Pace Charter School of Hamilton, Hamilton Twp NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Pace Charter School of Hamilton

Pace Charter School of Hamilton is a public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in a single building at 52 Lafayette Avenue in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey. Because it is a charter school, it operates independently of the Hamilton Township School District; any family living in or able to secure enrollment in the charter’s catchment area may apply, and admission is by lottery if oversubscribed. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.

The school’s enrollment is small for a K-8 institution, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with Black students making up a substantial share and White and Asian students present in much smaller numbers. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not provided, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about its special education and multilingual learner supports.

On state assessments, the school’s results are uneven across subjects and grades, and the overall proficiency index places Pace above the midpoint among districts in Mercer County, a wide-ranging set that includes urban Trenton and affluent suburban systems alike. In English language arts, the school shows real strength: proficiency rates climb from a solid showing in third grade into very strong territory by fifth, sixth, and eighth grades, with the sixth and eighth grade cohorts reaching notably high levels. This pattern suggests that the school’s literacy instruction may be a consistent asset, particularly as students move into the upper elementary and middle school years.

Math results are more mixed. Rates hover around the middle mark in grades three through six, then dip noticeably in seventh and eighth grades. That downward trend in the middle school years is a soft spot a parent may want to explore further with the school, particularly for a student who struggles with math or who is preparing for high school-level coursework. Science results are low in both tested grades, fifth and eighth, which is worth noting given that science achievement often signals the depth of a school’s curriculum beyond reading and computation.

The school’s setting is suburban Hamilton Township, a sprawling municipality of residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors without a traditional downtown. It is car-dependent, with several major highways running through it, and a NJ Transit train station provides rail access to New York and Philadelphia. Housing values in the area are notably lower than the state average, and rents are moderate by New Jersey standards, which may make the community more accessible for families looking for lower housing costs within commuting distance of the Trenton and Princeton area job markets. The school sits on Lafayette Avenue in the Mercerville area, a largely residential section of the township.

Because Pace is a single-school charter district, there is no district-level strategic plan or recent change to report. The school’s academic record suggests a clear fit for a family seeking a small, mission-driven setting with above-average literacy outcomes for a Mercer County charter, especially one serving a high-poverty population. A family whose child is strong in reading and could benefit from targeted math and science support would want to weigh the math trend and science results carefully. The school’s size and single-building structure mean limited course variety compared to a large district middle school, but also a more contained environment. A parent should confirm how the school handles algebra readiness, high school placement, and support for students below grade level in math before making a decision.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 57%

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

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 45%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 46%

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

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 51%

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

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 44%

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

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 60%

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

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 74%

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

Grade 688%

School 88% · District 88%

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

Grade 763%

School 63% · District 63%

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

Grade 888%

School 88% · District 88%

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

Science

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 22%

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

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 13%

even with state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolPace Charter School of Hamilton, 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-income59%Higher-income50%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income72%Higher-income80%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income65%Higher-income60%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income70%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income53%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income45%Higher-income40%5 pp gap