Best Middle Schools in New Jersey

The top 50 middle schools (grades 6-8) in New Jersey, ranked by enrollment from NCES data with EDFacts proficiency rates where available. Average proficiency across this list is 52%.

#	School	City	Enrollment	Proficiency
1	Williamstown Middle School	Williamstown, NJ	1,819	53%
2	Monroe Township Middle School	Monroe Township, NJ	1,759	71%
3	Hackensack Middle School	Hackensack, NJ	1,363	45%
4	Sayreville Middle School	Parlin, NJ	1,349	45%
5	Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School	Bridgewater, NJ	1,347	61%
6	Hammarskjold Upper Elementary School	East Brunswick, NJ	1,314	56%
7	Samuel E. Shull Middle School	Perth Amboy, NJ	1,310	41%
8	Lincoln Elementary School	North Bergen, NJ	1,309	49%
9	Toms River Intermediate School East	Toms River, NJ	1,294	60%
10	New Brunswick Middle School	New Brunswick, NJ	1,259	28%
11	William C. McGinnis Middle School	Perth Amboy, NJ	1,230	38%
12	William Shemin Midtown Community School #8	Bayonne, NJ	1,210	38%
13	Auten Road Intermediate School	Hillsborough, NJ	1,203	68%
14	Ann Street School	Newark, NJ	1,200	48%
15	Thomas R Grover Middle School	West Windsor, NJ	1,197	62%
16	Lewis F. Cole Middle School	Fort Lee, NJ	1,194	73%
17	Hillsborough Township Middle School	Hillsborough, NJ	1,193	68%
18	Woodrow Wilson Middle School	Clifton, NJ	1,189	56%
19	Lafayette Street School	Newark, NJ	1,180	36%
20	Melvin H. Kreps Middle School	East Windsor, NJ	1,176	50%
21	Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School	Manalapan, NJ	1,174	76%
22	Christopher Columbus Middle School	Clifton, NJ	1,158	47%
23	Woodrow Wilson Middle School	Edison, NJ	1,137	74%
24	Thomas Jefferson Middle School	Fair Lawn, NJ	1,134	63%
25	Millburn Middle School	Millburn, NJ	1,133	62%
26	William Annin Middle School	Basking Ridge, NJ	1,131	72%
27	Terence C. Reilly School No 7	Elizabeth, NJ	1,126	30%
28	Mount Olive Middle School	Budd Lake, NJ	1,109	73%
29	Long Branch Middle School	Long Branch, NJ	1,108	30%
30	Wilson Avenue School	Newark, NJ	1,099	43%
31	West New York Middle School	West New York, NJ	1,096	40%
32	Joseph H. Brensinger School	Jersey City, NJ	1,092	39%
33	William F. Halloran School No.22	Elizabeth, NJ	1,089	34%
34	First Avenue School	Newark, NJ	1,083	38%
35	Community Middle School	Plainsboro, NJ	1,071	64%
36	Frelinghuysen Middle School	Morristown, NJ	1,069	64%
37	Toms River Intermediate School South	Beachwood, NJ	1,048	57%
38	Howard M. Phifer Middle School	Pennsauken, NJ	1,045	48%
39	Oliver Street School	Newark, NJ	1,045	35%
40	Toussaint Louverture-Marquis de Lafayette School No. 6	Elizabeth, NJ	1,042	38%
41	Howell Township Middle School North	Farmingdale, NJ	1,030	68%
42	Haledon Public School	Haledon, NJ	1,028	36%
43	Toms River Intermediate School North	Toms River, NJ	1,012	53%
44	Heritage Middle School	Livingston, NJ	1,009	70%
45	Marlboro Middle School	Marlboro, NJ	1,004	63%
46	Empowerment Academy Charter School	Jersey City, NJ	1,002	34%
47	Emerson Middle School	Union City, NJ	1,001	42%
48	John Adams Middle School	Edison, NJ	1,001	60%
49	Mahatma K. Gandhi School	Jersey City, NJ	1,001	49%
50	Lakewood Middle School	Lakewood, NJ	995	36%

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best middle school in New Jersey?

The largest middle school in New Jersey is Williamstown Middle School in Williamstown with 1,819 students and a 53% proficiency rate. Rankings are based on NCES Common Core of Data enrollment and EDFacts proficiency results.

How many middle schools are in New Jersey?

This page shows the top 50 middle schools (grades 6-8) in New Jersey by enrollment. Browse the full state directory to see all schools.

What does the proficiency rate measure?

Proficiency rate is the percentage of students meeting grade-level standards on combined math and reading assessments, as reported by EDFacts. Data is district-level and applied to each school in the district.

Where does this data come from?

Enrollment and school characteristics come from the NCES Common Core of Data. Proficiency rates come from EDFacts assessment results. Both are official federal datasets published by the U.S. Department of Education.

Sources: NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts

Last updated: April 2026

Schools are ranked by enrollment within the state. Proficiency rates come from EDFacts assessment results, district-level figures applied to each school in the district.