Helen I. Smith School

Summary:

Helen I. Smith School is an elementary school located in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, serving 325 students from kindergarten to 6th grade. The school is part of the Saddle Brook School District, which is ranked 335 out of 613 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Helen I. Smith School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of New Jersey elementary schools over the past 10 years. The school's performance on state assessments is generally below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subjects, particularly in English Language Arts (ELA). For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 12.5% of 3rd-grade students at Helen I. Smith School were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 27.9% for the district and 43.6% for the state. The school's performance in mathematics is slightly better, with 4th-grade and 6th-grade proficiency rates around 50%, but still below the district and state averages.

One interesting finding is the significant disparity in performance between different student subgroups at Helen I. Smith School. Hispanic students and students with low socioeconomic status perform relatively well, with rankings in the top half of New Jersey elementary schools in these categories. In contrast, the school's performance for White students and students with special needs is significantly weaker, with rankings in the bottom quarter of the state. The school also experiences high rates of chronic absenteeism, which could be a contributing factor to its academic underperformance. When compared to nearby elementary schools, such as those in the Fair Lawn and Maywood school districts, Helen I. Smith School's performance is significantly weaker, particularly in ELA and mathematics.


Detail:

Public K-6

 30 Cambridge Avenue
       Saddle Brook, NJ  07663


(201) 843-1142

District: Saddle Brook School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
729th of 1,338 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $14,876 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  11.4 Help
Number of students:  342

Racial breakdown:

White:
52.6%
Hispanic:
36.8%
Asian:
4.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  25.7% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Helen I. Smith School ranks worse than 54.5% of elementary schools in New Jersey. It also ranks 2nd among 3 ranked elementary schools in the Saddle Brook School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 45.37. (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
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Compare Details Helen I. Smith School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Saddle Brook School District. Racial makeup is: White (52.6%), Hispanic (36.8%), Asian (4.7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 25.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Helen I. Smith School is 11.4, which is the 2nd best among 3 elementary schools in the Saddle Brook School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Helen I. Smith School employs 29.7 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Helen I. Smith School is $14,876, which is the 2nd highest among 3 elementary schools in the Saddle Brook School District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Helen I. Smith School:

SchoolDigger ranks Helen I. Smith School 729th of 1338 New Jersey public elementary schools. (See Helen I. Smith School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Saddle Brook School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Saddle Brook School District 335th of 613 New Jersey school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Helen I. Smith School

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Rank History for all students at Helen I. Smith School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 64.41 534th 1204 55.6%
2004 49.20 823rd 1298 36.6%
2005 58.08 713th 1303 45.3%
2006 49.47 845th 1314 35.7%
2007 56.38 773rd 1329 41.8%
2008 38.85 980th 1338 26.8%
2009 26.85 1098th 1346 18.4%
2010 38.76 970th 1354 28.4%
2011 44.51 912th 1360 32.9%
2012 49.61 829th 1363 39.2%
2013 52.67 773rd 1367 43.5%
2014 51.77 789th 1363 42.1%
2015 66.35 476th 1357 64.9%
2016 51.34 692nd 1346 48.6%
2017 55.60 651st 1352 51.8%
2018 45.37 791st 1353 41.5%
2019 37.02 907th 1360 33.3%
2021 36.89 771st 1317 41.5%
2022 42.97 761st 1345 43.4%
2023 34.20 887th 1342 33.9%
2024 45.37 729th 1338 45.5%
See the entire list of New Jersey Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Helen I. Smith School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 38.57 552nd 1001 44.9%
2019 33.11 608th 1007 39.6%
2021 38.89 487th 868 43.9%
2022 30.88 602nd 949 36.6%
2023 24.32 707th 958 26.2%
2024 21.03 772nd 989 21.9%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Helen I. Smith School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 61.23 280th 948 70.5%
2024 77.98 126th 939 86.6%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Helen I. Smith School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 50.92 689th 1333 48.3%
2019 37.87 873rd 1331 34.4%
2021 32.02 838th 1290 35.0%
2022 44.09 727th 1326 45.2%
2023 34.08 859th 1318 34.8%
2024 47.90 679th 1317 48.4%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Helen I. Smith School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 42.39 792nd 1334 40.6%
2019 37.67 856th 1335 35.9%
2021 44.51 647th 1297 50.1%
2022 43.37 728th 1324 45.0%
2023 35.89 819th 1315 37.7%
2024 43.20 732nd 1313 44.2%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Helen I. Smith School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 63.27 265th 870 69.5%
2019 64.98 255th 899 71.6%
2021 58.47 280th 896 68.8%
2022 49.65 413th 953 56.7%
2023 36.90 605th 982 38.4%
2024 54.33 399th 989 59.7%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Helen I. Smith School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 33.77 713th 1022 30.2%
2019 22.19 841st 1023 17.8%
2021 29.61 741st 964 23.1%
2022 35.62 662nd 976 32.2%
2023 21.13 804th 975 17.5%
2024 29.94 713th 963 26.0%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey Elementary Schools for White 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.

