Unity Charter School, Morristown NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Unity Charter School

Unity Charter School is a K-8 charter school in Morristown, the county seat of Morris County. It operates as a single-school charter district, meaning it is a public school of choice with its own governance, separate from the larger Morris School District that serves most of the town. The school is small, with a student body that is diverse in its racial and ethnic composition. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school’s status as a charter means parents choose to enroll their children, and that choice shapes the peer environment.

On state assessments, Unity Charter School’s overall performance across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint among the many districts in Morris County. That is a solid position. In English language arts, proficiency rates were strong across most grade levels, with particularly high results in the middle grades. The lower elementary grades showed a softer spot, with one grade’s rate notably lower than the others. In math, proficiency was generally above the state average, though results varied by grade. One grade’s math data was suppressed, which often happens when a group is too small to report, and a parent may want to ask the school about that directly. In science, fifth-grade proficiency was a relative strength, but eighth-grade science results were substantially lower. That gap is worth exploring with the school.

Because the school serves only kindergarten through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and no high school outcomes to consider. Chronic absenteeism data was not available. The school does not appear to have a Title I designation, though the data on that was not provided.

The school’s setting in Morristown matters. The town is dense and compact, with a walkable downtown centered on the historic Morristown Green. It is a regional center for employment, anchored by Morristown Medical Center and corporate offices. Housing values in the area are high, well above state and national benchmarks, and the rental market is similarly expensive. The town’s population is socially and ethnically diverse, and the school’s student body reflects that diversity. NJ Transit’s Midtown Direct rail line connects Morristown to Manhattan, which shapes the commuting patterns of many families.

The district brief found no recent parent-relevant changes such as curriculum shifts, referendums, or tax measures. The school appears to operate without major disruption, but the available information is limited.

Who does Unity Charter School fit? It is a good fit for a family looking for a small, choice-based public school option in a dense, walkable town with high housing costs. The academic profile is generally strong, with some unevenness in the lower grades and in eighth-grade science that a parent should investigate. The school offers a K-8 pathway, so families will need to plan for high school placement separately. The peer environment is diverse, and the school’s charter status means it may have a particular educational philosophy or approach, though the data provided does not detail that. The lack of a graduation rate, chronic absenteeism data, and detailed program offerings means that a parent should seek additional information directly from the school to understand the full picture.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 368%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 18 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 68%

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

Grade 570%

School 70% · District 70%

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

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 57%

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

Grade 762%

School 62% · District 62%

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

English language arts

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 55%

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

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 75%

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

Grade 580%

School 80% · District 80%

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

Grade 668%

School 68% · District 68%

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

Grade 786%

School 86% · District 86%

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

Grade 876%

School 76% · District 76%

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

Science

Grade 570%

School 70% · District 70%

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

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 20%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

This schoolUnity 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.