Enrollment
318
Elementary
DISTRICT 601 · STATE 405
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·JERSEY CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 340783002822
Dr. Paul Rafalides School
362 UNION ST, JERSEY CITY, NJ 07304 · (201) 915-6540 · Hudson County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL318 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 68% of New Jersey public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded New Jersey public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
11.2:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.3:1 · STATE 11.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
76%
243 students
DISTRICT 69% · STATE 41%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 45 | 14% |
| Kindergarten | 45 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 53 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 62 | 19% |
| Grade 3 | 55 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 58 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (45) is 22% smaller than its 4th grade class (58).
Student demographics
77%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 74% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NJSLA 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
50.0%
NJ avg 53.1% . +9.1pp since 2023
Math
40.2%
NJ avg 41.6% . +5.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 50 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 40 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New Jersey schools, those numbers are about 53 and 42. Reading and writing scores are up about 9 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 5 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 50.0% | 40.2% |
| 2023-24 | 40.9% | 35.1% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: NJSLA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of NJ schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
41.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
24.3%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+17.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 42% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 24% typical for New Jersey schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 17 points, placing it in New Jersey's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Dr. Paul Rafalides School
Dr. Paul Rafalides School's state test result (41.5% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Paul Rafalides School this school | 318 | 76.4% | 41.5% |
| Dr. Charles P. DeFuccio School JERSEY CITY | 320 | 74.4% | 17.0% |
| Dr. Albert M. Bean School PINE HILL | 364 | 77.7% | 22.9% |
| Dawes Avenue Elementary School Somers Point | 341 | 73.0% | 28.3% |
| Philip G. Vroom Community School BAYONNE | 433 | 70.9% | 44.6% |
| Nicholas Oresko Community School BAYONNE | 388 | 62.9% | 44.5% |
Matched among New Jersey elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Dr. Paul Rafalides School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Hudson County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 41.5% | #707 of 1,290 | #28 of 84 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 40.2% | #789 of 1,319 ▲ 41 | #29 of 84 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 50.0% | #706 of 1,319 ▲ 155 | #31 of 84 ▲ 22 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 318 | #1,030 of 1,562 | #78 of 88 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.2:1 | #656 of 1,390 | #41 of 87 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 76.8% | #2 of 1,392 | #1 of 87 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 76.4% | #263 of 1,481 | #36 of 88 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -25.5% | #89 of 798 | #9 of 61 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
318
-92 (-22%) vs 2020
-12% since 1990-91, when it was 360
Student : Teacher
11.2:1
was 13.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 318 | 28.5 | 11.2:1 | 76% (243) |
| 2023-24 | 347 | 33 | 10.5:1 | 65% (226) |
| 2022-23 | 364 | 31 | 11.7:1 | 61% (223) |
| 2020-21 | 410 | 31 | 13.2:1 | 66% (272) |
| 2017-18 | 427 | 33 | 12.9:1 | 79% (339) |
| 2015-16 | 409 | 31 | 13.2:1 | 87% (355) |
| 2010-11 | 408 | 23 | 17.7:1 | 76% (310) |
| 2000-01 | 411 | 23 | 17.9:1 | 78% (322) |
| 1990-91 | 360 | 19 | 18.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Dr. Paul Rafalides School.
Since 2017-18: students down 26% (427 to 318); teachers down 14% (33 to 28.5).
About Dr. Paul Rafalides School
In JERSEY CITY, New Jersey, part of Hudson County, Dr. Paul Rafalides School is an elementary school. Enrollment is 318 students in 2024-25, and the school serves pre-K through 4. The average for elementary schools in New Jersey is about 405 students, so this school is 21% smaller than average.
Jersey City Public Schools counts 39 schools and 24,151 students, including Dr. Paul Rafalides School.
At Dr. Paul Rafalides School, the largest share of students is Hispanic, at 29%. The next largest groups are 27% White, 23% Black, 15% Asian, and 3% multiracial. The school's Hispanic share is 12 points below the 41% share among Hudson County residents. The school's diversity index is 77%, meaning two students picked at random have a 77% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Staffing totals 28.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 11.2:1. For comparison, elementary schools in New Jersey average 11.4:1. A measure often used for student poverty, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, stands at 76%. The average for public schools in Hudson County is 68%.
allk12 grades Dr. Paul Rafalides School a B+. The grade compares the school only with New Jersey public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
BeatsExpectations places Dr. Paul Rafalides School in the top 10% of New Jersey schools. The measure fits a line through proficiency and free or reduced-price lunch share for each state, and this school sits 17.2 points above it (41.5% actual, 24.3% predicted).
Census Bureau estimates for Hudson County show that the median household income is $91,795, roughly 49% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. There are 130 public schools in Hudson County, enrolling about 86,216 students in all.
The nearest other public school, Chaplain Charles Watters School, is about 0.2 miles away. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. On state test proficiency, Dr. Paul Rafalides School ranks 3rd in a group of 9 nearby schools.
The federal government classifies Dr. Paul Rafalides School's location as City: Large.
Over 4 years, Dr. Paul Rafalides School's enrollment dropped 22%, to 318. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 13.2:1 in 2020-21 to 11.2:1 in 2024-25.
Topics for discussion here include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Hudson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
718,323
Census ACS
Median income
$91,795
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
49%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
130
86,216 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Jersey City Public Schools
- William L Dickinson High SchoolHigh · 1,786 students
- James J Ferris High SchoolHigh · 1,364 students
- Cornelia F. Bradford SchoolElementary · 1,082 students
- Joseph H. Brensinger SchoolElementary · 926 students
- Christa McAuliffe SchoolElementary · 906 students
- Franklin L. Williams SchoolMiddle · 906 students
Other schools in JERSEY CITY
- William L Dickinson High SchoolHigh · 1,786 students
- BelovED Community Charter SchoolCombined · 1,573 students
- James J Ferris High SchoolHigh · 1,364 students
- Empowerment Academy Charter SchoolCombined · 1,272 students
- Cornelia F. Bradford SchoolElementary · 1,082 students
- Joseph H. Brensinger SchoolElementary · 926 students
Nearby schools
- Chaplain Charles Watters School0.2 mi · 586
- Empowerment Academy Charter School0.2 mi · 1,272
- Ollie Culbreth Jr. School0.5 mi · 335
- Learning Community Charter School0.5 mi · 634
- Innovation High School0.6 mi · 301
- University Academy Charter High School0.6 mi · 429
Frequently asked questions
About Dr. Paul Rafalides SchoolHow large is Dr. Paul Rafalides School?
Dr. Paul Rafalides School enrolls approximately 318 students in grades PK-04.
Is Dr. Paul Rafalides School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Dr. Paul Rafalides School is an elementary school covering grades PK-04.
How many teachers does Dr. Paul Rafalides School have?
Dr. Paul Rafalides School employs 29 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.2:1.
How diverse is Dr. Paul Rafalides School?
Dr. Paul Rafalides School reports a student body of 27% White, 29% Hispanic, 23% Black, 15% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees Dr. Paul Rafalides School?
Dr. Paul Rafalides School is overseen by Jersey City Public Schools in Hudson County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.