Top Rankings
Clayton Public School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in New Jersey for:
Category
Attribute
Graduation Rate
Highest graduation rate (Top 20%)
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there is 1 public preschool serving 685 students in Clayton Public School District. This district's average pre testing ranking is 2/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public pre schools in New Jersey.
Public Preschool in Clayton Public School District have an average math proficiency score of 22% (versus the New Jersey public pre school average of 34%), and reading proficiency score of 38% (versus the 44% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 53% of the student body (majority Black), which is less than the New Jersey public preschool average of 64% (majority Hispanic).
Overview
This School District
This State (NJ)
# Schools
3 Schools
924 Schools
# Students
1,477 Students
368,931 Students
# Teachers
133 Teachers
33,283 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
11:1
11:1
Student By Grade
District Rank
Clayton Public School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 646 school districts in New Jersey (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 90-94% has stayed relatively flat over five school years.
Overall District Rank
#564 out of 650 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
(Bottom 50%)
Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
15%
36%
Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
31%
49%
Science Test Scores (% Proficient)
11%
23%
Graduation Rate
90-94%
85%
Students by Ethnicity:
Diversity Score
0.70
0.71
% American Indian
n/a
n/a
% Asian
1%
8%
% Hispanic
18%
36%
% Black
26%
16%
% White
45%
36%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
10%
4%
All Ethnic Groups
District Revenue and Spending
The revenue/student of $21,322 in this school district is less than the state median of $26,931. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $19,259 is less than the state median of $25,828. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
Total Revenue
$32 MM
$36,642 MM
Spending
$28 MM
$35,142 MM
Revenue / Student
$21,322
$26,931
Spending / Student
$19,259
$25,828
Best Clayton Public School District Public Preschools (2025)
School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Herma S. Simmons Elementary School
(Math: 22% | Reading: 38%)
Rank:
Rank:
3/
Bottom 50%10
300 West Chestnut Street
Clayton, NJ 08312
(856) 881-8704
Clayton, NJ 08312
(856) 881-8704
Grades: PK-5
| 685 students
Recent Articles
Parents’ Guide to Special Education
Special education law is not easy to decipher, with several regulations that govern special education services for disabled students. In this article, learn about the core components of the laws, rights, and individual education plans that can help create the best public school environment for your child.
Surveillance Cameras: Violation of Rights or Improved Security?
A school district in Virginia has given the green light to schools that want to install surveillance cameras in common areas like cafeterias and hallways. We’ll look at whether this is a violation of student privacy or the best way to keep order in schools.
Teachers in 19 States Allowed to Physically Punish Students
As of 2014, nineteen states still allow corporal punishment – spanking and paddling the most common choices – in their public schools. However, some argue that not only are these punishments physically harmful, they also are disproportionately administered to students of color. As a result, House democrats have taken up the issue in a new bill that would ban all forms of corporal punishment nationwide.
