Hoboken Charter School, Hoboken NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Hoboken Charter School

Hoboken Charter School is a public charter school serving kindergarten through twelfth grade in a single building on Washington Street in Hoboken. It operates as its own school district, which is small by design: the school enrolls a modest number of students across all grades, with each grade level holding a relatively small cohort. The school is a regular public charter, not a magnet or alternative program, and it does not receive Title I funds.

On state assessments, the school shows clear strength in English language arts. Across tested grades, the share of students meeting proficiency standards is consistently high, with some grades reaching near universal proficiency. Mathematics results are more variable. In the early elementary grades, proficiency rates are very strong, but they soften in the upper elementary and middle school grades before recovering somewhat in seventh grade. Science proficiency, measured in grades five and eight, is more mixed, with the fifth-grade cohort performing about evenly split between proficient and not, while the eighth-grade cohort shows a smaller share meeting the bar. A parent considering the school may want to follow up directly on how the school supports math and science learning through the middle years, particularly given the strong literacy foundation the school already provides.

The student body is diverse. White students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic students, then Black, Asian, and multiracial students. A relatively small portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which suggests that the school serves a predominantly middle- to upper-income population, though not exclusively. The school does not publicly report counts of students with disabilities or English learners in the available data, so families who need those supports should inquire directly with the school about services and accommodations.

Hoboken itself is a dense, walkable city on the Hudson River waterfront, directly across from Manhattan. It has transformed from an industrial town into a residential community with upscale condominiums, a lively commercial corridor on Washington Street, and high public transit use. The city has grown rapidly in recent decades, and new residential development continues, particularly in formerly industrial areas. Housing costs are high; home values and rents in the area are well above national and state benchmarks, making this a expensive place to live. The school is located right on Washington Street, the city's main thoroughfare, and is just blocks from the Hoboken Terminal transportation hub.

The high school portion of the building was newly renovated and opened in 2021, and it is connected to the K-8 portion by an enclosed bridge. This capital improvement is recent and gives the entire school a unified physical footprint. The school operates within a single district that is coterminous with itself, so there are no feeder patterns or separate elementary and secondary administrations.

Compared to other districts in Hudson County, Hoboken Charter School's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile. That is a strong relative position, especially given the school's small size and the demographic diversity it serves.

This school fits families who value a tight-knit, all-through school in a dense urban setting with high walkability and transit access. Its academic profile is strongest in literacy, and its math and science results are worth a closer look. The high housing costs in Hoboken mean that the school's community is likely shaped by the local real estate market, though the charter's admissions lottery may draw families from across the city. The lack of publicly available data on special education and English learner services means those conversations need to happen directly with the school to confirm fit.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=80%Cohort of 28 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

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 396%

School 96% · District 96%

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 54 pts above county median

Grade 487%

School 87% · District 87%

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 55%

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

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 774%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 46 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 386%

School 86% · District 86%

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 491%

School 91% · District 91%

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 73%

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

Grade 695%

School 95% · District 95%

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Grade 787%

School 87% · District 87%

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 8100%

School 100% · District 100%

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Science

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 36%

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

This schoolHoboken Charter School District, 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.