 Palisade Avenue
Union City, NJ 07087

(201) 348-5960

District: Union City School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
604^th of 1,338 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,594

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Emerson Middle School
	Union Hill Middle School
High:	Jose Marti STEM Academy
	Union City High School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.6

Number of students: 302

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

90.1%

White:

4.6%

African American:

3.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 83.4%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Jefferson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Jefferson Elementary School ranks better than 54.9% of elementary schools in New Jersey. It also ranks 3^rd among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Union City School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 55.28. (See more...)

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

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (90.1%), White (4.6%), African American (3.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 83.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Jefferson Elementary School is 11.6, which is the 4^th best among 9 elementary schools in the Union City School District. (See more...)

Compare Jefferson Elementary School employs 26 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Jefferson Elementary School is $11,594, which is the highest among 10 elementary schools in the Union City School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Jefferson Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Jefferson Elementary School 604^th of 1338 New Jersey public elementary schools. (See Jefferson Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Union City School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Union City School District 291^st of 613 New Jersey school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Jefferson Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NJ State Percentile
2003	70.29	439^th	1204	63.5%
2004	36.42	970^th	1298	25.3%
2005	25.78	1076^th	1303	17.4%
2006	54.92	779^th	1314	40.7%
2007	49.40	881^st	1329	33.7%
2008	43.89	929^th	1338	30.6%
2009	46.47	861^st	1346	36.0%
2010	43.36	923^rd	1354	31.8%
2011	41.89	936^th	1360	31.2%
2012	46.84	866^th	1363	36.5%
2013	47.46	856^th	1367	37.4%
2014	38.31	963^rd	1363	29.3%
2015	28.18	998^th	1357	26.5%
2016	42.94	816^th	1346	39.4%
2017	41.44	835^th	1352	38.2%
2018	59.39	586^th	1353	56.7%
2019	55.31	644^th	1360	52.6%
2021	28.42	889^th	1317	32.5%
2022	51.63	652^nd	1345	51.5%
2023	89.27	129^th	1342	90.4%
2024	55.28	604^th	1338	54.9%

See the entire list of New Jersey Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NJ State Percentile
2018	89.85	36^th	434	91.7%
2019	79.64	74^th	463	84.0%
2021	50.17	136^th	411	66.9%
2022	78.12	82^nd	489	83.2%
2023	99.23	11^th	499	97.8%
2024	88.58	60^th	559	89.3%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NJ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	89.87	50^th	942	94.7%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NJ State Percentile
2018	61.00	539^th	1333	59.6%
2019	59.83	569^th	1331	57.3%
2021	18.61	1065^th	1290	17.4%
2022	25.41	972^nd	1326	26.7%
2023	86.43	155^th	1318	88.2%
2024	59.31	534^th	1317	59.5%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NJ State Percentile
2018	56.80	587^th	1334	56.0%
2019	48.44	708^th	1335	47.0%
2021	40.25	697^th	1297	46.3%
2022	66.08	441^st	1324	66.7%
2023	90.64	91^st	1315	93.1%
2024	49.43	649^th	1313	50.6%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NJ State Percentile
2018	80.09	126^th	870	85.5%
2021	52.43	348^th	896	61.2%
2022	78.04	163^rd	953	82.9%
2023	97.26	25^th	982	97.5%
2024	78.23	160^th	989	83.8%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary 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.

Data source: New Jersey Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Jefferson Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	27	2	1	133	n/a	n/a	163
1989	27	1	1	186	n/a	n/a	215
1990	25	5	1	184	n/a	n/a	215
1991	21	0	4	181	n/a	n/a	206
1992	20	1	3	176	n/a	n/a	200
1993	15	2	2	155	n/a	n/a	174
1994	26	4	1	190	n/a	n/a	221
1995	37	6	5	278	n/a	n/a	326
1996	37	6	5	278	n/a	n/a	326
1998	25	2	5	260	n/a	n/a	292
1999	37	7	2	357	n/a	n/a	403
2000	29	6	2	360	n/a	n/a	397
2001	45	8	1	390	n/a	n/a	444
2002	13	1	4	323	n/a	n/a	341
2003	13	1	4	323	n/a	n/a	341
2004	10	2	6	297	n/a	n/a	315
2005	4	6	8	324	n/a	n/a	342
2006	7	1	8	325	n/a	n/a	341
2007	7	1	5	329	n/a	n/a	342
2008	7	0	6	305	n/a	n/a	318
2009	14	0	3	325	0	0	342
2010	6	1	3	322	0	0	332
2011	10	4	6	329	0	0	349
2012	7	2	9	346	0	0	364
2013	5	1	5	348	0	0	359
2014	2	2	5	341	0	0	350
2015	5	3	4	362	0	0	374
2016	5	4	1	359	0	0	369
2017	4	3	5	332	0	0	344
2018	5	2	5	328	0	0	340
2019	6	2	6	315	0	0	329
2020	9	5	6	328	0	0	348
2021	6	7	8	300	0	0	321
2022	10	9	7	279	0	0	305
2023	14	10	6	272	0	0	302

