Pennsylvania Ave School, Atlantic City NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Pennsylvania Ave School

Pennsylvania Ave School in Atlantic City is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, part of the Atlantic City School District. The school’s enrollment is substantial for its grade band. A large majority of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, situating the school in a context of concentrated economic need. Racially and ethnically, the student composition is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with a small White population and a modest Asian presence.

Atlantic City itself is a city of contrasts, a seaside resort drawing many millions of visitors annually to its Boardwalk and casino corridor, while its year-round residential population faces a lower median household income and a higher poverty rate. The city has seen a population decline over recent decades, even as significant investment has flowed into upgrading casino properties and attractions along the oceanfront. The school is located on North Pennsylvania Avenue, in the city’s residential fabric away from the Boardwalk’s commercial strip. The district, according to a publicly reported item, has pursued a bond referendum, which gives a sense of ongoing facility or infrastructure planning.

Academically, the state testing results from the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments provide a clear picture. Across grades three through eight, math proficiency rates are very low, with every grade level below a modest threshold. In several grades, the rate of students scoring proficient or above stands in the single digits. The story in English language arts is somewhat better but still shows readings well below what many families would want. Third through fifth grade proficiency rates cluster at roughly a quarter of students or less, while sixth grade shows a higher share and eighth grade the strongest result at under half of students meeting the bar. Science results, tested in fifth and eighth grade, show minimal proficiency. When compared to other Atlantic County districts, Pennsylvania Ave School’s overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile. This is a soft spot for the school, and a parent may want to investigate what academic support and intervention programs are in place.

Because the school serves only pre-K through eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report. That metric does not apply here. The data also did not include rates for special education identification or English learner status, so it is not possible to describe the school’s approach to those populations from the available information. No chronic absenteeism rate was present in the data set, which is a common gap for individual schools, but one a parent might want to ask about directly.

Program offerings, course access, and staffing details were not available. There is no data on whether the school offers advanced coursework, arts programs, or specific interventions. A family wanting to understand the full range of what is available to their child would need to reach out to the school directly. The school’s civil rights and disciplinary data were also absent, so there is no information on how discipline is applied or on the climate around equity.

The housing market in Atlantic City shows home values and rents that are below the national median, making it a relatively lower-cost place to live in the context of the region. The local unemployment rate tracks close to the national figure. For a family considering relocating to the area, the affordability of housing may be a factor, but the school’s academic performance is a clear concern that warrants direct conversation with the school and district about what is being done to raise achievement. This is not a school that will present high test scores to a prospective parent; it is a school that serves a high-needs community and is still working through basic proficiency challenges. A family committed to the neighborhood and willing to engage actively with the school’s improvement efforts may find a fit, but the numbers give a grounded warning about where things stand today.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 21% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 20% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 19% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 18% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 72%

School 2% · District 17% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 12% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 27% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 32% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 34% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 35% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 37% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 36% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 11% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 82%

School 2% · District 4% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

This schoolAtlantic City School District, 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-income28%Higher-income20%8 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income20%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income35%Higher-income73%37 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income18%Higher-income17%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income11%Higher-income18%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income6%Higher-income27%21 pp gap