Shelia Y. Oliver Academy, East Orange NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Shelia Y. Oliver Academy

Shelia Y. Oliver Academy is a regular public school in East Orange serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the East Orange School District and sits in a dense urban setting that combines tree-lined residential streets with commercial corridors and direct rail access to Manhattan. The school’s enrollment is moderate for a PK-8 campus, and the student body is predominantly Black, with a significant Hispanic population and small shares of students from other racial backgrounds. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that many families face economic challenges. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to follow up with the school on how those populations are supported.

Academically, the picture is uneven across subjects and grade levels. On state assessments, math proficiency varies considerably. In the early elementary grades, a modest share of students meet state benchmarks, but the share is lower in grades five through seven before rising again in grade eight. Overall math performance across tested grades places the school below the midpoint relative to other districts in Essex County. English language arts tells a different story. In grades three and four, about two in five students reach proficiency. Grade five is a dip, but grades six and seven show a strong shift: a large majority of students score at or above the state standard. Grade eight remains solid, with a majority proficient. That pattern suggests the middle grades are a particular strength in reading and writing. Science results are a clear soft spot: in both grades five and eight, only a very small share of students meet the state’s science proficiency criteria. A parent may want to ask what science curriculum and resources are in place and whether any supplemental programs are available.

Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The district-level search for recent changes or strategic initiatives turned up little, so no major district developments are documented here.

East Orange itself is a Transit Village with a walkable station-area core, two NJ Transit stops, and a mix of historic housing and mid-century high-rises. Healthcare is the dominant employer, with a VA Medical Center and a local hospital serving as anchors. The city has seen population growth in recent decades and is positioned for continued transit-oriented development. For a family considering this school, the setting is an urban one with good transit connections but also the economic pressures of a high-poverty community.

Shelia Y. Oliver Academy offers a straightforward PK-8 pathway in a school where the upper elementary and middle school ELA results are a clear draw, while math and science performance lag enough that a parent will want to understand how the school addresses those gaps. The missing data on special education and English learner services is a gap that should be filled through direct conversation with the school administration.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 31% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 22% · ▲ 22 pts above district

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

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 20% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 622%

School 22% · District 13% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 13% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 9% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 32% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 40% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 38% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 675%

School 75% · District 41% · ▲ 34 pts above district

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

Grade 774%

School 74% · District 33% · ▲ 41 pts above district

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

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 34% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 11%

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

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 4% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

This schoolEast Orange 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-income29%Higher-income65%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income47%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income14%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income69%Higher-income81%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income73%Higher-income75%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income73%Higher-income50%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income29%Higher-income47%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income53%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income19%Higher-income22%3 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income19%Higher-income25%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income14%Higher-income25%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income36%Higher-income33%3 pp gap