Increased Enrollment Leads to Larger Class Sizes

In the past year, two of the three school districts in the RiverDell area saw an increase in student enrollment and with the additional students on site, the average class sizes are well above the state average, according to the recently released NJ School Report Cards for the 2009-2010 school year.

Out of the three school districts, only the Oradell K-6 district saw a drop in enrollment from 817 (2008-09) to 794 (2009-2010). And while OPS had the least number of additional students enter the building, grades 2, 5 and 6 were on average, five students above the state average for those grades.

Between the two K-6 schools in River Edge, Cherry Hill saw the largest jump in enrollment from 697 (2008-09) to 791 (2009-10) with the main increase of students in fifth grade while growth at Roosevelt School moved at a slower pace from 456 to 514. On average, class sizes at Roosevelt School exceed the state average by six students in grades two and three, and by seven students in grade six. Over at Cherry Hill, each grade level had on average six additional students over the state average while fifth grade exceeded the average by eight.

The regional schools saw increases in enrollment at the middle school by 20 students and 68 at the high school. The high school enrollment levels increased from 987 (2008-09) to 1,049 (2009-10), while the middle school increased from 548 (2008-09) to 567 (2009-10).

River Dell Middle School and most of the High School exceeded the state average by fewer than five students on average, with the lone exception being grade 11 and its additional six students per class on average.

The State Report Cards also look at how students in each district faired on standardized testing. The NJ ASK scores were released earlier this year for Oradell Public School, Roosevelt and Cherry Hill Schools, and River Dell Regional.