J. Garfield Jackson Sr. Academy

J. Garfield Jackson Sr. Academy is one of the low-enrollment K-5 schools in EAST ORANGE, New Jersey, one of the schools within East Orange School District, with 247 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 405 students per school, that is 39% leaner than typical.

J. Garfield Jackson Sr. Academy is one of 19 schools operated by East Orange School District, a district that caters to 8,348 students overall.

Demographically, J. Garfield Jackson Sr. Academy lists that 81% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority. Other groups include 15% Hispanic, 2% White. That is meaningfully more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 36%.

On the resource side, The school currently runs with 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.0:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 11.4:1 average.

Around the school, Essex County reports that median household income runs about $80,789, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. J. Garfield Jackson Sr. Academy is one of 249 public schools in Essex County (combined enrollment of about 145,473 students).

Nearest neighbor: Althea Gibson Academy, around 0.2 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around J. Garfield Jackson Sr. Academy.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count increased 3%: 240 students in 2018 compared to 247 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 95% to 81% across the same window.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.