Camden Street Elementary School, Newark NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Camden Street Elementary School

Camden Street Elementary School is a regular public school in the Newark Public School District, serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The school is located in Newark’s Central Ward, a dense, mixed-use part of the city that includes the downtown business district, government complexes, and the campuses of Rutgers University–Newark, NJIT, and Seton Hall Law School. The neighborhood sits within a larger urban fabric that is walkable in its core and well-served by NJ Transit bus and light rail lines, with Newark Penn Station a short distance away.

The school enrolls a population that is predominantly Black and Hispanic, reflecting the surrounding community. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-need context. The student body is spread fairly evenly across grade levels from kindergarten through eighth grade, with a notably large pre-kindergarten cohort that suggests strong early-childhood enrollment.

State testing results from the 2024-25 school year show that proficiency rates in math and English language arts are low. In math, the share of students performing at or above proficiency is in the low single digits for most tested grades, with no eighth grader reaching that level. English language arts proficiency rates are higher than math across all grades, though they still fall well below a majority. Seventh grade stands out as the strongest grade for ELA, while the upper elementary and middle school grades generally show very low science proficiency. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile relative to all other districts in Essex County. A parent interested in the school’s academic trajectory may want to discuss with school leadership what interventions or supports are in place, particularly for math.

Because the school serves only through eighth grade, it does not have a reported graduation rate. There is no graduation data to evaluate, as the grade band ends before high school.

The school operates as a regular public school within the Newark Public School District. Newark Public Schools was declared a High Performing District by the New Jersey Department of Education in July 2026, a status that signals district-wide improvement after a long period of state control. The district has recently launched several new career-themed high schools, which creates potential high school pathways for Camden Street students after they leave eighth grade. The district’s “The Next Decade: 2020-30” strategic plan is also in place as a long-term framework.

Housing data for the zip code around the school shows that home values are above the national median but below the New Jersey statewide median. The rental market is active, and the cost of renting is high relative to national averages. The broader Essex County housing market shows a moderate number of active listings and a median days-on-market that suggests homes are selling at a fairly typical pace for the region.

For a family considering this school, the picture is of an urban neighborhood school that serves a high-poverty student body and whose state test results are low by county and state standards, with math being a particular area of concern. The school is part of a district that has seen recent state recognition for improvement and is investing in new high school options, which may benefit students as they move through the system. Any family evaluating the school should also weigh the specific academic supports available at Camden Street, as well as the range of middle school and high school choice options within Newark Public Schools that may open up after the elementary and middle grades here.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

Not publicly reportedCohort of 1 student · Class of 2021

The federal source does not publish a graduation rate for cohorts this small. The cohort size is shown for context.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

425 schools plotted. 7 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 28% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 44%

School 4% · District 23% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 22% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 63%

School 3% · District 18% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 712%

School 12% · District 21% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 12% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 28% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 411%

School 11% · District 30% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 44 pts below state median · ▼ 41 pts below county median

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 31% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 36 pts below county median

Grade 614%

School 14% · District 36% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 36 pts below county median

Grade 734%

School 34% · District 38% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 39% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Science

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 10% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 82%

School 2% · District 6% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

This schoolNewark Public 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.