Valley Road Elementary School in Clark, NJ, has seen its rankings go up and down over the last 20 years. Sometimes the school was ranked near the top, and other times it dropped lower. It’s important to understand why these changes happen and what we can do to improve things for our kids. After all, elementary school is where kids build the foundation they need to succeed in life. In 2003 Valley Road’s rank was 448 and in 2023 it was 421. It has dropped as low as 686th in rank during that time, but things have trended upward since then. However, recent years have shown a steep decline from a rank of 182 down to 421.
Valley Road Elementary School Rank History
| Year | Avg Standard Score | Statewide Rank | NJ State Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 69.65 | 448th | 62.8% |
| 2004 | 75.09 | 324th | 75.0% |
| 2005 | 76.89 | 259th | 80.1% |
| 2006 | 76.30 | 297th | 77.4% |
| 2007 | 66.26 | 578th | 56.5% |
| 2008 | 59.64 | 686th | 48.7% |
| 2009 | 58.47 | 679th | 49.6% |
| 2010 | 65.37 | 566th | 58.2% |
| 2011 | 67.67 | 545th | 59.9% |
| 2012 | 65.87 | 569th | 58.3% |
| 2013 | 71.83 | 447th | 67.3% |
| 2014 | 73.03 | 412th | 69.8% |
| 2015 | 69.72 | 432nd | 68.2% |
| 2016 | 73.91 | 382nd | 71.6% |
| 2017 | 78.50 | 309th | 77.1% |
| 2018 | 78.15 | 296th | 78.1% |
| 2019 | 79.73 | 280th | 79.4% |
| 2021 | 84.06 | 182nd | 86.2% |
| 2022 | 79.32 | 298th | 77.8% |
| 2023 | 70.26 | 421st | 68.6% |
This data comes from schooldigger.com.
A Look at the Rankings
Back in 2003, Valley Road was ranked 448th out of 1,204 schools in New Jersey, putting it above average at 62.8%. Over the next few years, things got better, and the school reached 259th in 2005. But in 2007, the rankings took a big hit, dropping to 578th. The school bounced back somewhat over the years, and in 2021, it had one of its best rankings at 182nd out of 1,317 schools, putting it in the top 15%. Recently, in 2023, the ranking slipped again to 421st.
Early Years: Strong Start, But Some Decline (2003-2006)
- 2003: Valley Road Elementary School started off ranked 448th out of 1,204 schools, placing it in the 62.8 percentile. This means it was performing slightly above average compared to other elementary schools in the state.
- 2004-2006: The school saw a steady improvement, jumping to 324th place in 2004 and then further improving to 259th place in 2005, reaching the 80.1 percentile—a solid performance. However, by 2006, the school slipped a bit, dropping to 297th place. Even though this was a slight decline, the school still remained in the 77.4 percentile, which is a strong showing.
The Big Drop (2007-2009)
- 2007: Things started to go downhill for Valley Road in 2007, when the school’s rank fell to 578th place, putting it in the 56.5 percentile. This means the school was now performing slightly below average compared to other schools.
- 2008-2009: The decline continued into 2008, when Valley Road dropped even further to 686th place, which put it in the 48.7 percentile. This was the lowest point for the school in this period, meaning it was now performing below average. The ranking improved only slightly in 2009, rising to 679th place, which kept it in the 49.6 percentile—still below average.
Climbing Back Up (2010-2016)
- 2010-2011: After the sharp drop in previous years, Valley Road began to recover. In 2010, it improved to 566th place, putting it in the 58.2 percentile, and by 2011, it reached 545th place with a 59.9 percentile rank. While still below average, the school was moving in the right direction.
- 2012-2016: Over the next several years, the school continued to make gradual improvements. In 2013, the ranking improved to 447th place, and by 2016, Valley Road had climbed up to 382nd place with a 71.6 percentile ranking. This means the school had returned to performing above average, which is a good sign.
Recent Success (2017-2021)
- 2017-2019: From 2017 to 2019, Valley Road Elementary saw some of its best performance in years. In 2017, it ranked 309th, and in 2019, it ranked 280th, placing the school in the 79.4 percentile. This means the school was now back among the top schools in the state.
- 2021: The peak of Valley Road’s performance came in 2021, when the school achieved an impressive ranking of 182nd out of 1,317 schools, placing it in the 86.2 percentile. This was a major achievement, showing the school’s hard work and improvement over the years.
The Recent Decline (2022-2023)
- 2022-2023: After its peak in 2021, Valley Road saw another drop in rankings. In 2022, the school fell to 298th place, still in the 77.8 percentile, which is good but lower than its previous ranking. By 2023, the ranking dropped further to 421st, putting the school in the 68.6 percentile. While this is still above average, it’s clear the school has some work to do to get back to its peak performance.
Valley Road Elementary School has had some great years, but it has also faced challenges—especially with the introduction of the tougher PARCC test. If we want to see the school improve, we need to focus on giving students the best possible education, supporting our teachers, and getting the community more involved. Elementary school is the foundation for everything that comes later, so it’s important that we all work together to make sure Valley Road is the best it can be for our children’s future.
