The Gray Charter School, Newark NJ

Original Research by School Decision on The Gray Charter School

The Gray Charter School is a K–8 regular public charter school located on Liberty Street in downtown Newark. It operates as its own single-school district, the Gray Charter School district, and its charter was renewed by the state for a fixed term through 2029, which gives families a measure of long-term certainty about the school’s continued operation. The school serves kindergarten through eighth grade and is classified as a regular school, not an alternative or special-purpose program.

The student body reflects the demographics of the surrounding city. The largest share of students are Hispanic, followed by a substantial share who are Black, with very small representations of Asian, white, and multiracial students. A majority of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a school situated in a high-poverty urban context. Because the school serves only through eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report, and no data on postsecondary readiness, AP course offerings, dual-credit programs, or career pathways. A family considering this school for the long term will need to plan for where their child will attend high school after eighth grade, as the charter does not extend those years.

Academically, the school’s performance on state assessments is strong and consistent across most grade levels in both math and English language arts, placing the school in the top quartile of all districts in Essex County when measured by overall proficiency. In math, proficiency rates are high in every tested grade, with the lowest in the middle grades and the highest in the lower and upper grades. English language arts results are similarly strong, with all grades reporting high proficiency. The strongest performances are in the upper elementary and middle school grades, where an overwhelming majority of students meet or exceed state standards. The school appears to build skills effectively as students move through the grades.

Science assessment results are more uneven. At fifth grade, just over half of students reached proficiency. At eighth grade, the proficiency rate was significantly lower. This sharp drop warrants attention. A parent may want to ask the school how science instruction is structured in the middle grades and whether there are targeted supports for the eighth-grade cohort. The available data does not include information on special education classification rates or English learner status, so it is not possible to assess how the school serves those populations or whether the overall averages are supported by strong subgroup performance.

The school is located in downtown Newark, New Jersey’s most populous city and its largest employment center. The immediate area is dense and walkable, with a gridded street pattern, mid-rise and high-rise office buildings, and major transit connections at Newark Penn Station. The city has a strong downtown core with universities, cultural venues, and government complexes in close proximity. While street life varies by ward, the downtown area near the school sees concentrated pedestrian activity and transit access. Housing values in the zip code area are below the state median and have declined recently, while rents have risen moderately. This is a large, economically diverse city with significant variation across neighborhoods.

The school’s charter renewal through 2029 and its consistent academic performance suggest a stable and well-regarded institution within Newark’s school choice landscape. Its size is relatively small for a K–8 school, which may appeal to families looking for a more contained environment. The combination of strong reading and math outcomes across nearly all grade levels, paired with a dip in middle school science, paints a picture of a school that succeeds broadly but may have a specific weakness to investigate. For a Newark family weighing charter options, this school offers a proven academic track record through eighth grade, after which a high school decision will be necessary.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 397%

School 97% · District 97%

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

Grade 490%

School 90% · District 90%

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 51 pts above county median

Grade 583%

School 83% · District 83%

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 51 pts above county median

Grade 671%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

Grade 769%

School 69% · District 69%

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

Grade 892%

School 92% · District 92%

▲ 75 pts above state median · ▲ 80 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 366%

School 66% · District 66%

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

Grade 493%

School 93% · District 93%

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

Grade 586%

School 86% · District 86%

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

Grade 693%

School 93% · District 93%

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

Grade 796%

School 96% · District 96%

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

Grade 896%

School 96% · District 96%

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

Science

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 55%

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

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 21%

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

This schoolGray 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-income57%Higher-income82%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income94%Higher-income100%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income95%Higher-income100%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income69%Higher-income70%1 pp gap