A Beginner’s Guide To Jersey City Schools

Public schools in Jersey City come in all shapes and sizes. For parents, figuring out the best option for their child can be a daunting task. We’ve gathered some basic information parents might want to consider when it comes to choosing the best option for their child. We’ve also created links to the latest state reports and other key metrics for each of the schools, information you’ll find below.

How do the students do?

When it comes to academic performance as measured by standardized tests, Jersey City schools run the gamut. As is to be expected for a district representing more than 26,000 students with disparate socio-economic backgrounds, the outcomes vary wildly.

For example, Dr. Ronald McNair Academic High School scored 97.7% and 89.5% in English Language Arts (ELA) and math proficiency, respectively and is consistently named one of the top schools in the state. However, Abraham Lincoln High School scored only 13.3% in ELA and less than 10% in math.

Taken as a whole, the district, in which 51% of students are economically disadvantaged, comes in below state averages. Ninth graders largely failed to meet proficiency standards in both English language arts and math for the 2021-22 academic year. According to the New Jersey statewide State Performance Reports, only 41.2% of students were proficient in ELA and 25.9% were proficient in math. Both these numbers fall short of the statewide proficiency rates of 49% and 36%, respectively.

Charter schools, which represent approximately one third of elementary and middle schools, and which are publicly funded but privately managed, generally fared better. Based on available scores, charter schools scored an average of 56.23% in ELA and 35.8% in math. Traditional public schools averaged 42.2% in ELA and 28.2% in math.

But Jersey City’s charter schools vary as well. For example, students at Soaring Heights Charter School scored an 81% in ELA and 50.3% in math; University Academy Charter High School posted rates of 21.6% in ELA and less than 10% in math.

The state “Performance Report” for the district can be found here.

What do parents say?

We spoke to a small cross-section of parents to hear about their experiences.

One mother, who is actively involved in her kids’ school and asked to remain unnamed because of her work, praised “the diversity of life experiences” found in Jersey City public schools. “It’s not unique to urban schools, but it’s a strength in Jersey City,” she said. “My kids meet kids from all walks of life, and I love that.”

She also praised the staff. “We’ve worked with some really strong principals and just phenomenal teachers that have shaped our kids’ lives…we’ve had an excellent elementary school education.”

She thinks the presence of special needs kids has been a plus. “I think it’s been great for my kids because they’ve been in inclusion classrooms where you’ve got kids with varying needs and special needs integrated into the classrooms…. They have friends who are from all walks of life with different abilities.”

Jackie Cox, whose twin boys attend PS-16, called the staff and teachers there “amazing… so willing to go overboard in trying to meet these kids where they are.”

However, both district and school administration came in for criticism. Superintendent Norma Fernandez “has been heads and shoulders above what we’ve had in the past” said one.  But individual schools sometimes come up short. “The worst enemy of the schools is themselves. They do a terrible, absolutely abysmal job of communication.”

Cox said, “there’s a lot that feels quite dysfunctional.”  She said she was concerned that schools might not open because of the heat this week, pointing out that many schools have no air-conditioning.

In fact, the Board of Education recently approved a $122 million “Energy Savings Plan” that will include new HVAC systems for some schools.

She called for “more oversight and forward thinking. “I feel like we’re buying a new curriculum every couple of years.”

One mom pointed to the outdated district website. “Your website is your portal. We should be pouring money into getting the right people to service that.”

“There’s not enough staff…like security guards. How do we have this huge budget and we’re not staffing these schools appropriately” asked Cox.

Class size is an issue in some public schools, which comes from a teacher shortage in the district.  “Why weren’t we recruiting for teachers aggressively like other districts like Patterson? We weren’t doing that?” she one parent.  Cox said, “overcrowding is really concerning.”

“I know that there’s a new girls’ school that they’re trying to build…that sounds great but before we’re focused there shouldn’t we first make sure that the schools that exist are open and operating and air-conditioned, that there’s enough staff in school and space?”

Said a mother, “political maneuvering and grandstanding” is to blame. “We don’t have a facilities master plan. All of our buildings are aging. There’s no plan to service them. They’re bandages.”

Some parents with less positive experiences in regular district schools have opted for charters. A parent named Carol, whose special-needs children have attended both charter and traditional public schools in Jersey City, has become a charter booster. Charter schools’ teachers she said, “are so involved with how the kids are doing emotionally…it makes a really big difference.”

It took months for Carol to hear that her children had been struggling academically in their traditional public school. In contrast, after emailing the principal at their charter school, she received a response within five minutes.

Alyson, whose children attended charter schools for most of their education, said that charter schools are “community focused, and parents felt involved, felt part of the community.”

Finally, one parent felt that the teachers’ union exercises too much influence. Without union support a candidate for the board would be “dead in the water,” she said, no matter one’s qualifications and experience. “There’s no way an independent, unaffiliated candidate could ever win a seat on the Board of Ed.”

Jersey City Education Association president Ron Greco says it’s not so simple. “Although we have endorsed these people, we have supported these people, we hope they do the right thing, there have been many, many times where it’s been demonstrated that they are not just a rubber stamp of the union.”

Jersey City Public Schools have been criticized by many, including Mayor Fulop, for a series of large tax increases, culminating in this year’s $1 billion budget. However, administrators and school advocates point out that the lion’s share of such tax increases are due to cutbacks in state aid brought about by Jersey City’s high property values.

Applications and transfers

Parents can register their children here.

Those interested in applying to Jersey City’s charter schools can do so via lottery on each school’s website.

If a parent wants to send his or her child to a school outside Jersey City, there are a few options available. The Hudson County Schools of Technology operates several middle and high schools in the county. And the state offers the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, which allows students to apply to certain districts outside of their own.

This latter option enables Jersey City students to apply to Hoboken High School for instance. (Hoboken is the only district in Hudson County that participates in the inter-district program.)

Parents who wish to transfer their child to a new school, either in or out of the district, must complete a School Transfer Form with the student’s old and new school information. Prior to submitting the form, parents must have an acceptance letter from the new school and, if transferring to another Jersey City school, proof of residency. Enrollment is open year-round.

For students seeking more challenging course work, Jersey City Public Schools offer the HOPE and Accelerated Enrichment Programs. Information can be found here.

More information about enrollment procedures can be found on the Jersey City Board of Education and the New Jersey Department of Education websites.

Traditional Public Schools

Martin Luther King, Jr. School, PS #11

Grades: PK-8

886 Bergen Ave

State Summary Report

ELA Proficiency Rate: 42.6%

Math Proficiency Rate: 27.0%

Economically Disadvantaged: 69.4%

Charter Schools