Central Jersey College Prep Charter School, Somerset NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Central Jersey College Prep Charter School

Central Jersey College Prep Charter School, known as CJCP, is a K-12 charter school in Somerset, New Jersey, serving a student body that reflects the area’s diversity. The school operates as a regular public charter under its own district, and its enrollment spans kindergarten through twelfth grade, with a noticeable bulge in the middle grades and a smaller high school senior class. The student population is substantially Asian, with a large Black or African American share, a Hispanic or Latino portion, and a smaller White presence; about a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a moderate share for a school in this part of Somerset County. Special population data for students with IEPs and English learners was not available in the data provided.

The academic profile shows a school that performs above the midpoint for proficiency overall relative to other districts in Somerset County, a county known for high median household income and generally strong schools. On state assessments, early elementary math and English language arts results are solid, with many students meeting the state’s bar. By fifth grade, both subjects show elevated proficiency, and English language arts continues to hold up well through middle school, with a clear majority of students meeting expectations in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Math performance, however, drops noticeably after grade five; by sixth grade the share of students reaching proficiency is lower, and it declines further in seventh and eighth grades, where only about a quarter of eighth graders meet the state standard. Science results follow a similar pattern, with fifth graders scoring higher than eighth graders. A family with a child headed into middle school may want to understand how the school addresses that math slide, especially if the student has strong math ambitions.

Where CJCP really distinguishes itself is in high school coursework. The school has made a serious investment in Advanced Placement and dual enrollment. By the data available, a large majority of eleventh and twelfth graders take AP courses, far above statewide averages, and a similarly high share enroll in dual credit courses through area community colleges. The school became a College Board AP Capstone School, offering AP Seminar and AP Research, alongside more than a dozen other AP courses. The College Board recognized this with Honor Roll Gold and AP Access Awards. This is a clear strength: students who attend CJCP have unusually broad access to college-level work, and the school’s curriculum is built around that pathway from early on, given its college-prep name.

The school sits in Somerset, an unincorporated community within Franklin Township. It is a car-dependent suburb without a traditional downtown, anchored by commercial corridors and office parks. Major employers in the area include SHI International and Catalent, both headquartered in Somerset, and the community has an affluent county context. Housing values in the zip code are roughly in line with the New Jersey state average and well above the national figure; rental costs are similarly elevated. The population of the CDP has been relatively stable, and the housing stock is predominantly owner-occupied suburban homes.

Because CJCP is a charter school, enrollment is open to students across the region via application and lottery. There is no geographic attendance boundary based on a specific address within a district. That means the peer group is drawn from families who actively chose the school, not from a neighborhood attendance zone. The school’s environment reflects that self-selection: it is a college-preparatory setting where a high share of students are already aiming for advanced coursework by upper grades.

A parent considering CJCP should weigh the contrast between strong early literacy and a college-prep high school program on one hand, and the softer math and science results in middle school on the other. The school’s overall proficiency index places it above the median among Somerset County districts, but the middle-grade math numbers stand out as an area that families may want to explore further with the school. For a family that values a diverse, high-expectation charter with a proven track record of expanding AP access, CJCP offers a distinctive option in the region. For a family whose child struggles with math, the school’s support structures in that subject were not detailed in the data available and would be worth a direct conversation.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 43 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 374%

School 74% · District 74%

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

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 63%

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

Grade 580%

School 80% · District 80%

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

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 49%

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

Grade 748%

School 48% · District 48%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 26%

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

English language arts

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 57%

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

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 75%

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

Grade 666%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 774%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 14 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

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

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 35%

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

This schoolCentral Jersey College Prep 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-income48%Higher-income67%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income65%35 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income65%Higher-income77%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income78%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income52%Higher-income85%34 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income52%Higher-income80%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income57%Higher-income81%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income70%35 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income59%Higher-income85%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income66%43 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income32%Higher-income65%33 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income33%14 pp gap