Louise A. Spencer Elementary School, Newark NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Louise A. Spencer Elementary School

Louise A. Spencer Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in the South Ward of Newark. It is a regular public school within the Newark Public School District, a system that was declared a High Performing District by the state in mid-2026, a milestone that signals lasting improvement after years of state oversight. The school itself is a neighborhood school, not a magnet or charter, and it draws from the surrounding residential area.

The student body is large for a PK-8 school and is overwhelmingly composed of Hispanic and Black students, with a much smaller share of white students and very small numbers of Asian, Native American, and multiracial students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. Data on the share of students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the supports in place for those populations.

State testing results from the NJSLA assessments show a pattern that families will want to examine closely. In English language arts, the school's proficiency rates rise across the elementary grades, reaching a midpoint in sixth grade where half of students met the bar, before settling back in seventh and eighth grades. In math, proficiency rates are lower across every grade, with a notable drop in eighth grade. Science results are very low in both tested grades. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Essex County. This is a school where a large majority of students are not yet meeting state benchmarks in math and science, and a parent should expect to ask what academic interventions and supports are in place.

The school is located on Muhammad Ali Avenue in Newark's South Ward, a dense urban neighborhood. Newark itself is New Jersey's largest city, a major employment center with a strong downtown core, multiple universities, and significant cultural and transit infrastructure. The housing market in the area shows home values that are roughly in line with the national benchmark, and rents that are moderate relative to incomes. The county market has a moderate number of active listings and a median listing price that is above the national figure, reflecting the broader Newark metro area's higher costs.

Because Louise A. Spencer serves only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not offer high school programs, so families will need to consider the high school options within the Newark Public School District, which has recently expanded its career-themed high schools, including schools focused on data science, fashion, global studies, architecture, and new media. The district itself was declared a High Performing District by the state in mid-2026, a notable shift after years of state oversight, and it has a strategic plan running through 2030. For a family considering this school, the academic performance data is the central fact: proficiency rates are low across subjects, and the school's overall index places it in the bottom quarter of Essex County districts. A parent should expect to engage actively with the school's academic support structures and to plan ahead for the transition to high school, where the district offers a growing set of specialized options.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 28% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 23% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 22% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 18% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 21% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 87%

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

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

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 28% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 30% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 31% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 36% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 740%

School 40% · District 38% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 39% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 10% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 81%

School 1% · District 6% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 12 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.

Proficiency by household income

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income15%Higher-income33%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income20%5 pp gap