Gordon Parks Academy

Gordon Parks Academy is an elementary school of cozy scale in EAST ORANGE, New Jersey, operated by East Orange School District, educateing 268 students in grades pre-K through 2. Enrollment runs roughly 34% leaner than the state mean of about 405.

East Orange School District comprises 19 schools with combined enrollment of 8,348 students; Gordon Parks Academy is among them.

Demographically, Gordon Parks Academy reports that Black students make up the majority at 79%; the rest comes out to 16% Hispanic, 2% White, 2% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 36% Black, putting the school's mix noticeably more Black than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, Gordon Parks Academy records 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 11.4:1, putting Gordon Parks Academy higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 24% of students at Gordon Parks Academy qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Essex County runs at roughly 54%, so the school's eligibility rate is lower than the surrounding baseline.

Across the wider county, census data for Essex County shows the typical household earns roughly $80,789 per year, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Gordon Parks Academy is one of 249 public schools in Essex County (combined enrollment of about 145,473 students).

Nearest neighbor: Mildred Barry Garvin Elementary, around 0.1 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Gordon Parks Academy operates from a commuter-belt location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 13%: 309 students in 2018 compared to 268 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share edged down from 92% to 79%. Class-load math has loosened: from 11.0:1 in 2018 to 14.1:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, members of the Gordon Parks Academy community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.