Dr. Michael Conti School, Jersey City NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Dr. Michael Conti School

Dr. Michael Conti School is a regular public school in Jersey City serving prekindergarten through eighth grade. It operates within the Jersey City Public Schools system, a large urban district that has launched a district-wide initiative called Mission Forward for the 2025-26 school year, aimed at improving test scores, student behavior, and graduation readiness. That context matters because Conti sits inside a district actively trying to raise academic outcomes across its many schools.

On the latest state assessments, Conti’s results across grades show a pattern worth understanding. In English language arts, several grades post strong proficiency rates. Third and fourth graders demonstrate a solid command of reading and writing, with fourth grade particularly high. Fifth and seventh grades also show a clear majority meeting the state’s proficiency standard. Sixth and eighth grades are lower, with about half of sixth graders and a smaller share of eighth graders reaching proficiency. In math, the picture is more uneven. Third and fourth graders again show strong results, with fourth grade outstanding. Seventh graders also perform well. But fifth grade drops to around half proficient, and both sixth and eighth grade math scores are markedly lower. Science is tested in fifth and eighth grades. The fifth grade cohort shows a modest proficiency share, while eighth grade science results are low. Overall, a composite proficiency index places Conti above the midpoint among districts in Hudson County, meaning it outpaces a majority of its county peers when averaging across tested subjects and grades. Still, families should be aware that performance varies significantly by grade and subject; the school’s later elementary and middle grades lag behind the early elementary strength, particularly in math and science.

The student body is diverse. Hispanic students form the largest group, with substantial shares of Asian, white, and Black students, and a smaller multiracial population. A significant portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a economic mix that includes a substantial low-income cohort. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the provided records, so a parent may want to look into this further with the school. The school serves roughly the size expected for a PK-8 building in a dense city, with grade cohorts that shrink somewhat in middle school, which is common as families explore other options.

Jersey City itself is a dense, mixed-use urban environment that has undergone dramatic redevelopment. The waterfront has become a major banking and finance hub, while older industrial areas have been repurposed into housing and offices. Distinct neighborhoods—Downtown, Journal Square, the Heights, and others—each have their own character. The city is among the most ethnically diverse in the United States, with many languages spoken in homes. Housing values in the area are elevated, with both home prices and rents well above national benchmarks, reflecting the city’s proximity to Manhattan and its own economic growth. Rents have been rising. For a family considering Conti, the school sits in a high-cost, fast-growing urban setting where the housing market is competitive, and affordability is a real consideration.

The school provides no high school grades, so it does not have a graduation rate. Its program offerings beyond the core academic curriculum were not detailed in the available data. What is clear is that Conti is a neighborhood school in a large urban district, with early elementary performance that stands out relative to the county, and middle grade results that are more mixed. The district’s Mission Forward effort may shape what happens next, but as of now the school offers a solid entry point, especially for younger students, in a city that is both dynamic and expensive.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 46% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 38% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 36% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 28% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 32% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 9% · ▲ 21 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 47% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 488%

School 88% · District 49% · ▲ 38 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 568%

School 68% · District 44% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 47% · ▲ 7 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 49% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 860%

School 60% · District 45% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 24% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 12% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolJersey City Public Schools, 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-income56%Higher-income86%30 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income78%Higher-income93%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income91%45 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income57%Higher-income50%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income56%Higher-income84%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income67%Higher-income90%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income25%Higher-income83%58 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income31%1 pp gap