Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy

Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy is one of the micro-enrollment primary schools in EAST ORANGE, New Jersey, operated by East Orange School District, with 129 students on its rolls from grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 68% leaner than the state mean of about 405.

East Orange School District comprises 19 schools with combined enrollment of 8,348 students; Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy is among them.

Looking at the student body, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy shows that the student body is overwhelmingly Black (82%); the rest is composed of 14% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 36% Black, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 12 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 8.4:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 11.4:1, putting Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 50% of students at Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 38.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 36.5%.

In the area at large, census data for Essex County shows median household income runs about $80,789, about 39% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, 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 Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy is one.

The closest other public school is Whitney E. Houston Academy, roughly 0.1 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy comes 3rd of 8 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 23.6%.

The campus sits in a residential setting.

Trend over the last 6 years. Looking back 6 years, enrollment at Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy has decreased 36%, going from 201 students in 2018 to 129 in 2024. Black enrollment moved from 90% to 82% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 11.8:1 in 2018 to 10.6:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the feed for Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy typically covers classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.