Montclair High School Gets Mixed Rankings in New State Report

[Updated 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 12]

Montclair High School’s academic performance is “about average,” but its college and career readiness is ranked “high” when both are compared to schools across the state. 

These were some of the findings in the New Jersey Department of Education’s “School Performance Reports” released Thursday, which analyze schools in a new, more detailed way.

The report, which replaces the state’s annual School Report Card, factors in a host of never-before-used data, such as whether students are on track for college and a career, percent of students taking at least one AP test in a certain subject, and the percent of elementary and middle school students chronically absent. 

Superintendent Penny MacCormack welcomed the change in methodology at the state level, adding the new reports are a healthy indicator of how Montclair schools measure up against others in the state and how the district can plan for the future. 

"The data looks very good for Montclair," said Superintendent Penny MacCormack. "I like the balance of not just achievement data ... that indicates whether a student went over a particular bar or not, but to add growth data into the mix I think is a step in the right direction." 

One of the most significant additions in the report is the “peer school comparisons.” Schools are now compared to about 30 similar “peer schools” from across the state that share comparable student grades, how many students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, English proficiency and students with special needs. 

The peer groups offer a closer "apples to apples" comparison between schools, said MacCormack. "Doing it school by school is actually more beneficail to [Montclair]." 

The peer groups replace “District Factor Groups” comparison, which have been used since 1975. While District Factor Groups previously compared entire school districts to others with a similar socioeconomic status, peer groups compare and measure individual schools against others. In addition, elementary or middle schools in the same district may not necessarily be in the same peer group.

While Montclair High School’s academic performance ranks average statewide, it “lags” in comparison to the schools in its peer group, which includes high schools in Bergen, Burlington, Camden and Sussex, among others.

Montclair students in the high school also rank “very high” when compared to their peers in college and career readiness. Montclair graduation and post-secondary performance ranks “high” both statewide and compared to its peers.

The following are Montclair High School's rankings in the new report, which compares the school's academic achievement, college and career readiness, and graduation and post-secondary education against schools statewide and those its peer group.  

1st Column: Performance Areas Peer Rank (Percentile)

2nd Column: Statewide Rank (Percentile)

3rd Column: Percent of Targets Met

Academic Achievement

37

43

100%

College & Career Readiness

90

76

80%

Graduation and Post-Secondary

73

63

100%

The full report for Montclair High School can be found by clicking here.  

The School Performance Reports for all schools in Montclair can be found by clicking here. 

Wrong Peer Groups

MacCormack contents that the state report may have placed Montclair in the wrong peer group.  

"For quite a number of the schools, I'm not sure that the peer school grouping is on target," said MacCormack. "It was more than a little off in some cases." 

The number of students receiving free and reduced lunch may have been under reported in up to seven of Montclair’s 11 schools, said MacCormack, compared to the district's own figures. The result would have placed Montclair schools in an incorrect peer group and impacted those schools' peer group rankings. 

"You can't really look at those peer group comparison in the way that you want to," said MacCormack. "You want believe the peer group is a good set of comparison schools, and when the data points are off, you don't have that." 

The possible miscalculation does not affect Montclair schools’ achievement, student growth and college readiness, or state ranking. 

Click here to read rankings for Bradford Elementary School.
Click here to read Charles H. Bullock Jr. Elementary School's rankings.
Click here to read Edgemont Elementary School's rankings.
Click here to read Glenfield Middle School's rankings.
Click here to read Hillside Elementary School's rankings.
Click here to read Mt. Hebron Middle School's rankings.
Click here to read Northeast Elementary School's rankings.
Click here to read Renaissance Middle School's rankings.

Click here to read Watchung Elementary School's rankings.