The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in English language arts. The lowest is 1% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Trenton Stem-to-civics Charter School
Trenton Stem-to-Civics Charter School is no longer in operation. The New Jersey Commissioner of Education revoked its charter effective January 31, 2025, after a probationary period that began in early 2023, and the school has closed. Its students have been enrolled elsewhere, meaning families in the Ewing and Trenton area no longer have this grades 6-12 charter school as an option. The data below describes the school as it existed up to that closure.
The school served a moderately sized middle and high school population, with enrollment concentrated in grades 9 through 12 and smaller numbers in the middle grades. The student body was predominantly Black and Hispanic, with a very small number of white students and a small share of students identifying as two or more races. Data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, students with disabilities, and English learners was not available in the records we used.
State test results from the school’s final year show very low proficiency rates in math across sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, with only a small share of students meeting the state’s proficient or above threshold. ELA results were higher but still low, with roughly a quarter to a third of students reaching proficiency depending on grade level. Science results in eighth grade were the lowest of any tested subject, with virtually no students meeting the standard. These proficiency levels placed the school’s overall academic performance in the bottom quartile among Mercer County districts, based on an index that averages rates across tested subjects and grades. A parent considering the school before its closure would have wanted to investigate the academic supports in place and how the school addressed these results.
Chronic absenteeism, reported as the share of students missing a substantial number of school days, was below the county median, suggesting attendance was not as severe a challenge as at some other district schools in the area. Per-pupil current spending was in the middle range on the higher side among Mercer County districts, meaning the school spent at a level comparable to many traditional public districts in the county.
The school’s curriculum was advertised as STEM-focused with a civics component, as reflected in its name, though no specific program details were available in the data provided. Because the school served only grades 6 through 12, no high school graduation rate was reported; that metric does not apply to middle-grade-only data, and for districts covering only through grade 12, a graduation rate would be expected but was missing in this case.
The revocation of the charter after a probationary period was a decisive change for families who had chosen this school. The closure means that any family currently researching Trenton area options should treat this school as defunct and look instead at the district schools or other charter schools that remain open in Mercer County. The academic performance profile, while now moot, was consistently low across tested grades and subjects, a pattern that the state’s probationary process had flagged. A parent reading this after the fact will want to confirm that their child’s new school offers stronger academic outcomes and supports.
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