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Best kept secret at Philip's Academy Charter School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
730
Elementary
STATE 405
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PHILLIP'S ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL·NCES 340076403256
Philip's Academy Charter School
342 Central Avenue, Newark, NJ 07103 · (973) 624-0644 · Essex County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY11-CITYCHARTERTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL730 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 64% of New Jersey public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded New Jersey public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
25.2:1
29 FTE teachers
STATE 11.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
71%
520 students
STATE 41%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 60 | 8% |
| Kindergarten | 89 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 85 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 83 | 11% |
| Grade 3 | 89 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 80 | 11% |
| Grade 5 | 82 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 79 | 11% |
| Grade 7 | 44 | 6% |
| Grade 8 | 39 | 5% |
This year's kindergarten class (89) is 128% larger than its 8th grade class (39).
Student demographics
27%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NJSLA 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
49.3%
NJ avg 53.1% . +0.2pp since 2023
Math
34.8%
NJ avg 41.6% . -3.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the NJSLA, New Jersey's statewide test, about 49 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 35 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New Jersey schools, those numbers are about 53 and 42. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores are down about 4 points.
NJSLA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 49.3% | 34.8% |
| 2023-24 | 49.1% | 38.3% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: NJSLA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
40.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
27.2%
based on NJ schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+13.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 27% typical for New Jersey schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among New Jersey's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Philip's Academy Charter School
Philip's Academy Charter School's state test result (40.9% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip's Academy Charter School this school | 730 | 71.2% | 40.9% |
| Ivy Hill Elementary School NEWARK | 488 | 72.3% | 30.6% |
| Mt. Vernon Avenue Elementary School IRVINGTON | 605 | 63.0% | 17.9% |
| Belmont Runyon Elementary School NEWARK | 508 | 75.8% | 14.0% |
| Avon Avenue School NEWARK | 485 | 77.7% | 12.0% |
| Hawthorne Avenue School NEWARK | 444 | 74.5% | 15.7% |
Matched among New Jersey elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Philip's Academy Charter School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Jersey | In Essex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.9% | #725 of 1,290 | #56 of 131 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 34.8% | #878 of 1,319 ▼ 101 | #71 of 141 ▼ 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 49.3% | #727 of 1,319 ▼ 37 | #76 of 141 ▼ 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 730 | #94 of 1,562 | #19 of 162 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 25.2:1 | #1,389 of 1,390 | #140 of 140 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 27.3% | #1,244 of 1,392 | #124 of 141 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 71.2% | #335 of 1,481 | #64 of 142 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +95.7% | #6 of 545 | #1 of 61 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
730
+190 (+35%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
25.2:1
was 16.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 730 | 29 | 25.2:1 | 71% (520) |
| 2023-24 | 673 | 30 | 22.4:1 | 68% (457) |
| 2022-23 | 639 | 33.5 | 19.1:1 | 59% (380) |
| 2020-21 | 540 | 33 | 16.4:1 | 41% (222) |
| 2017-18 | 373 | 35 | 10.7:1 | 41% (152) |
| 2015-16 | 375 | 29 | 12.9:1 | 37% (140) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Philip's Academy Charter School.
Since 2017-18: students up 96% (373 to 730); teachers down 17% (35 to 29).
About Philip's Academy Charter School
Philip's Academy Charter School is listed by the National Center for Education Statistics as an elementary school in Newark, New Jersey. Students in pre-K through 8 attend the school, which enrolls 730 students. For comparison, elementary schools in New Jersey average about 405 students.
The local education agency for Philip's Academy Charter School is Phillip's Academy Charter School.
Philip's Academy Charter School enrolls a student body that is 84% Black. Other reported shares: 14% Hispanic. That compares with about 36% Black among all Essex County residents. Philip's Academy Charter School has a diversity index of 27%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Teacher staffing is 29 full-time equivalents, or about 25.2 students per teacher. Among elementary schools in New Jersey, the typical ratio is 11.4:1. About 71% of students, or 520, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The average for public schools in Essex County is 54%.
Measured against New Jersey public elementary schools, Philip's Academy Charter School receives a B. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Philip's Academy Charter School would be expected to post about 27.2%. Its actual average proficiency rate on state tests is 40.9%.
In the county around the school, Essex County, median household income is about $80,789, about 39% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 11%. A total of 249 public schools operate in Essex County, serving about 145,473 students.
The closest other public school is Nelson Mandela Elementary School, about 0.1 miles away. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Its average proficiency rate of 40.9% is above the 31.7% average for nearby schools.
Philip's Academy Charter School is inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more, a location NCES labels City: Large. It is a charter school, open to the public and funded by taxpayers.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment up 35%, from 540 to 730. Its ratio of students to teachers was 16.4:1 in 2020-21, and 25.2:1 in 2024-25.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Philip's Academy Charter School covering things like school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Essex County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
863,002
Census ACS
Median income
$80,789
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
39%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
249
145,473 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Newark
- North Star Academy Charter SchoolCombined · 6,714 students
- TEAM Academy Charter SchoolCombined · 6,406 students
- Great Oaks Legacy Charter SchoolCombined · 2,169 students
- East Side High SchoolHigh · 2,046 students
- Barringer High SchoolHigh · 1,894 students
- Marion P. Thomas Charter SchoolCombined · 1,410 students
Nearby schools
- Nelson Mandela Elementary School0.1 mi · 256
- Marion P. Thomas Charter School0.3 mi · 1,410
- Sussex Avenue School0.3 mi · 545
- Science Park High School0.4 mi · 964
- Essex County Newark Tech0.5 mi · 606
- Dr. E. Alma Flagg School0.5 mi · 570
Frequently asked questions
About Philip's Academy Charter SchoolHow many students attend Philip's Academy Charter School?
Philip's Academy Charter School enrolls approximately 730 students in grades PK-08.
What age range does Philip's Academy Charter School serve?
Philip's Academy Charter School serves students from grade PK through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Philip's Academy Charter School?
Approximately 25.2:1 students per teacher at Philip's Academy Charter School.
How diverse is Philip's Academy Charter School?
Philip's Academy Charter School reports a student body of 0% White, 14% Hispanic, 84% Black, 1% Asian, 0% Two or more.
Is Philip's Academy Charter School public or private?
Philip's Academy Charter School is a public K-12 school operated as a charter, overseen by Phillip's Academy Charter School.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.