The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in English language arts. The lowest is 3% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Brilla New Jersey Charter School
Brilla New Jersey Charter School, a single-school charter district in Paterson, Passaic County, serves kindergarten through fifth grade and opened its doors in the 2023–2024 school year. The school’s directory lists a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade span, though state testing data from the 2024–25 school year also includes sixth-grade results, suggesting the grade offerings have expanded since founding. Because the school serves only elementary grades, it has no graduation rate to report, and measures such as high school readiness or college-going are not applicable to its current mission. The school is in its early years, and its academic record is just beginning to form.
State assessment results for the most recent year show that student proficiency rates on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments are very low. In mathematics, only a small share of fifth and sixth graders scored at proficient or advanced levels. English language arts rates are somewhat higher but still well below half of tested students. Science proficiency for fifth grade is similarly low. When compared with other districts across Passaic County, Brilla’s overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile. Because the school is so new, these results represent a single snapshot, and a parent may want to ask the school about its academic improvement plans and how it supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks.
The student body is composed almost entirely of two racial and ethnic groups. A substantial majority of students identify as Hispanic, and the remainder identify as Black. No other racial or ethnic groups are represented in the reported data. Information about students with disabilities, English learners, and economic disadvantage was not available in the data provided, so a parent would need to contact the school directly to learn about special education services, language support programs, and the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals.
Brilla New Jersey Charter School is a new option in Paterson, a city that has seen a growing number of charter schools in recent years. The district brief notes that the school was announced in 2022, admitted its first students at the end of that year, and began operating during the 2023–2024 school year with an initial enrollment that has since increased. No information was available about the school’s facility, class sizes, staffing ratios, disciplinary practices, or extracurricular programs. Housing and community context data for the immediate area around the school were also absent from the records, so a parent is best served by visiting the school and exploring the neighborhood personally.
For a family considering this school, the primary takeaway is that Brilla is a very new, small elementary charter school serving a predominantly Hispanic and Black student population in Paterson. Its academic results so far are low, and it is still building its track record. The school may appeal to families who value a fresh start and a smaller environment, but those looking for established performance data or a robust set of support statistics will need to gather more information directly from the school.
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