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 Jefferson Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	163	26.0	6.2	n/a
1989	215	25.0	8.6	n/a
1990	215	26.0	8.2	40.9
1991	206	24.0	8.5	62.6
1992	200	22.0	9.0	66.5
1993	174	23.5	7.4	57.5
1994	221	27.5	8.0	67
1995	326	39.1	8.3	81.6
1996	326	39.1	8.3	81.6
1998	292	29.0	10.1	57.9
1999	403	29.0	13.9	51.4
2000	397	34.0	11.7	62.5
2001	444	34.2	13.0	53.2
2002	341	36.0	9.5	82.1
2003	341	36.0	9.5	82.1
2004	315	37.0	8.5	87.6
2005	342	38.0	9.0	n/a
2006	341	37.0	9.2	86.5
2007	342	32.0	10.7	91.8
2008	318	19.0	16.7	89.6
2009	342	42.7	6.6	90.4
2010	332	21.0	15.8	91
2011	349	19.0	18.3	92.8
2012	364	21.2	17.1	93.1
2013	359	25.5	14.0	95
2014	350	22.0	15.9	97.1
2015	374	26.0	14.3	96
2016	369	25.0	14.7	96.7
2017	344	22.8	15.0	88.7
2018	340	23.3	14.5	86.5
2019	329	25.0	13.1	87.8
2020	348	25.9	13.4	81.6
2021	321	27.0	11.8	n/a
2022	305	27.0	11.2	84.3
2023	302	26.0	11.6	83.4

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 Jefferson Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	163	26.0	6.2	n/a
1989	215	25.0	8.6	n/a
1990	215	26.0	8.2	40.9
1991	206	24.0	8.5	62.6
1992	200	22.0	9.0	66.5
1993	174	23.5	7.4	57.5
1994	221	27.5	8.0	67
1995	326	39.1	8.3	81.6
1996	326	39.1	8.3	81.6
1998	292	29.0	10.1	57.9
1999	403	29.0	13.9	51.4
2000	397	34.0	11.7	62.5
2001	444	34.2	13.0	53.2
2002	341	36.0	9.5	82.1
2003	341	36.0	9.5	82.1
2004	315	37.0	8.5	87.6
2005	342	38.0	9.0	n/a
2006	341	37.0	9.2	86.5
2007	342	32.0	10.7	91.8
2008	318	19.0	16.7	89.6
2009	342	42.7	6.6	90.4
2010	332	21.0	15.8	91
2011	349	19.0	18.3	92.8
2012	364	21.2	17.1	93.1
2013	359	25.5	14.0	95
2014	350	22.0	15.9	97.1
2015	374	26.0	14.3	96
2016	369	25.0	14.7	96.7
2017	344	22.8	15.0	88.7
2018	340	23.3	14.5	86.5
2019	329	25.0	13.1	87.8
2020	348	25.9	13.4	81.6
2021	321	27.0	11.8	n/a
2022	305	27.0	11.2	84.3
2023	302	26.0	11.6	83.4

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 Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$561 (4.8%)	$11,033 (95.2%)	$11,594

Data source: New Jersey Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Jefferson Elementary 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 644^th of 1360 Elementary schools	Ranks 129^th of 1342 Elementary schools	37.7%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
4th Grade English Language Arts (Jefferson Elementary School)	82.4	75.8	6.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Union City School District)	55.6	52.8	2.8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)	57.4	51.3	6.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Jefferson Elementary School)	64.7	78.8	14.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Union City School District)	40.7	37.7	3%
4th Grade Mathematics (New Jersey)	51	44.3	6.7%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	329	302	8.2%
African American	2	10	400%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	6	6
Hispanic	315	272	13.7%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	6	14	133.3%
Two or More Races	0	0
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	87.8%	83.4%	4.4%

