The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in Math. The lowest is 18% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Burch Charter School of Excellence
Burch Charter School of Excellence is a single-school district in Essex County, New Jersey, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It operates as a charter school, meaning it is publicly funded but independently run, with its own admissions and educational approach. Because it covers only elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report, and the academic results reflect that grade band.
Enrollment is small, and the student body is overwhelmingly Black, with a small Hispanic share and a tiny number of multiracial students. The school does not report the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor does it report the number of students with disabilities or English learners, so those dimensions of the student population are not available from the data.
State testing results from the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments paint a clear picture. In math, proficiency rates across grades three, four, and five fall consistently in the mid-twenties, with one grade just above that level. In English language arts, the pattern is similar: roughly one in four students scores proficient in third and fourth grade, but that drops to under one in five in fifth grade. Science is tested only in fifth grade, and there the proficiency rate is also below one in five. Across all tested subjects and grades, the overall proficiency index places the district in the bottom quartile among Essex County's districts. A parent considering this school will want to look into how the school supports students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks and what academic interventions are in place.
Chronic absenteeism, however, is a relative bright spot. The rate is below the county median and sits above the midpoint among the county's districts, meaning fewer students are missing substantial amounts of school compared to many of its neighbors. That is a meaningful indicator of student engagement and consistent attendance.
Per-pupil spending is in the lower range when set against other Essex County districts. That does not necessarily signal a problem, but it may reflect a leaner operational budget compared to larger or more affluent districts in the county.
No recent district changes or strategic priorities were found in public sources, so this narrative cannot speak to any new initiatives, leadership shifts, or facility updates. Likewise, no community or economic context was provided, so there is no information about the surrounding neighborhood, housing market, or local demographics to help a family picture the environment outside the school.
Overall, Burch Charter School of Excellence offers an elementary-only option in a small setting where chronic absenteeism is lower than peer districts. The academic proficiency numbers point to a challenge that families should explore directly with the school to understand how the curriculum and support systems address gaps in learning.
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