All rankings · New Jersey
Best New Jersey public schools
Eight rankings of New Jersey's public schools from the latest NCES + state-assessment data. Unlike most school rankings, this list leads with BeatsExpectations: a demographics-adjusted score that asks how a school performs relative to what its student population would predict, not just in absolute terms.
New Jersey schools outperforming demographics
Top schools by BeatsExpectations score. Demographically-adjusted; a +20 here means the school posts 20 more proficiency points than its FRL profile predicts.| # | School | City | Beats by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | School 28 | PATERSON | +63.8pp |
| 2 | Infinity Institute | Jersey City | +56.5pp |
| 3 | The Gray Charter School | NEWARK | +50.1pp |
| 4 | Science Park High School | NEWARK | +49.3pp |
| 5 | Jose Marti STEM Academy | UNION CITY | +47.8pp |
| 6 | Terence C. Reilly School No 7 | ELIZABETH | +46.3pp |
| 7 | STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges | South Orange | +45.8pp |
| 8 | Michelle Obama Elementary School | Newark | +45.7pp |
| 9 | Passaic Gifted and Talented Academy School No. 20 | Passaic | +45.4pp |
| 10 | Passaic Academy for Science and Engineering | Passaic | +44.6pp |
| 11 | William F. Halloran School No.22 | ELIZABETH | +44.4pp |
| 12 | Roosevelt Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (ST | PENNSAUKEN | +44.2pp |
| 13 | Dr Ronald McNair High School | JERSEY CITY | +42.6pp |
| 14 | Sara M. Gilmore Academy | Union City | +42.6pp |
| 15 | Passaic County Technical Institute STEM Academy | Wayne | +41.5pp |
New Jersey Title I schools beating the odds
High-poverty schools (60%+ FRL) ranking in the top quartile of their state's proficiency.| # | School | City | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | School 28 | PATERSON | 89.9% |
| 2 | Science Park High School | NEWARK | 78.2% |
| 3 | The Gray Charter School | NEWARK | 76.4% |
| 4 | Jose Marti STEM Academy | UNION CITY | 73.2% |
| 5 | STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges | South Orange | 73.1% |
| 6 | Terence C. Reilly School No 7 | ELIZABETH | 69.5% |
| 7 | William F. Halloran School No.22 | ELIZABETH | 67.8% |
| 8 | Michelle Obama Elementary School | Newark | 65.2% |
| 9 | Liberty High School | JERSEY CITY | 64.6% |
| 10 | James Madison School #10 | GARFIELD | 63.3% |
| 11 | Elizabeth High School - Frank J Cicarell Academy | ELIZABETH | 62.6% |
| 12 | Technology High School | NEWARK | 61.9% |
| 13 | School #3 | CLIFFSIDE PARK | 60.1% |
| 14 | Robert L. Craig School | MOONACHIE | 56.9% |
| 15 | Passaic Gifted and Talented Academy School No. 20 | Passaic | 56.8% |
New Jersey schools by raw proficiency
The traditional ranking: highest combined math + reading proficiency on the state assessment.| # | School | City | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edison Academy Magnet School | EDISON | 100.0% |
| 2 | Biotechnology High School | FREEHOLD | 98.7% |
| 3 | High Technology High School | LINCROFT | 98.6% |
| 4 | Woodbridge Academy Magnet School | WOODBRIDGE | 98.6% |
| 5 | Bergen County Academies | Hackensack | 98.0% |
| 6 | Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science | MANAHAWKIN | 96.4% |
| 7 | Union County Magnet High School | SCOTCH PLAINS | 96.3% |
| 8 | Glenwood School | SHORT HILLS | 93.7% |
| 9 | Infinity Institute | Jersey City | 93.5% |
| 10 | Milton Avenue School | CHATHAM | 92.7% |
| 11 | Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro | Teterboro | 92.6% |
| 12 | Academy For Information Technology | SCOTCH PLAINS | 91.8% |
| 13 | Marine Academy of Science and Technology | Highlands | 91.0% |
| 14 | Communications High School | WALL | 90.1% |
| 15 | School 28 | PATERSON | 89.9% |
New Jersey schools with the lowest student-teacher ratios
Schools with 200+ students reporting the fewest students per teacher. Excludes virtual.| # | School | City | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westampton Campus | WESTAMPTON | 4.8:1 |
| 2 | Bankbridge Regional School | Sewell | 5.1:1 |
| 3 | Lakewood Early Childhood Center | LAKEWOOD | 5.3:1 |
| 4 | Somerset County Vocational Technical High School | Bridgewater | 5.7:1 |
| 5 | Mercer High School | Hamilton | 6.1:1 |
| 6 | Chartertech High School for the Performing Arts | SOMERS POINT | 6.2:1 |
| 7 | Atlantic County Elementary and Middle Schools | MAYS LANDING | 6.3:1 |
| 8 | Bergen County Technical High School - Paramus | Paramus | 6.3:1 |
| 9 | Grandview Elementary School | PISCATAWAY | 6.4:1 |
| 10 | Maywood Campus | MAYWOOD | 6.4:1 |
| 11 | Ocean City Intermediate School | OCEAN CITY | 6.7:1 |
| 12 | Harding Township School | NEW VERNON | 6.7:1 |
| 13 | Gould/Mountain Elementary School | N CALDWELL | 6.7:1 |
| 14 | Spring Lake Heights Elementary School | SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS | 6.8:1 |
| 15 | Piner Elementary School | Lakewood | 6.8:1 |
Fastest-growing New Jersey public schools, 2017-2024
