Sharon Del Valle
FOR BOARD OF EDUCATION
Sharon, how are Neptune schools performing?
That's a big question. Much of the answer can be found in the latest data from the New Jersey Department of Education. The 2024–2025 School Performance Reports Database, District/State Excel File, was released on May 21, 2026.
Here is the URL: NJDOE 2024–25 School Performance Reports Database
The database contains 81 worksheets covering areas including English Language Arts, mathematics, student growth, chronic absenteeism, graduation and other measures of school performance.
There are some encouraging signs for Neptune, but our students are still performing significantly below New Jersey averages in several important areas. The bottom line is we’re seeing some positive results, but we are not where we need to be.
In English Language Arts, 35.6% of Neptune students met or exceeded expectations in 2024–25, compared with 53.0% statewide. The gap in mathematics is even larger. In Neptune, 22.2% of students met or exceeded expectations, compared with 42.0% statewide. That means just over one in three Neptune students is meeting state expectations in English and a little more than one in five is doing so in math.
But proficiency isn't the only measure we should look at. NJDOE also measures student growth—how much academic progress students make from one year to the next. Neptune's median Student Growth Percentile was 43 in both English and mathematics, compared with a statewide median of 50.
Attendance remains a serious concern. 25.4% of Neptune students were chronically absent in 2024–25, compared with 14.4% statewide. In other words, approximately one out of every four Neptune students was chronically absent.
There is considerably better news on graduation. Neptune's four-year state graduation rate for the Class of 2025 was 87.2%, compared with 91.8% statewide. Neptune is still below the state, but the gap is much smaller than the gaps we see in English and mathematics.
I don't think it serves anyone to either exaggerate Neptune's problems or ignore them. The Board of Education should be looking carefully at the data, identifying what's working and asking difficult questions about what isn't.
These figures are directly from the workbook: Neptune Township School District, District Code 3510, not Neptune City School District.
Source
New Jersey Department of Education — 2024–2025 School Performance Reports Database, District/State Excel File
School year: 2024–2025
Released: May 21, 2026
District: Neptune Township School District, District Code 3510
But the data become even more interesting when we compare Neptune with districts serving similar or higher percentages of economically disadvantaged students.
Before making that comparison, what does ‘economically disadvantaged’ mean?
For School Performance Reports, NJDOE defines an economically disadvantaged student as a student who is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. When the 2024–25 spreadsheet reports Neptune Township as 67.8% economically disadvantaged, it means approximately 67.8% of the district's students fall into NJDOE's economically disadvantaged category.
Conceptually, the calculation is: Economically disadvantaged students ÷ total students × 100 = 67.8%. Likewise, Long Branch's 76.6% means roughly three-quarters of its students fall into that category. It does not mean 76.6% of Long Branch households are poor.
You can drill down further into the income guidelines for free and reduced-price lunch:
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Free lunch: household income below 130% of the federal poverty level
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Reduced-price lunch: household income from 130% through 185% of the federal poverty level.
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Let’s look at the comparison.
These districts have similar or higher percentages of students classified by NJDOE as economically disadvantaged. That does not necessarily make them true peer districts. Other factors—including multilingual learners, special education, enrollment, grade structure and student demographics—would need to be considered before identifying Neptune's closest peer districts.
Source: New Jersey Department of Education — 2024–2025 School Performance Reports Database, District/State Excel File
School year: 2024–2025
Released: May 21, 2026
URL: NJDOE 2024–25 School Performance Reports Database
What does this comparison tell us?
Economic disadvantage is an important factor to consider when comparing school districts, but these results show that it does not by itself explain Neptune's performance.
Red Bank Borough, for example, reports a substantially higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students than Neptune—81.1% versus 67.8%—yet Red Bank's ELA proficiency is 46.5% versus Neptune's 35.6%, and math proficiency is 33.5% versus 22.2%. Red Bank also reports stronger student growth and dramatically lower chronic absenteeism—5.4% versus Neptune's 25.4%.
That doesn't mean Red Bank is necessarily a model for Neptune. It does mean we should be asking why some districts facing significant economic challenges are achieving better outcomes—and whether there are lessons Neptune can learn from them.
Sharon, what will your focus be as a Board of Education member?
My focus will be measurable student outcomes. I want to see more students reading and doing mathematics at grade level, fewer students chronically absent, continued improvement in graduation rates, and stronger academic growth.
As a Board member, I would want to understand not simply how much we're spending, but what results we're getting for our students from that investment.
Where the data show we're succeeding, we should understand what's working and build on it. Where we're falling short, the Board should ask why, determine what needs to change, and measure whether those changes are actually working.