The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Philip's Academy Charter School of Paterson
Philip’s Academy Charter School of Paterson is a single-school charter district serving kindergarten through eighth grade. Because it does not include high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The charter’s enrollment tilts heavily toward the early elementary years, with a particularly large kindergarten cohort and a sharp drop-off by grade seven and eight. This means the school’s academic picture comes entirely from state assessments in math, English language arts, and science.
The school operates in Paterson, a densely populated city in Passaic County. It draws a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with a Black enrollment that also represents a meaningful share. White, Asian, and students of two or more races each make up a very small portion of the student population. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, on English learner status, and on special education identification were not available for this profile.
On state testing, the results vary notably by subject and grade. In English language arts, the charter shows a clear strength in the middle grades. Proficiency rates climb from the elementary years, and in grades six, seven, and eight more than half of students meet the state’s proficient level. That is a real bright spot, particularly for a school serving a high-need city population. Math performance is lower across every grade, with proficiency rates below a third for all tested years and lowest in grades four and seven. This is a soft spot a parent would want to follow up on with the school, especially since math proficiency is a consistent gateway to later academic options.
Science results, available for grades five and eight, are very low. The proportion of students scoring proficient or above is in the single digits for fifth grade and similarly thin for eighth grade. This is a sharp gap from the school’s stronger ELA outcomes and suggests that science instruction, or student readiness in that subject, is an area that warrants attention.
When placed among other districts in Passaic County, Philip’s Academy Charter School overall proficiency, averaged across subjects and grades, sits below the midpoint of the county’s districts. Its rate of chronic absenteeism falls in the bottom quarter of the county, meaning a higher share of students miss school frequently compared to most other districts in Passaic. This is a meaningful challenge, as chronic absence is linked to lower academic growth. The school’s per-pupil current spending is in the middle range of the county, on the lower side of that middle, which is typical for a charter operating with less administrative overhead than a full district.
The school’s governance structure was not flagged as having any recent changes that would directly affect a parent’s decision. The charter is a single-site operator, which means families choose it through the charter application and lottery process rather than through residential assignment. That choice carries the trade-off of transportation and enrollment logistics that a traditional district school does not, but it also gives families a specific educational environment rather than a default zoned school.
For a family evaluating this charter, the academic picture is one of uneven outcomes. The upper-grade English results are a genuine draw, suggesting that students who stay through the middle years can attain solid literacy skills. Math and science are clearly weaker, and the chronic absenteeism rate is a red flag that may affect the school’s overall learning environment. A parent considering this school would benefit from speaking directly with the administration about how they address the math and science gaps and what their attendance intervention strategies are. The school fits a family looking for a smaller, single-site charter in a city setting, with a notable strength in middle-grade reading and writing, but it comes with clear areas where the numbers show less progress.
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