Schools Near Jefferson Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				NJSLA-S Science (2024)		NJSLA English Language Arts (2024)						NJSLA Mathematics (2024)						Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NJSLA-S Science 5th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 8th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 4th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 5th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 6th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 7th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 8th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	3400 Palisade Avenue	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 348-5960	302	26	11.6	83.4%	14 (4.6%)	10 (3.3%)	272 (90.1%)	6 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55.3	604^th of 1338 public elementary schools	54.9%		89.3	129^th of 1342 public elementary schools	90.4%	475				56.8						45.4					$11,594	$561	$11,033
George Washington Elementary School	Public	K-6	3905 New York Ave	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 348-5829	779	58	13.4	90.2%	6 (0.8%)	10 (1.3%)	757 (97.2%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31.4	922^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	31.1%		39	821^st of 1342 public elementary schools	38.8%	101	7.7		29.3	44.9	45.5	51.0			37.1	33.9	21.8	25.9			$10,431	$615	$9,816
Daniel Webster School	Public	PK, KG-2	2700 Palisade Ave	Weehawken	07086	Hudson County	Weehawken Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 422-6150	379	35	10.8	36.9%	196 (51.7%)	23 (6.1%)	116 (30.6%)	37 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)								(n/a)															$8,809	$270	$8,539
Robert Waters Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2800 Summit Ave	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 348-5925	976	71	13.7	88.0%	10 (1.0%)	7 (0.7%)	954 (97.7%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33.8	884^th of 1338 public elementary schools	33.9%		33.4	898^th of 1342 public elementary schools	33.1%	14	8.8		39.3	42.3	42.7	51.8			53.9	30.0	22.5	18.6			$9,833	$546	$9,287
Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School	Public	K-6	4507 Hudson Ave	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 348-5971	919	64	14.3	89.0%	26 (2.8%)	13 (1.4%)	869 (94.6%)	11 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47.3	707^th of 1338 public elementary schools	47.2%		46.5	715^th of 1342 public elementary schools	46.7%	8	18.4		42.7	59.6	69.2	56.9			31.7	30.4	39.2	35.9			$9,355	$562	$8,793
Theodore Roosevelt School	Public	3-6	1 Louisa Place	Weehawken	07086	Hudson County	Weehawken Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 422-6140	347	44	7.8	42.4%	115 (33.1%)	20 (5.8%)	178 (51.3%)	27 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.0%)	40.9	783^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	41.5%		40.7	795^th of 1342 public elementary schools	40.8%	12	21.6		29.6	50.0	41.4	66.7			37.5	36.0	25.7	36.7			$5,045	$563	$4,482
McKinley Elementary School	Public	K-8	3110 Liberty Ave	North Bergen	07047	Hudson County	North Bergen School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 974-7020	318	35	9.1	64.2%	24 (7.5%)	7 (2.2%)	272 (85.5%)	15 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27.5	973^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	27.3%		27.7	976^th of 1342 public elementary schools	27.3%	3	3.8	3.1	31.7	32.3	48.3	39.5	34.1	44.1	48.8	12.8	10.3	26.6	21.2	10.0	$7,659		$7,659
Eugenio Maria de Hostos Center for Early Childhood Education	Public	PK-K	2200 Kennedy Blvd	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 271-2311	279	39	7.1	76.3%	16 (5.7%)	6 (2.2%)	248 (88.9%)	8 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)								(n/a)															$8,345	$380	$7,965
Hudson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	167 19th St	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 624-9800	295	28	10.5	76.6%	19 (6.4%)	5 (1.7%)	263 (89.2%)	7 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	54.6	611^th of 1338 public elementary schools	54.3%		56.6	591^st of 1342 public elementary schools	56.0%	20			50.0						46.7						$11,375	$464	$10,911
Colin Powell Elementary School	Public	K-5	1500 New York Avenue	Union City	07087	Hudson County	Union City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 351-5165	721	51	14.1	84.9%	6 (0.8%)	13 (1.8%)	692 (96.0%)	10 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57.1	579^th of 1338 public elementary schools	56.7%		53.6	621^st of 1342 public elementary schools	53.7%	42	20.2		48.9	57.9	64.8				55.4	49.3	43.2				$10,464	$355	$10,109

Jefferson Elementary School

Jefferson Elementary School:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Union City School District:

What do you think?

Rank History for Jefferson Elementary School

Rank History for all students at Jefferson Elementary School

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Jefferson Elementary School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Jefferson Elementary School

Rank History for Female students at Jefferson Elementary School

Rank History for Male students at Jefferson Elementary School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Jefferson Elementary School

Enrollment information for Jefferson Elementary School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Jefferson Elementary School

Student/Teacher Ratio Jefferson Elementary School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Jefferson Elementary School

Impact of COVID-19 on Jefferson Elementary School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Jefferson Elementary School