Enrollment at NJ Charter Schools Surpasses 25,000 Students

Population at charter schools in New Jersey has reached an all-time high, surpassing 25,000 students, according to figures released by the state Charter Schools Association Wednesday.

In Newark, North Star Academy, where 100 percent of 11^th -grade students scored advanced or proficient on the 2011 New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment in both math and English language arts, expanded by 34 percent to serve 424 additional students.

There are several charter schools in Newark. 

Statewide figures show there are now 26,730 students enrolled in 80 public charter schools across the state, an increase of 16.7 percent from last year.

“This dramatic growth for New Jersey charter schools is empowering parents by giving them access to high-quality options for their child’s education,” said Carlos Perez, president of the New Jersey Charter Schools Association.

“From Newark to Camden, Princeton to Paterson, charter schools are meeting the needs of New Jersey’s families,” Perez said, adding, “We look forward to working with charter operators, administrators and teachers to ensure that each student in the state, regardless of race, income-level or demographic location, has access to a high-quality public education.” 

The opening of eight new public charter schools and the expansion of 47 charter schools statewide fueled this year’s record growth.

This news comes as results from the 2010-2011 school year show continued growth in overall academic achievement of students enrolled in charter schools. 

According to state testing results, charter schools are outperforming districts in the aggregate in cities such as Newark, Camden and Jersey City.

In addition, charter schools in these districts are performing higher when students are analyzed according to grade level and both socio-economic status and race.

In September, the New Jersey Department of Education announced there will be more charter schools opening next fall.

In addition to eight new schools opening this year, two charter schools were closed for a variety of reasons, including low enrollment, financial challenges and low academic performance.

Nationally, there are now approximately 5,600 charter schools enrolling what is estimated to be more than 2 million students.

– Staff reports