Schools open in both years with 200+ enrollment in 2017, ranked by % change.| # | School | City | Enrollment Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College Achieve Paterson Charter School | Paterson | +468% |
| 2 | Charles and Anna Booker Elementary School | PLAINFIELD | +283% |
| 3 | John F. Kennedy High School | PATERSON | +226% |
| 4 | Empowerment Academy Charter School | Jersey City | +178% |
| 5 | Cumberland County Technical Education Center | Millville | +163% |
| 6 | Barringer High School | NEWARK | +162% |
| 7 | Joseph F Brandt Elementary School | HOBOKEN | +161% |
| 8 | Camden Prep Inc. | Camden | +154% |
| 9 | Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School | BARNEGAT | +138% |
| 10 | Central Jersey College Prep Charter School | Somerset | +133% |
| 11 | John P. Holland Charter School | Woodland | +124% |
| 12 | Capital City High School | TRENTON | +119% |
| 13 | Cornelia F. Bradford School | JERSEY CITY | +106% |
| 14 | KIPP: Cooper Norcross A New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation | Camden | +104% |
| 15 | Lewis F. Cole Middle School | FORT LEE | +102% |
Most racially diverse New Jersey public schools
Schools ranked by how balanced their student body is. The largest single racial group's share of enrollment, lowest first.| # | School | City | Max group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheesequake School | Matawan | 25.5% White (65) |
| 2 | Rafael Cordero y Molina | JERSEY CITY | 27.7% Hispanic (220) |
| 3 | Innovation High School | Jersey City | 28.6% Hispanic (86) |
| 4 | Dr. Paul Rafalides School | JERSEY CITY | 28.6% Hispanic (91) |
| 5 | Academy For Allied Health Sciences | SCOTCH PLAINS | 29.6% White (91) |
| 6 | James F. Murray School | JERSEY CITY | 29.9% Black (192) |
| 7 | Middle School # 4 | JERSEY CITY | 29.9% Hispanic (226) |
| 8 | Mahatma K. Gandhi School | JERSEY CITY | 30.4% Asian (250) |
| 9 | Academy For Information Technology | SCOTCH PLAINS | 30.6% White (94) |
| 10 | Holly Hills Elementary School | WESTAMPTON | 30.6% White (141) |
| 11 | Avenel Street Elementary School | AVENEL | 31.0% Hispanic (125) |
| 12 | Learning Community Charter School | JERSEY CITY | 31.4% Asian (199) |
| 13 | Charles W. Lewis Middle School | BLACKWOOD | 31.4% White (221) |
| 14 | Oakcrest High School | MAYS LANDING | 31.4% Black (298) |
| 15 | James W. Lilley Elementary School | ERIAL | 31.4% White (163) |
Largest New Jersey public schools
Brick-and-mortar schools ranked by total enrollment. Virtual schools excluded.| # | School | City | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Star Academy Charter School | NEWARK | 6,714 |
| 2 | TEAM Academy Charter School | NEWARK | 6,406 |
| 3 | Passaic County Technical Institute | WAYNE | 3,565 |
| 4 | Clifton High School | CLIFTON | 3,150 |
| 5 | Union City High School | Union City | 3,147 |
| 6 | Mastery Schools of Camden Inc. | Camden | 2,873 |
| 7 | Bayonne High School | BAYONNE | 2,830 |
| 8 | Perth Amboy High School | PERTH AMBOY | 2,769 |
| 9 | Vineland Senior High School | VINELAND | 2,736 |
| 10 | John P. Stevens High School | EDISON | 2,687 |
| 11 | Bridgewater-Raritan High School | Bridgewater | 2,673 |
| 12 | South Brunswick High School | MONMOUTH JUNCTION | 2,666 |
| 13 | Old Bridge High School | MATAWAN | 2,659 |
| 14 | Monroe Township High School | MONROE TOWNSHIP | 2,583 |
| 15 | Passaic High School No. 12 | Passaic | 2,484 |
New Jersey schools underperforming demographics
Bottom 10% within state by BeatsExpectations. Not a verdict, a starting question. A school may be in leadership transition or recovering from a demographic shift.| # | School | City | Beats by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Orange Campus High School | EAST ORANGE | -53.7pp |
| 2 | John L. Costley Middle School | EAST ORANGE | -53.2pp |
| 3 | Patrick F. Healy Middle School | EAST ORANGE | -50.2pp |
| 4 | Bridgeton Public Charter School | Bridgeton | -45.1pp |
| 5 | Millville Public Charter School | Millville | -44.5pp |
| 6 | Sojourner Truth Middle School | EAST ORANGE | -42.0pp |
| 7 | Eastside High School | CAMDEN | -41.1pp |
| 8 | Prospect Park School No. 1 | PROSPECT PARK | -39.3pp |
| 9 | Newcomers High School | Paterson | -39.3pp |
| 10 | Trenton STEM-to-Civics Charter School | Ewing | -39.3pp |
| 11 | Mildred Barry Garvin Elementary | EAST ORANGE | -36.9pp |
| 12 | Veterans Memorial Family School | CAMDEN | -35.3pp |
| 13 | Camden High School | CAMDEN | -32.7pp |
| 14 | Cicely L. Tyson Community Middle/High School | EAST ORANGE | -32.3pp |
| 15 | Ecole Toussaint Louverture | EAST ORANGE | -32.2pp |
About these rankings
These tables use the most recent NCES Common Core of Data (2024-25) for enrollment, demographics, and staffing, and state-native assessment data (typically 2023-24 or 2024-25) for proficiency. BeatsExpectations is computed via per-state ordinary-least-squares regression of composite proficiency on free-and-reduced-lunch share. Full methodology.
License: CC-BY 4.0. Reproduce these rankings anywhere with attribution to allk12.com. Press contact: [email protected].
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