Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Plainfield Public School District

This page covers 9 elementary schools in Plainfield Public School District. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

9
Schools Ranked
New Jersey
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 9 of 9
1
rank
Clinton Elementary School
Grades PK–05413 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.8:1) · above-average investment ($36,038/student)
65
/100
Student:Teacher
11.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
48/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$36,038
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
75%
High economic need
2
rank
Jefferson Elementary School
Grades PK–05441 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.8:1) · above-average investment ($36,038/student)
63
/100
Student:Teacher
12.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
48/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$36,038
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
86%
High economic need
3
rank
Cedarbrook Elementary School
Grades KG–08623 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.2:1) · above-average investment ($36,038/student)
60
/100
Student:Teacher
12.2:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
36/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$36,038
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
69%
High economic need
4
rank
Frederic W. Cook Elementary School
Grades KG–05389 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($36,038/student)
58
/100
Student:Teacher
13.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
35/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$36,038
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
73%
High economic need
5
rank
Emerson Community School
Grades KG–05509 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($36,038/student)
57
/100
Student:Teacher
14.5:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
35/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$36,038
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
79%
High economic need
6
rank
Washington Community School
Grades PK–05649 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($36,038/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
15.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
36/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$36,038
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
81%
High economic need
7
rank
Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School
Grades KG–05417 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($36,038/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
14.2:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
36/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$36,038
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
88%
High economic need
8
rank
Evergreen Elementary School
Grades KG–05602 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($36,038/student)
55
/100
Student:Teacher
15.6:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
36/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$36,038
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
87%
High economic need
9
rank
Charles H. Stillman Elementary School
Grades KG–04354 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($36,038/student)
55
/100
Student:Teacher
14.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
35/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$36,038
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
94%
High economic need
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
9
Elementary Schools
13
Total Schools
65
#1 Score
58
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Compare Plainfield Public School District with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.