Park Elementary School

Park Elementary School is an elementary-level community of big scale in Newark, New Jersey, part of Newark Public School District, enrolling 747 students in grades pre-K through 8. That puts it 84% 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, Park Elementary School is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, Park Elementary School lists that nearly all students (84%) are Hispanic; the rest breaks down as 13% Black. By comparison, Essex County as a whole is about 25% Hispanic, so the school skews considerably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Park Elementary School has 58 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 11.4:1, putting Park Elementary School higher than the state norm the norm. About 83% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Essex County (around 54%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Park Elementary School sits in the top 10% of New Jersey schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 20.9%; actual is 39.7%, +18.8 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the area at large, Essex County reports that median household earnings sit near $80,789, 39% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 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 Park Elementary School is one.

Ridge Street School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Park Elementary School ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 27.2%.

Geographically, the school is in a downtown area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Park Elementary School has shrank 11%, going from 841 students in 2018 to 747 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 16.2:1 in 2018 to 12.9:1 today.

On allk12, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.