Helen I. Smith School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: New Jersey Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Helen I. Smith School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 290 0 0 2 0 n/a n/a 0 292
1989 296 0 5 1 0 n/a n/a 0 302
1990 287 0 14 6 0 n/a n/a 0 307
1991 276 0 15 9 0 n/a n/a 0 300
1992 279 7 13 1 0 n/a n/a 0 300
1993 272 3 24 24 0 n/a n/a 0 323
1994 213 2 6 16 0 n/a n/a 0 237
1995 250 1 8 22 0 n/a n/a 0 281
1996 250 1 8 22 0 n/a n/a 0 281
1998 267 1 14 16 0 n/a n/a 0 298
1999 305 0 9 26 0 n/a n/a 0 340
2000 261 4 11 26 0 n/a n/a 0 302
2001 265 4 18 32 0 n/a n/a 0 319
2002 210 3 20 40 23 n/a n/a 0 296
2003 210 3 20 40 23 n/a n/a 0 296
2004 287 8 15 28 0 n/a n/a 0 338
2005 291 6 22 38 1 n/a n/a 0 358
2006 293 7 11 36 1 n/a n/a 0 348
2007 288 8 9 46 0 n/a n/a 0 351
2008 292 9 9 45 0 n/a n/a 0 355
2009 268 5 8 45 0 3 0 0 329
2010 277 8 10 48 0 3 0 0 346
2011 272 9 8 42 0 2 0 0 333
2012 250 9 8 43 0 2 0 0 312
2013 214 15 9 47 0 1 2 0 288
2014 201 8 11 50 1 1 1 0 273
2015 199 12 19 49 1 0 3 0 283
2016 192 11 22 63 1 0 4 0 293
2017 185 8 24 73 1 0 3 0 294
2018 184 7 24 90 1 0 3 0 309
2019 191 8 24 85 1 0 2 0 311
2020 176 9 25 84 1 0 2 0 297
2021 167 10 26 89 0 1 2 0 295
2022 167 10 18 97 0 2 1 0 295
2023 172 15 20 111 0 2 5 0 325
2024 180 10 16 126 0 2 8 0 342

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 Helen I. Smith School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 292 19.0 15.3 n/a
1989 302 18.0 16.7 n/a
1990 307 19.0 16.1 3.6
1991 300 19.0 15.7 5.3
1992 300 18.0 16.6 7.7
1993 323 18.5 17.5 6.8
1994 237 17.0 13.9 4.2
1995 281 20.0 14.1 5
1996 281 20.0 14.1 5
1998 298 19.5 15.3 4.7
1999 340 19.5 17.4 3.5
2000 302 19.0 15.9 8.3
2001 319 19.3 16.5 6.3
2002 296 20.0 14.8 5.4
2003 296 20.0 14.8 5.4
2004 338 19.0 17.8 5.6
2005 358 19.0 18.8 n/a
2006 348 18.5 18.8 8.3
2007 351 19.0 18.5 8.5
2008 355 14.0 25.4 9.3
2009 329 24.2 11.7 9.7
2010 346 17.0 20.3 12.4
2011 333 14.4 23.1 15
2012 312 20.0 15.5 16.3
2013 288 23.0 12.5 18.4
2014 273 21.0 13.0 19
2015 283 22.0 12.8 17
2016 293 24.0 12.2 19.8
2017 294 25.0 11.7 18.4
2018 309 26.0 11.8 19.7
2019 311 26.0 11.9 15.8
2020 297 28.0 10.6 18.5
2021 295 32.7 9.0 20
2022 295 34.7 8.4 16.9
2023 325 29.7 10.9 14.5
2024 342 29.7 11.4 25.7

