Bergen Arts and Sciences Charter School, Garfield NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Bergen Arts and Sciences Charter School

Bergen Arts and Sciences Charter School is a single-campus charter school in Garfield that serves kindergarten through twelfth grade. It is a regular public school operating under a charter, which means it is publicly funded but independent of the local school district. Families choose to enroll here, typically through a lottery-based admissions process.

The school is located in Garfield, a compact, densely populated city in Bergen County situated about 12 miles west of New York City, at the junction of the Passaic and Saddle Rivers. Garfield has a working-class and industrial heritage, with a grid-pattern street layout, a mix of single-family homes, two-family homes, and small apartment buildings, and commercial activity along major road corridors rather than a central downtown. Its population is diverse and relatively young, and the city has community institutions like a YMCA, a Boys and Girls Club, a recreation center, and a public library. The area has seen population growth in recent decades, though the closure of a historically major employer, Garden State Paper, marked an economic transition. Housing values in the area are around the middle of the New Jersey range, and rents have risen notably.

The charter school itself has a total enrollment that is sizable for a single school serving this grade band. The student body is majority Hispanic, with a substantial share of White students and smaller shares of Asian and Black students. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of household income.

In terms of academic performance, the school’s results on New Jersey’s state assessments show a mixed picture. In English language arts, the school has a relative strength. Across several elementary and middle school grades, a majority of students scored at or above the proficient level, with the highest marks in third, fourth, sixth, and eighth grades. Seventh grade was around the midpoint, while fifth grade was below that mark. In math, the pattern is weaker. In the early elementary grades, about half of students were proficient. But starting in fifth grade and continuing through eighth, the share of proficient students dropped, with the lowest results in fifth, sixth, and eighth grades. Science results were notably low in both tested grades, with a small share of students reaching the proficient level. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quarter when compared to other districts in Bergen County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how the school is addressing these areas.

Because the school serves high school grades, the data included a graduation rate metric, but it was not available in the provided information. Similarly, data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, and course access were not present in the data we received.

As a charter school, this entity sits outside the traditional district structure. The data did not include information about the district’s strategic priorities or recent changes, so we left that out rather than guess. The school’s program offerings, such as specific arts or science pathways, Advanced Placement courses, or career and technical education, were also not detailed in the data we had.

For a family considering this school, the academic picture is one with discernible strengths in English language arts across many grades, alongside areas of concern in math at the upper elementary and middle school levels and in science. The student body is economically diverse, and the school serves a single city that offers a dense, walkable environment with a mix of housing types and a relatively young population. The lack of a traditional district boundary means that interested families from outside Garfield may apply, but they should confirm the charter’s enrollment policies and any transportation arrangements directly with the school.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=95%Cohort of 80 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 347%

School 47% · District 47%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 452%

School 52% · District 52%

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

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 741%

School 41% · District 41%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 26%

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

English language arts

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 64%

▲ 18 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 66%

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

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 49%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 751%

School 51% · District 51%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 65%

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

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 16%

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

This schoolBergen Arts and Science 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-income52%Higher-income82%31 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income63%Higher-income70%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income62%22 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income45%Higher-income86%41 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income64%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income53%Higher-income81%29 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income67%33 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income53%Higher-income49%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income33%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income59%36 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income58%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income25%Higher-income28%3 pp gap