The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy
Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy is a regular public elementary school in East Orange, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It operates as part of the East Orange School District. The school’s enrollment is small for its grade band. The student body is predominantly Black, with a Hispanic population as the next largest group, and smaller shares of students who are Asian, white, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or of two or more races. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a substantial share of families with lower household incomes.
The academic picture at Cochran Academy is mixed and varies by grade and subject. On state assessments administered in the 2023-24 school year, math proficiency rates dropped markedly as students got older. In third grade, a moderate share of students met the state’s proficiency standard. That share held in fourth grade. By fifth grade, a much smaller share of students reached proficiency in math. English language arts results followed a different pattern. Third and fourth grade proficiency was similar to the math rates at those grades, but fifth graders posted a notably higher proficiency rate on the ELA test, with a substantial majority of students scoring at or above the standard. Science results for fifth graders were very low, with only a small fraction reaching proficiency. Overall, the school’s combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed it below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Essex County.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report, and the data we examined did not include chronic absenteeism rates, special education counts, or English learner enrollment figures. A parent may want to ask the school directly about those areas and about how the school supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks, especially in math and science.
East Orange is a dense urban-suburban city in Essex County, about a short train ride from midtown Manhattan via the Brick Church or East Orange NJ Transit stations. The city describes itself as a blend of urban and suburban living, with tree-lined residential streets, mid-rise commercial buildings along Main Street and Central Avenue, and a history as a transit-oriented community. Healthcare institutions, including a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and CareWell Health Medical Center, are major employers. The city’s population has grown in recent years after a period of decline, and its Transit Village designation supports continued development near train stations. An Urban Enterprise Zone along commercial corridors is set to expire in 2027.
The district brief we searched for recent parent-relevant changes in the East Orange School District found little of lasting impact to report, so we left that area out rather than guess. For families considering this school, the housing market in the area shows typical home values that are moderate relative to the broader New Jersey market, with rents that are comparable to what one would expect in a commuter-accessible city in northern New Jersey. The school itself sits on Midland Avenue in East Orange, serving a compact neighborhood with walkable access to transit and retail corridors.
This is a small elementary school in a diverse, transit-connected city where the data shows uneven academic performance across subjects and grades. It fits families who value a neighborhood school with a close-knit feel and are prepared to engage with the school on academic support, particularly as students approach the upper elementary grades where math and science proficiency tail off.
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