Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

Summary:

Frederic W. Cook Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 389 students in grades K-5 in Plainfield, New Jersey, which is part of the Plainfield Public School District. While the district is ranked 569 out of 613 districts in the state, Frederic W. Cook Elementary consistently outperforms the district on state assessments, with higher percentages of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels.

The school's strong performance is particularly notable among its African American and Hispanic students, who rank significantly higher than their peers in the district and state. In 2023-2024, the school's African American students ranked 86 out of 469 New Jersey elementary schools, and its Hispanic students ranked 186 out of 989 schools, both receiving 4 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger. However, the school faces challenges common to many high-poverty urban schools, such as high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 16.6% to 27.5% over the past few years.

Compared to other Plainfield public elementary schools, such as Charles H. Stillman, Emerson Community, and Dewitt D. Barlow, Frederic W. Cook Elementary generally outperforms them on state assessments. However, it lags behind the higher-performing schools in the neighboring Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District, such as Howard B. Brunner, J. Ackerman Coles, and William J. McGinn, which consistently rank in the top quarter of New Jersey elementary schools.


Detail:

Public K-5

 739 Leland Ave
       Plainfield, NJ  07062-2140


(908) 731-4215

District: Plainfield Public School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
779th of 1,338 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $11,721 Help


Students who attend Frederic W. Cook Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Maxson Middle School
High:    Plainfield Academy For The Arts & Advanced Studies
    Plainfield High School

Student/teacher ratio:  4.9 Help
Number of students:  144

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
47.2%
African American:
45.8%
White:
4.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  63.2% Help


 See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

 Compare Frederic W. Cook Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Frederic W. Cook Elementary School ranks worse than 58.2% of elementary schools in New Jersey. It also ranks first among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Plainfield Public School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 41.27. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Frederic W. Cook Elementary School has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Plainfield Public School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (47.2%), African American (45.8%), White (4.2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 63.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Plainfield Public School District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Frederic W. Cook Elementary School is 4.9, which is the lowest among 9 elementary schools in the Plainfield Public School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Frederic W. Cook Elementary School employs 29 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Frederic W. Cook Elementary School is $11,721, which is the highest among 9 elementary schools in the Plainfield Public School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Frederic W. Cook Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Frederic W. Cook Elementary School 779th of 1338 New Jersey public elementary schools. (See Frederic W. Cook Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:


Plainfield Public School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Plainfield Public School District 569th of 613 New Jersey school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Frederic W. Cook Elementary School?

Rank History for Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 13.42 1029th 1204 14.5%
2004 19.16 1105th 1298 14.9%
2005 33.23 1003rd 1303 23.0%
2006 33.94 1017th 1314 22.6%
2007 30.91 1065th 1329 19.9%
2008 23.80 1126th 1338 15.8%
2009 20.77 1140th 1346 15.3%
2010 26.35 1105th 1354 18.4%
2011 21.88 1144th 1360 15.9%
2012 27.16 1082nd 1363 20.6%
2013 35.77 993rd 1367 27.4%
2014 26.52 1085th 1363 20.4%
2015 23.78 1056th 1357 22.2%
2016 35.98 898th 1346 33.3%
2017 23.72 1056th 1352 21.9%
2018 16.58 1151st 1353 14.9%
2019 14.67 1176th 1360 13.5%
2022 28.31 958th 1345 28.8%
2023 34.11 889th 1342 33.8%
2024 41.27 779th 1338 41.8%
See the entire list of New Jersey Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 17.93 400th 463 13.6%
2022 48.16 194th 489 60.3%
2023 57.18 155th 499 68.9%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 18.92 845th 942 10.3%
2019 32.97 636th 948 32.9%
2022 49.33 381st 863 55.9%
2023 60.32 278th 910 69.5%
2024 42.80 495th 939 47.3%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 5.64 1271st 1333 4.7%
2019 16.80 1130th 1331 15.1%
2022 22.93 1015th 1326 23.5%
2023 30.86 910th 1318 31.0%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 18.84 1101st 1334 17.5%
2019 14.82 1146th 1335 14.2%
2022 35.28 845th 1324 36.2%
2023 39.04 789th 1315 40.0%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 60.20 170th 517 67.1%
2019 65.00 149th 522 71.5%
2022 74.12 92nd 494 81.4%
2023 71.99 101st 463 78.2%
2024 72.18 86th 469 81.7%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 14.72 766th 899 14.8%
2022 35.55 591st 953 38.0%
2023 52.35 413th 982 57.9%
2024 75.17 186th 989 81.2%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: New Jersey Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Frederic W. Cook Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: New Jersey Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)
0%

