North Star Academy Charter School, Newark NJ

Original Research by School Decision on North Star Academy Charter School

North Star Academy Charter School is a large, urban K-12 charter school in Newark that serves a student body that is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with a very high share of students from low-income households. The school operates on a single campus at 10 Washington Place in downtown Newark, a dense, mixed-use city that is New Jersey's most populous and its largest employment center. The school’s own enrollment is substantial, and it runs as a single-school district, meaning the charter itself is its own Local Education Agency.

Academically, the picture is mixed and grade-dependent. In English language arts, the school shows a clear strength. From third grade through eighth grade, proficiency rates are consistently strong, with a clear upward trajectory through the middle grades. This is the standout subject area. In math, the results are more uneven. Early elementary grades show solid proficiency, but rates decline noticeably as students move into middle school, with the eighth-grade math proficiency rate being the weakest point in the school’s testing profile. Science results are a soft spot across the board, with proficiency rates in both fifth and eighth grade that are low enough that a parent may want to look into this further with the school. Because the school serves high school grades, families will want to know about graduation rates and post-secondary outcomes, but that data was not available in the provided information.

The school has made a visible technology investment, having transitioned to a 1-to-1 Chromebook model that provides every student with a device for both classwork and homework. This is a concrete, lasting change to how students engage with their work.

The student body is large and overwhelmingly from low-income backgrounds. North Star Academy is a regular charter school, not a magnet or special-purpose school, and it is not a Title I school in the provided data, though given the high share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, it serves a population that typically benefits from that federal support. The school’s grade span is a full K-12, which is unusual among charters and means families can send a child here from kindergarten through high school graduation without changing schools.

Newark itself is a city of significant contrasts. It is a major employment hub with corporate headquarters, a busy port, a major airport, and several universities. Downtown Newark, where the school is located, is dense and walkable with transit connections via Newark Penn Station. The city has seen population growth and revitalization investment over the past several decades. Housing values in the school’s ZIP code are below the state median but above the national median, and rents have been climbing. The city has five distinct wards, each with a different residential character, so families considering the school will need to evaluate their commute and neighborhood from within that urban geography.

Overall, North Star Academy is a large urban charter with a clear academic strength in English language arts through the middle grades, a math profile that weakens as students get older, and a need for attention on science. It serves a high-poverty student population and provides a full K-12 pathway. The school’s position on overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint among districts in Essex County. The data did not include information on special education or English learner populations, discipline rates, or course access, so families who need those details should follow up directly with the school.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

88.0%Cohort of 304 students · Class of 2021

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

425 schools plotted. 7 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 33%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 770%

School 70% · District 70%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 72%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Science

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 13%

even with state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

This schoolNorth Star Academy Charter School, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income59%Higher-income60%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income67%Higher-income76%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income58%Higher-income81%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income73%Higher-income77%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income70%Higher-income76%6 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income72%Higher-income75%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income66%Higher-income56%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income55%Higher-income61%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income44%Higher-income60%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income55%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income46%Higher-income47%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income32%Higher-income39%7 pp gap