Alfred Zampella School, Jersey City NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Alfred Zampella School

Alfred Zampella School is a regular public school in Jersey City that serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is one of the many schools within the Jersey City Public Schools district, a large urban system operating several dozen schools across a dense and diverse city. The school's grade span means families who enroll here will have their children in one building from early childhood through the end of middle school, which can provide continuity but also means the student body spans a wide developmental range.

The student population is diverse, reflecting the city's well-documented ethnic variety. The largest group of students identify as Hispanic, followed by Asian students, with smaller shares of White and Black students. Roughly half of the students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a substantial share of families with lower incomes. This economic diversity is typical of the district overall, which serves a predominantly minority and economically disadvantaged student body. The school's peer environment is thus one where children from many different backgrounds learn together, and the surrounding community is among the most ethnically diverse in the country.

Academically, the school's performance shows a mixed picture. On the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, proficiency rates in math and English language arts vary noticeably by grade level. In math, the school's strongest grade is fifth, where more than half of students met proficiency, while eighth grade math is a weak spot, with a much smaller share reaching the bar. English language arts shows a clearer upward trend as students get older; third and fourth grade are around the midpoint, while seventh and eighth grade both show a majority of students proficient. Science results are lower, particularly in eighth grade, where a very small share scored proficient. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index lands below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Hudson County. A parent looking at this pattern may want to ask the school how it supports students as they move into middle school math and science, and whether there are targeted interventions for the grades where performance dips.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on student discipline, staffing, and chronic absenteeism were not available, so a complete picture of school climate and student support is not possible from this information alone.

Jersey City itself is a high-density urban environment with a major financial and commercial waterfront, extensive transit connections to Manhattan, and distinct neighborhoods. Housing costs are high; home values and rents place a significant financial burden on the typical household, and the market has seen sustained growth. The city has been experiencing rapid population growth and ongoing redevelopment, with a mix of repurposed industrial buildings and new high-rise construction. For families considering this school, the surrounding neighborhood is walkable and well-served by public transit, but the cost of housing is a major factor to weigh.

The district recently launched a new initiative called "Mission Forward" focused on improving test scores, graduation readiness, student behavior, and social media awareness. This gives a sense of the district's current priorities, though it is too early to assess the initiative's impact at the school level. No other major district changes, such as boundary shifts or tax referendums, were publicly reported.

Alfred Zampella School offers a full PK-8 pathway in a diverse urban setting, with academic performance that is strongest in upper-grade English and weakest in middle school math and science. Families who value a single building from kindergarten through eighth grade and are comfortable with the realities of a large, diverse, urban district may find it a good fit, but those concerned about the middle school math and science results will want to investigate further with the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 46% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 38% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 553%

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

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

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 28% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 32%

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

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 9% · ▲ 8 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 49% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 44% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 645%

School 45% · District 47% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 756%

School 56% · District 49% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 45% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 24% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 12% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below 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-income45%Higher-income52%8 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income49%Higher-income69%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income24%Higher-income47%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income57%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income49%Higher-income82%33 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income59%Higher-income68%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income48%Higher-income52%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income40%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income76%36 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income20%Higher-income42%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income29%Higher-income45%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income15%Higher-income24%9 pp gap