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100%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Saturday, March 24, 2012

Open Quote My daughter started kindergarten last fall at Cook. Her kindergarten teacher Mrs.Rodgers has been an attentive, strict,and exemplary instructor. I believe kindergarten is a crucial first step in procuring the educational foundation block of every student. Now, I will also state that there is always room for improvement. As a parent I am proud to lend my time and support along with the entire staff at the school to provide a good learning environment at cook school. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 40 247 0 34 0 n/a n/a 0 321
1989 26 263 0 31 0 n/a n/a 0 320
1990 23 220 0 34 0 n/a n/a 0 277
1991 17 239 0 29 0 n/a n/a 0 285
1992 30 224 0 54 0 n/a n/a 0 308
1993 34 276 1 65 0 n/a n/a 0 376
1994 41 260 1 58 0 n/a n/a 0 360
1995 44 258 0 58 0 n/a n/a 0 360
1996 44 258 0 58 0 n/a n/a 0 360
1998 28 243 1 26 0 n/a n/a 0 298
1999 21 246 4 25 0 n/a n/a 0 296
2000 13 253 3 31 0 n/a n/a 0 300
2001 14 240 2 37 0 n/a n/a 0 293
2002 15 215 0 44 1 n/a n/a 0 275
2003 15 215 0 44 1 n/a n/a 0 275
2004 17 227 1 41 0 n/a n/a 0 286
2005 15 203 2 39 0 n/a n/a 0 259
2006 7 186 2 38 0 n/a n/a 0 233
2007 7 169 2 40 0 n/a n/a 0 218
2008 8 170 0 34 0 n/a n/a 0 212
2009 14 188 1 39 0 0 0 0 242
2010 20 219 2 43 0 0 3 0 287
2011 16 235 4 54 0 1 3 0 313
2012 17 194 3 47 0 0 3 0 264
2013 14 189 4 49 0 0 3 0 259
2014 11 183 2 62 0 0 2 0 260
2015 4 142 2 49 0 0 1 0 198
2016 3 143 2 43 0 0 1 0 192
2017 3 143 1 69 0 0 0 0 216
2018 4 130 1 65 1 0 2 0 203
2019 2 166 4 184 2 3 6 0 367
2020 3 161 4 219 1 2 5 0 395
2021 6 143 5 227 1 3 5 0 390
2022 5 117 1 260 1 3 5 0 392
2023 9 111 2 260 1 3 3 0 389
2024 6 66 0 68 0 2 2 0 144

