Dr. Paul Rafalides School

As a tight-knit elementary school in JERSEY CITY, New Jersey, Dr. Paul Rafalides School educates 318 students from grades pre-K through 4, overseen by Jersey City Public Schools. That puts it 21% smaller than the typical public school in New Jersey, which averages around 405 students.

Within Jersey City Public Schools, which oversees 39 schools and 24,151 students, Dr. Paul Rafalides School is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, Dr. Paul Rafalides School lists that the largest single group is Hispanic at 29%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder comes out to 27% White, 23% Black, 15% Asian, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Hudson County as a whole is about 41% Hispanic, so the school skews considerably less Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the resource side, On paper, Dr. Paul Rafalides School has 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.2:1. The state averages about 11.4:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 76% of students at Dr. Paul Rafalides School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is noticeably above Hudson County's rate of about 68%.

After controlling for student poverty, Dr. Paul Rafalides School sits in the top 10% of New Jersey schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 24.3%; actual is 41.5%, +17.2 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the broader community, Hudson County reports that the typical household earns roughly $91,795 per year, 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. In all, Hudson County runs 130 public schools (combined enrollment of about 86,216 students), of which Dr. Paul Rafalides School is one.

The closest other public school is Chaplain Charles Watters School, roughly 0.2 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Dr. Paul Rafalides School at 3rd of 9; the average score across the group is 31.3%.

The campus sits in a metropolitan setting.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Dr. Paul Rafalides School has decreased 26%, going from 427 students in 2018 to 318 in 2025. The White share of enrollment climbed from 17% to 27% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 12.9:1 in 2018 to 11.2:1 today.

On allk12, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.