Raritan HS Cited for Below Average Scores, Growth in Report

As students and teachers prepare to head back to high school, a new report has been released that rates how area high schools are performing. 

Inside Jersey, a magazine produced by the Star Ledger, used a "proprietary formula" to chart trends in student achievement over the past four years. The magazine used the state's High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), SAT scores and other data in its calculations to dole out letter grades. The full report can be seen here on NJ.com.

Hazlet Township's Raritan High School was given a 'D' grade. The reports notes test scores declined .7 percent over its study period. Monmouth Regional, Neptune, and Keansburg high schools also got a D. The schools are among the bottom quarter of Monmouth County towns by median home value (not factored into results), the report shows. 

In the print edition of the In Jersey, it called 'D' schools "below average schools in need of improvement" and notes "Parents, beware of these schools. Test scores are below average and there is little academic growth." In Monmouth County, schools with 'D' grades are among those with the lowest average real estate value. 

Hazlet Schools Superintendent Bernard Bragen could not be immediately reached for comment. 

In response to state mandates, Hazlet Township School District recently announced it is shifting curriculum offerings to implement new Common Core Standards in its mission is "to provide an education of increased rigor."