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 Helen I. Smith School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 292 19.0 15.3 n/a
1989 302 18.0 16.7 n/a
1990 307 19.0 16.1 3.6
1991 300 19.0 15.7 5.3
1992 300 18.0 16.6 7.7
1993 323 18.5 17.5 6.8
1994 237 17.0 13.9 4.2
1995 281 20.0 14.1 5
1996 281 20.0 14.1 5
1998 298 19.5 15.3 4.7
1999 340 19.5 17.4 3.5
2000 302 19.0 15.9 8.3
2001 319 19.3 16.5 6.3
2002 296 20.0 14.8 5.4
2003 296 20.0 14.8 5.4
2004 338 19.0 17.8 5.6
2005 358 19.0 18.8 n/a
2006 348 18.5 18.8 8.3
2007 351 19.0 18.5 8.5
2008 355 14.0 25.4 9.3
2009 329 24.2 11.7 9.7
2010 346 17.0 20.3 12.4
2011 333 14.4 23.1 15
2012 312 20.0 15.5 16.3
2013 288 23.0 12.5 18.4
2014 273 21.0 13.0 19
2015 283 22.0 12.8 17
2016 293 24.0 12.2 19.8
2017 294 25.0 11.7 18.4
2018 309 26.0 11.8 19.7
2019 311 26.0 11.9 15.8
2020 297 28.0 10.6 18.5
2021 295 32.7 9.0 20
2022 295 34.7 8.4 16.9
2023 325 29.7 10.9 14.5
2024 342 29.7 11.4 25.7

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 Helen I. Smith School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $163 (1.1%) $14,713 (98.9%) $14,876

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Helen I. Smith 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 907th of 1360 Elementary schoolsRanks 887th of 1342 Elementary schools
 0.6%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Helen I. Smith School)3923.9
 15.1%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Saddle Brook School District)42.528.4
 14.1%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)50.242
 8.2%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Helen I. Smith School)54.747.8
 6.9%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Saddle Brook School District)50.440.5
 9.9%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (New Jersey)55.145.9
 9.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Helen I. Smith School)43.940.5
 3.4%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Saddle Brook School District)5041.2
 8.8%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)57.451.3
 6.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Helen I. Smith School)34.934
 0.9%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Saddle Brook School District)46.841.5
 5.3%
   4th Grade Mathematics (New Jersey)5144.3
 6.7%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Helen I. Smith School)44.934
 10.9%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Saddle Brook School District)43.244.7
 1.5%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)57.953.2
 4.7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Helen I. Smith School)2436.1
 12.1%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Saddle Brook School District)35.838.4
 2.6%
   5th Grade Mathematics (New Jersey)46.840.1
 6.7%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Helen I. Smith School)61.835.6
 26.2%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Saddle Brook School District)66.339.1
 27.2%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)56.149
 7.1%
6th Grade Mathematics (Helen I. Smith School)41.826.5
 15.3%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Saddle Brook School District)43.722.7
 21%
   6th Grade Mathematics (New Jersey)40.634.3
 6.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students311325
 4.5%
African American815
 87.5%
American Indian10
 100%
Asian2420
 16.7%
Hispanic85111
 30.6%
Pacific Islander02
White191172
 9.9%
Two or More Races25
 150%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients15.8%14.5%
 1.3%


Schools Near Helen I. Smith School









Frequently Asked Questions about Helen I. Smith School

In the 2023-24 school year, 342 students attended Helen I. Smith School.

Students at Helen I. Smith School are 53% White, 37% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 3% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Helen I. Smith School ranks 729th of 1338 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


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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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