Enrollment
163
Middle
DISTRICT 465 · STATE 578
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HUDSON COUNTY SCHOOLS OF TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 340757000189
Explore Middle School
180 9th Street, JERSEY CITY, NJ 07302 · (201) 631-6395 · Hudson County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE11-CITYCAREER AND TECHNICAL SCHOOL163 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 95% of New Jersey public middle schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A+Beats 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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
11.2:1
15 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 32.9:1 · STATE 10.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
28%
45 students
DISTRICT 43% · STATE 41%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 57 | 35% |
| Grade 7 | 55 | 34% |
| Grade 8 | 51 | 31% |
Student demographics
71%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 71% · 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
90.1%
NJ avg 53.1% . +0.9pp since 2023
Math
71.6%
NJ avg 41.6% . +6.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 90 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 72 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New Jersey schools, those numbers are about 53 and 42. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores are up about 7 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 90.1% | 71.6% |
| 2023-24 | 89.2% | 65.1% |
% 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
70.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
51.0%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+19.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 71% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 51% 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 20 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 Explore Middle School
Explore Middle School's state test result (70.9% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explore Middle School this school | 163 | 27.6% | 70.9% |
| Mount Arlington Public School MT ARLINGTON | 223 | 26.0% | 53.7% |
| Wood-Ridge Intermediate School WOOD-RIDGE | 256 | 19.5% | 60.8% |
| Thomas Jefferson Middle School ROCKAWAY | 299 | 32.4% | 48.7% |
| West Amwell School Lambertville | 141 | 31.9% | N/A |
| Somerville Middle School Somerville | 339 | 42.2% | 36.5% |
Matched among New Jersey middle 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 Explore Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Hudson County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 70.9% | #26 of 433 | #2 of 12 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 71.6% | #46 of 437 ▲ 19 | #2 of 12 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 90.1% | #8 of 437 ▼ 1 | #2 of 12 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 163 | #428 of 445 | #12 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 27.6% | #236 of 436 | #12 of 12 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
163
+3 (+2%) vs 2020
+262% since 2000-01, when it was 45
Student : Teacher
11.2:1
was 11.4:1
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 | 163 | 14.5 | 11.2:1 | 28% (45) |
| 2023-24 | 151 | 14.5 | 10.4:1 | 18% (27) |
| 2022-23 | 152 | 14.9 | 10.2:1 | 24% (36) |
| 2020-21 | 160 | 14 | 11.4:1 | 33% (52) |
| 2017-18 | 150 | 10.4 | 14.4:1 | 49% (74) |
| 2015-16 | 80 | 8 | 10.0:1 | 34% (27) |
| 2000-01 | 45 | 3 | 15.0:1 | 89% (40) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Explore Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students up 9% (150 to 163); teachers up 39% (10.4 to 14.5).
About Explore Middle School
Explore Middle School is a very small middle-grades school in JERSEY CITY, New Jersey. It had 163 students in 2024-25, spanning grades 6 through 8. Middle schools in New Jersey average about 578 students, which makes this school 72% below average.
Within Hudson County Schools of Technology School District, Explore Middle School is one of 5 schools. The district enrolls 2,326 students.
At Explore Middle School, Hispanic students make up the biggest share, 43%. The rest of enrollment is 27% White, 13% Black, 12% Asian, and 5% multiracial. Among Hudson County residents, the Hispanic share is about 41%. The diversity index for Explore Middle School is 71%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Explore Middle School reports a ratio of 11.2 students per teacher, from 14.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. The 10.9:1 average for middle schools in New Jersey is close to this figure. Student poverty is often measured by lunch eligibility; at Explore Middle School, 28% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The gap from the 68% average for public schools in Hudson County is 40 points.
On the allk12 Grade, Explore Middle School lands at A+, ahead of 95% of New Jersey public middle schools.
Test results at Explore Middle School are 19.9 points above what its student poverty level predicts. The average proficiency rate across its state test results is 70.9%, compared with a predicted 51.0%, which ranks in the top 10% in New Jersey.
Census data for Hudson County show median household income comes to about $91,795, about 49% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 11%. The county has 130 public schools and about 86,216 students.
Rafael Cordero y Molina, about 0.2 miles away, is the closest public school. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Of the 9 nearby schools with scores, including this one, Explore Middle School is 3rd on average proficiency.
The NCES locale for Explore Middle School is City: Large, which covers schools inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
The school's size has been steady, with 160 students in 2020-21 and 163 in 2024-25.
Anyone can start a thread about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at Explore Middle School. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
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 Hudson County Schools of Technology School District
- County Prep High SchoolHigh · 892 students
- High Tech High SchoolHigh · 790 students
- Academy of Career and Technical EducationHigh · 246 students
- Academy of Technology DesignHigh · 235 students
- Bayonne AcademyHigh
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
- Rafael Cordero y Molina0.2 mi · 794
- Dr Ronald McNair High School0.4 mi · 716
- Dr. Michael Conti School0.7 mi · 651
- William L Dickinson High School0.7 mi · 1,786
- Hoboken Dual Language Charter School0.8 mi · 441
- James J Ferris High School0.8 mi · 1,364
Frequently asked questions
About Explore Middle SchoolHow large is Explore Middle School?
Explore Middle School enrolls approximately 163 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Explore Middle School serve?
Explore Middle School serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Explore Middle School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Explore Middle School is approximately 11.2:1 (15 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Explore Middle School?
Student demographics at Explore Middle School are roughly 27% White, 43% Hispanic, 13% Black, 12% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Explore Middle School public or private?
Explore Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Hudson County Schools of Technology School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.