Robert Treat Academy Charter School, Newark NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Robert Treat Academy Charter School

Robert Treat Academy Charter School serves kindergarten through eighth grade in Newark, operating as a public charter school that draws students from across the city. Because it stops at eighth grade, families who enroll here will need to plan for a separate high school placement afterward. The school sits in a dense urban setting on Clifton Avenue, close to downtown Newark’s major transit lines, universities, and employment centers.

Academically, the school shows a clear pattern across its tested grades. In English language arts, the share of students meeting the state’s proficiency benchmark is strong from third through eighth grade, with the highest performance in seventh and eighth grades. Math results are more uneven: through most elementary and middle grades, roughly half of students scored proficient, but eighth grade math performance drops sharply—a soft spot that a parent may want to investigate further with the school, particularly if they are concerned about algebra readiness. Science results for fifth and eighth graders are also low, with a small share of students reaching proficiency on the state science assessment.

Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint among the districts in Essex County, according to the available comparison data. That is a meaningful signal that the school is performing better than many of its county peers, though the internal gaps between subjects and between grade levels are worth noting.

The student body is diverse in the way that many Newark schools are. The large majority of students come from low-income households, as measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. Most students identify as Hispanic, with the next largest group being Black; the share of White and Asian students is very small. Data on students with disabilities and English learners are not reported here, so a family with a child in those categories should contact the school directly to learn about supports and services.

The school’s setting in Newark means students are surrounded by a rich urban environment—museums, performing arts centers, parks like Branch Brook Park, and a major public university system—but also by the challenges of a city that has experienced both long-term disinvestment and more recent revitalization. Housing values in the area are moderately above the national typical home value but below the state typical home value, and rents have risen somewhat in recent years. The city has a major employment base, strong transit connections, and a growing population. For families weighing this school, the choice is not just about the charter’s academic pathway but also about what kind of neighborhood and city experience they want for their child’s elementary and middle school years.

The school itself appears to be a well-established charter. No recent major curriculum overhauls, leadership changes, or charter renewal events surfaced in a public search, so a family can assume the school is operating on a stable footing. Given the gap in high school grades, parents should also consider how their child will transition to ninth grade—whether through Newark Public Schools’ high schools, other charters, or private options.

For a family that values a strong ELA program through eighth grade and a school that performs above the county median despite serving a high-poverty population, Robert Treat Academy is a plausible choice. The math dip in eighth grade and the low science results are areas to investigate; if those subjects matter especially to you, asking the school about its curriculum and interventions in those grades would be wise. The school’s urban location and charter status make it one of many options in Newark, and its relatively strong overall proficiency gives it a clear position among its county peers.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 49%

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

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 648%

School 48% · District 48%

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

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 18%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 61%

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

Grade 472%

School 72% · District 72%

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

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 60%

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

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 61%

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

Grade 788%

School 88% · District 88%

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 878%

School 78% · District 78%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 21%

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

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 18%

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

This schoolRobert Treat 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-income55%Higher-income79%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income68%Higher-income86%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income52%Higher-income93%41 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income61%Higher-income62%1 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income85%Higher-income100%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income75%Higher-income93%19 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income57%Higher-income74%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income57%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income51%Higher-income64%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income45%Higher-income57%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income60%Higher-income58%2 pp gap