Soaring Heights Charter School, Jersey City NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Soaring Heights Charter School

Soaring Heights Charter School is a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade public charter school in Jersey City, serving a single building as its own school district. The school sits in a dense, fast-growing urban environment where the waterfront has been remade into a major financial hub, old factories have become offices and housing, and distinct neighborhoods like Downtown, Journal Square, and the Heights each carry their own character. Jersey City is described publicly as the most ethnically diverse city in the United States, with scores of languages spoken and a large share of residents born outside the country, and the school’s own enrollment reflects that breadth.

The student body is small for a K-8 school. The racial and ethnic composition shows significant Asian representation, a meaningful Black and white presence, a smaller Hispanic share, and modest numbers of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and multiracial students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.

Academically, the school stands out. On state assessments, reading proficiency rates are high across every tested grade, rising above nine in ten for several grades. Math proficiency is also strong, with most grades scoring well above the midpoint and several reaching or exceeding four in five students meeting the bar. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places the school in the top quartile relative to the other districts in Hudson County, a substantial showing. Science results are mixed. At fifth grade, more than half of students scored proficient, but at eighth grade that share dropped to less than a third. A parent may want to ask the school about the eighth-grade science dip and what instruction looks like in the upper grades.

Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report and no advanced coursework like AP or dual enrollment that would apply to this grade band. That is simply a function of the school’s structure, not a missing indicator. Students who leave after eighth grade will move into a high school placement, and families should plan for that transition.

Housing costs in the area are elevated. Home values and rents are near state-level benchmarks and well above the national average, reflecting the broader Jersey City market where waterfront redevelopment and proximity to Manhattan have driven prices up. The city has seen rapid population growth and ongoing construction, and local policy requires developers to include affordable units in new projects.

The school’s website is the best source for specifics about curriculum, after-school programs, and the application process, since charter enrollment is separate from the zoned public school system. No recent district-level changes appear in available public records, so the operational picture seems stable. For a family looking at a mid-sized urban charter with consistently strong literacy and math results, and comfortable with the high-cost housing market of a dense, transit-connected city, Soaring Heights presents a focused option through eighth grade.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 67%

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

Grade 472%

School 72% · District 72%

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 580%

School 80% · District 80%

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

Grade 680%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 53 pts above county median

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 64%

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

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 72%

▲ 55 pts above state median · ▲ 58 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 388%

School 88% · District 88%

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 50 pts above county median

Grade 492%

School 92% · District 92%

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

Grade 588%

School 88% · District 88%

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

Grade 694%

School 94% · District 94%

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

Grade 796%

School 96% · District 96%

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

Grade 888%

School 88% · District 88%

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

Science

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 32%

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

This schoolSoaring Heights 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 4Lower-income85%Higher-income100%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income97%Higher-income90%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income93%Higher-income100%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income62%Higher-income83%22 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income83%Higher-income76%7 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income53%Higher-income80%27 pp gap