Original Research by School Decision on Donald A. Quarles Early Childhood Center
Donald A. Quarles Early Childhood Center serves preschool and kindergarten students in Englewood, New Jersey, as part of the Englewood Public School District. Because it serves only the earliest grades, its function and measures look different from those of an elementary school that serves tested grades. No state testing data applies here, and there is no graduation rate or chronic absenteeism metric to report; these are simply not relevant for a school that ends at kindergarten. The school’s profile is best understood as the first step in a child’s public school journey, not as a source of standardized academic outcomes.
The student body is diverse and predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of the approximately 430 students being children of color. White students make up a small portion of the enrollment, and Black students represent a notable minority presence. Asian and multiracial students are present in small numbers. Well over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic context many families bring to the school. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the provided material, which is a gap a parent may want to follow up on directly with the school, as these populations are often a focus in early childhood settings.
Englewood itself is a residential city within the New York metropolitan area, with a walkable downtown along Palisade Avenue, historic homes, and a mix of housing types. The city’s population has grown in recent decades, and the 2024 adoption of a Master Plan suggests active thinking about future development. Housing values and rents have been climbing, reflecting the broader Bergen County market, which is generally an expensive area. The typical home value sits well above the national benchmark, and rents have increased notably year over year, indicating a competitive housing market for families settling in the district.
The Englewood Public School District, which Quarles feeds into, has made several recent moves that shape this school's environment. The district adopted a new K-5 literacy curriculum in 2023, grounded in the science of reading, and approved a five-year strategic plan for 2023-2028 that emphasizes academic excellence, social-emotional learning, and equity. A 2024-25 budget included a property tax levy increase, a fact of financial life for district homeowners. These district-level decisions matter because Quarles students will move through the elementary grades under the curriculum and strategy set now.
No information is available about preschool or kindergarten program offerings at Quarles, such as full-day versus half-day schedules, special education services, or enrichment activities. A parent evaluating this school would want to ask the district or school directly about classroom structure, early intervention supports, and the transition pathway to the district’s elementary schools. The school sits squarely at the entry point of the system, and its value depends heavily on how well it prepares very young children for what comes next. For families seeking a public early childhood center in a diverse, relatively dense suburban setting within commuting distance of New York City, Quarles is that entry point. Its academic profile is unreported by design, and the measures that matter most for this age, readiness and developmental progress, are not captured in the available data.
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