Caps Asbury Excels, Outperforms State Averages Across All Subgroups

Asbury Park, NJ — College Achieve Greater Asbury Park Charter School (CAPS Asbury) is transforming what’s possible for historically underserved students, delivering strong academic growth over the past year on the state assessments and surpassing state averages in multiple grades. With significant gains from 2023 to 2024, CAPS Asbury is bucking the trend of inequitable outcomes by steadily closing the achievement gap for students of color and other marginalized subgroups, including economically disadvantaged students.

CAPS Asbury's performance on the most recent New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA) underscores its success in exceeding expectations. The school outperformed the Asbury Park School District by 32 points in English Language Arts (ELA) and 13 points in math, while also surpassing the Neptune School District in ELA and math.

Among vulnerable subgroups—including economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, Black, Latino, and multilanguage learners—CAPS Asbury beat the state averages in all categories in ELA. These achievements reflect the school’s commitment to fostering academic excellence and equity for all students.

Additionally, key grades at CAPS Asbury achieved significant growth in math, with 8th graders surpassing the state average by an impressive 24 percentage points overall. Notably, Black 8th grade students excelled, outperforming the state math average by 29 percentage points, with over 81 percent reaching proficiency.

“While we recognize there is still progress to be made, surpassing state averages among vulnerable subgroups and achieving significant gains in key grades—such as our 8th grade cohort outperforming the state math average by 24 percentage points—demonstrates the impact of our approach,” said Jasonn Denard, Head of School of CAPS Asbury. “By focusing on small group instruction, high-dosage tutoring, and data-driven strategies, we’re not just closing learning gaps but paving the way for continued success. This progress inspires us to keep pushing forward, knowing that with the right strategies in place, our scholars can reach their fullest potential.”

Approximately 8% of CAPS Asbury’s student body is classified as homeless—ten times higher than the statewide average of 0.8%—and 89% qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program, compared to 28% statewide. Over 95% of the student body is Black or Latino. Despite these barriers, the school continues to deliver transformative academic outcomes, narrowing the achievement gap and providing a pathway to success for students in one of New Jersey’s most economically disadvantaged communities.

Math Scores Show Promising Gains

The latest NJSLA results show a notable improvement in Math proficiency across multiple grade levels, with CAPS Asbury outpacing local school districts and state averages among in key grades and among subgroups.

Key highlights in Math include:

• CAPS Asbury's Black students and economically disadvantaged students outperformed their statewide peers in math.

• Black 8th Grade Students: Outperformed the state average by 29 percentage points.

• Latino 8th Grade Students: Exceeded the state math average by nearly 17 percentage points.

• Overall year-over-year gains: Achieved a nearly 7 percentage point gain from 2023-2024

Continued Growth in ELA

CAPS Asbury outperformed state averages across all subgroups in ELA, with especially strong gains among students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, and Hispanic students, reflecting an overall year-over-year improvement from 2023 to 2024 and highlighting its success in closing opportunity gaps.

• Economically Disadvantaged Students: CAPS Asbury's economically disadvantaged students outperformed their state subgroup peers by 14.7 percentage points.

• Students with Disabilities: CAPS Asbury students with disabilities exceeded their state subgroup peers by 14.4 percentage points.

• Hispanic Students: Hispanic students at CAPS Asbury outperformed their state subgroup peers by 12.2 percentage points.

• Black Students: Black students at CAPS Asbury surpassed their state subgroup peers by 7.4 percentage points.

• Multilingual Learners (ML): CAPS Asbury’s multilingual learners outperformed their state subgroup peers by 6.2 percentage points.

Comparative data

Compared to the neighboring Asbury Park School District and Neptune School District, CAPS Asbury achieved exceptional outcomes in ELA and Math, demonstrating its commitment to excellence while serving the community’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged students. Highlights include:

• CAPS Asbury outscored the Asbury Park School District in ELA by 32 percentage points and the Neptune School District by 11.8 percentage points.

• CAPS Asbury outperformed the Asbury Park School District in Math by 13 percentage points and the Neptune School District by 1.4 percentage points.

A Model for Closing the Achievement Gap

CAPS Asbury’s mission is to close the achievement gap for students from underserved communities by preparing them for college success. The school’s rigorous academics, targeted support, and nurturing environment are helping to transform educational outcomes for its students.

“These results show that when school leaders commit to their students and prioritize academic interventions, such as rigorous instruction and small group learning, students can achieve remarkable success,” said Michael Piscal, CEO and founder of College Achieve Public Schools (CAPS). “At College Achieve, we made it a priority to provide personalized support and attention, ensuring that no scholar falls through the cracks. Our focus on individualized instruction has been key in helping our students thrive.”

CAPS Asbury's promise is to help students succeed—through high school and college. This year, the school's inaugural graduating class saw every student gain acceptance to college. With a graduation requirement that includes three AP courses, the school continues to hold its students to the highest standards, proving that every scholar can achieve greatness regardless of background.

College Achieve Public Schools (CAPS) is a network of K-12 schools in Paterson, Plainfield, North Plainfield, Asbury Park and Neptune Township that was created to serve youth who have enormous potential but limited resources. Its mission is to prepare all students to excel in and graduate from the top colleges and universities in the nation. The CAPS promise is to help students through and through—through high school and through college.