The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 16% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Empowerment Academy Charter School
Empowerment Academy Charter School is a public charter district in Hudson County serving kindergarten through ninth grade, though its website reports that it now enrolls through tenth grade and plans to add one grade each year until it becomes a full K-12 school. This is its most meaningful identity right now: a charter system that is actively building upward.
The district is not a neighborhood school system in the traditional sense. As a charter, it draws students from across Hudson County through a lottery or application process, which means its student body reflects the racial and economic diversity of its applicant pool. Its enrollment numbers show a student population that is largely Black and Hispanic, with a modest share of Asian students and a smaller white presence. The school serves a fairly large student body for a single-charter district, and every elementary and middle grade has roughly the same number of students, suggesting stable retention from year to year.
State test results tell an uneven story. In English language arts, the school posts numbers that are strong in the lower elementary grades and again at eighth grade, where a majority of students met proficiency. In the middle grades, performance is more modest, with fewer than half of students reaching proficiency. Math follows a different arc: fourth grade stands out as a bright spot, but from fifth grade through eighth grade, proficiency drops off and stays in a narrow range well below half. Science results, tested in fifth and eighth grades, are a soft spot. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports students in these subjects, particularly in the middle school years and in science, where the numbers suggest a challenge.
When placed among the other districts in Hudson County, Empowerment Academy's overall test performance sits close to the county's midpoint, slightly above the median. Its chronic absenteeism rate is above the median, meaning students are missing school at a higher rate than many nearby districts, which is a data point a family may want to explore further. The school's per-pupil spending falls in the middle range but in the lower half among county districts, which is worth noting given that it operates as a charter with its own budget constraints and facilities costs.
The district does not report a graduation rate, and that makes sense given its grade span. It is still building its high school. It also does not show data for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education, or English learner populations, so a family cannot get a full picture of the support systems in place from state reporting alone.
The school runs on multiple campuses. The high school campus, according to publicly available sources, is at 70 Claremont Avenue in Jersey City. The district's plan to add a grade each year means the first senior class is still a few years away. For families who want a charter that will take their child from kindergarten through high school graduation without switching schools, this district is building exactly that pathway, but it is not finished yet. For a family looking at the upper grades now, the academic profile is mixed, particularly in math and science, and the chronic absenteeism rate invites a conversation about school culture and attendance expectations. The diversity of the student body is a plain characteristic of this school, and for families who value that, it is a given rather than a pitch.
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