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 321 20.0 16.0 n/a
1989 320 25.0 12.8 n/a
1990 277 22.0 12.5 21.3
1991 285 21.0 13.5 34.4
1992 308 22.0 14.0 38.3
1993 376 25.0 15.0 40.7
1994 360 23.0 15.7 42.8
1995 360 23.0 15.7 41.1
1996 360 23.0 15.7 41.1
1998 298 21.0 14.2 35.6
1999 296 20.0 14.8 38.2
2000 300 21.0 14.3 43.3
2001 293 21.2 13.8 51.5
2002 275 32.0 8.6 52.4
2003 275 32.0 8.6 52.4
2004 286 26.0 11.0 61.9
2005 259 28.0 9.3 n/a
2006 233 28.0 8.3 59.7
2007 218 24.0 9.1 59.2
2008 212 22.0 9.6 52.8
2009 242 23.4 9.0 58.7
2010 287 21.0 13.6 56.1
2011 313 24.0 13.0 59.4
2012 264 21.9 12.0 64.8
2013 259 24.0 10.7 61.4
2014 260 27.0 9.6 63.1
2015 198 24.0 8.2 61.6
2016 192 17.0 11.2 54.7
2017 216 20.1 10.7 63.4
2018 203 19.0 10.6 60.1
2019 367 31.5 11.6 73.3
2020 395 32.5 12.1 72.7
2021 390 32.5 12.0 68.7
2022 392 33.5 11.7 78.8
2023 389 28.0 13.8 73
2024 144 29.0 4.9 63.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 321 20.0 16.0 n/a
1989 320 25.0 12.8 n/a
1990 277 22.0 12.5 21.3
1991 285 21.0 13.5 34.4
1992 308 22.0 14.0 38.3
1993 376 25.0 15.0 40.7
1994 360 23.0 15.7 42.8
1995 360 23.0 15.7 41.1
1996 360 23.0 15.7 41.1
1998 298 21.0 14.2 35.6
1999 296 20.0 14.8 38.2
2000 300 21.0 14.3 43.3
2001 293 21.2 13.8 51.5
2002 275 32.0 8.6 52.4
2003 275 32.0 8.6 52.4
2004 286 26.0 11.0 61.9
2005 259 28.0 9.3 n/a
2006 233 28.0 8.3 59.7
2007 218 24.0 9.1 59.2
2008 212 22.0 9.6 52.8
2009 242 23.4 9.0 58.7
2010 287 21.0 13.6 56.1
2011 313 24.0 13.0 59.4
2012 264 21.9 12.0 64.8
2013 259 24.0 10.7 61.4
2014 260 27.0 9.6 63.1
2015 198 24.0 8.2 61.6
2016 192 17.0 11.2 54.7
2017 216 20.1 10.7 63.4
2018 203 19.0 10.6 60.1
2019 367 31.5 11.6 73.3
2020 395 32.5 12.1 72.7
2021 390 32.5 12.0 68.7
2022 392 33.5 11.7 78.8
2023 389 28.0 13.8 73
2024 144 29.0 4.9 63.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

Help

YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $11,721

Data source: New Jersey Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 1176th of 1360 Elementary schoolsRanks 889th of 1342 Elementary schools
 20.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Frederic W. Cook Elementary School)33.913
 20.9%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Plainfield Public School District)21.417.4
 4%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)50.242
 8.2%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Frederic W. Cook Elementary School)36.731.6
 5.1%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Plainfield Public School District)26.322.2
 4.1%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (New Jersey)55.145.9
 9.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Frederic W. Cook Elementary School)29.343.4
 14.1%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Plainfield Public School District)25.720.1
 5.6%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)57.451.3
 6.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Frederic W. Cook Elementary School)15.541.8
 26.3%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Plainfield Public School District)18.619.4
 0.8%
   4th Grade Mathematics (New Jersey)5144.3
 6.7%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Frederic W. Cook Elementary School)37.565.1
 27.6%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Plainfield Public School District)25.219.7
 5.5%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)57.953.2
 4.7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Frederic W. Cook Elementary School)26.532.6
 6.1%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Plainfield Public School District)17.111.8
 5.3%
   5th Grade Mathematics (New Jersey)46.840.1
 6.7%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students367389
 6%
African American166111
 33.1%
American Indian21
 50%
Asian42
 50%
Hispanic184260
 41.3%
Pacific Islander33
White29
 350%
Two or More Races63
 50%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients73.3%73%
 0.3%


Schools Near Frederic W. Cook Elementary School









Frequently Asked Questions about Frederic W. Cook Elementary School

Students at Frederic W. Cook Elementary School are 47% Hispanic, 46% African American, 4% White, 1% Pacific Islander, 1% Two or more races.

Frederic W. Cook Elementary School ranks 779th of 1338 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

In the 2023-24 school year, 144 students attended Frederic W. Cook Elementary School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Jersey Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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