Louise A. Spencer Elementary School

Located at 66 MUHAMMAD ALI AVENUE, in NEWARK, New Jersey, Louise A. Spencer Elementary School is a sizable elementary school that serves 774 students (grades pre-K through 8), one of the schools within Newark Public School District. That puts it 91% above the typical public school in New Jersey, which averages around 405 students.

Within Newark Public School District, which oversees 65 schools and 41,502 students, Louise A. Spencer Elementary School is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, Louise A. Spencer Elementary School reports that Hispanic students make up the majority at 65%. The remainder consists of 32% Black. By comparison, Essex County as a whole is about 25% Hispanic, so the school skews visibly more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 61 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.7:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 11.4:1 average. Around 86% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, 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 above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Louise A. Spencer Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 19.0%; this one delivers 21.4%.

In the surrounding community, 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%. Louise A. Spencer Elementary School is one of 249 public schools in Essex County (combined enrollment of about 145,473 students).

Nearest neighbor: American History High School, around 0.4 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Louise A. Spencer Elementary School at 2nd of 9; the average score across the group is 14.3%.

The campus sits in an urban setting.

Five-year trend. Louise A. Spencer Elementary School's enrollment has showed little movement since 2018, when it stood at 774 (now 774). Over the same period, the Black share shrank from 59% to 32%.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.