Harriet Tubman Elementary School

Harriet Tubman Elementary School, a tight-knit primary school in NEWARK, New Jersey, run under Newark Public School District, educates 298 students, covering grades pre-K through 8. That puts it 26% below the typical public school in New Jersey, which averages around 405 students.

Newark Public School District comprises 65 schools with combined enrollment of 41,502 students; Harriet Tubman Elementary School is among them.

In terms of who attends, Harriet Tubman Elementary School reports that nearly all students (86%) are Black; the rest consists of 12% Hispanic. By comparison, Essex County as a whole is about 36% Black, so the school skews visibly more Black than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Harriet Tubman Elementary School records 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.5:1. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 84% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Essex County (around 54%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

With demographic context factored in, Harriet Tubman Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 20.1%, the actual is 17.4%, a residual of -2.6 points.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Essex County put median household income runs about $80,789, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. In all, Essex County runs 249 public schools (combined enrollment of about 145,473 students), of which Harriet Tubman Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is Michelle Obama Elementary School, roughly 0.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Harriet Tubman Elementary School at 4th of 8; the average score across the group is 22.3%.

Harriet Tubman Elementary School operates from a downtown location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 24%: 390 students in 2018 compared to 298 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment decreased from 91% to 86% over that span. Class-load math has fell: from 15.0:1 in 2018 to 11.5:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.