The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Passaic Arts and Science Charter School
Passaic Arts and Science Charter School is a single-school charter district serving kindergarten through twelfth grade in Passaic County. It is a charter school, meaning it operates independently of the local district school system and enrolls students through a choice-based application process. The district has just one school bearing the same name, with enrollment that is large enough to offer a full K-12 pathway under one roof.
Academically, the picture is mixed and worth studying closely at each grade level. On state assessments in English language arts, a moderate portion of students meet proficiency standards in the elementary and middle grades, with results clustering in the middle range. In math, proficiency rates are lower, showing a clear area where families will want to understand how the school supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks. Science results are especially thin, with very few students reaching the proficient mark in both fifth and eighth grade, the two grade levels where New Jersey administers science testing. The district’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades places it below the midpoint among Passaic County’s districts. A parent considering this school should ask about the specific interventions and curricular approaches the charter uses in math and science.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Asian, Black, and White students. Data on economic disadvantage, special education classification, and English learner status were not available, so a family cannot see from this profile what share of students receive those supports. That is a meaningful gap, and a parent may want to ask the school directly for these numbers, as they affect class composition and resource allocation.
Chronic absenteeism is somewhat higher than the mid-range for districts in the county, which is a flag that a significant number of students are missing enough school to affect learning. The district’s per-pupil spending falls in the lower range among Passaic County districts, which may set a different resource context than neighboring charters or traditional public schools. No graduation rate data were available, so the district’s success in moving students from ninth grade to a diploma cannot be assessed from this information.
The district brief found no evidence of recent curriculum shifts, referendums, property-tax changes, or other parent-relevant developments in the last span of years. The district does not appear to be in a period of active change, which for some families is a point of stability and for others a sign that they would need to push for new initiatives on their own.
Passaic Arts and Science Charter School is worth a close look for a family who values a charter setting with a K-12 continuum in a single school community, who is comfortable with moderate to low state test outcomes, and who is prepared to investigate the school’s academic support systems directly, particularly in math and science. The missing pieces on graduation, special populations, and economic demographics mean the public record tells only part of the story.
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