Quitman Street School, Newark NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Quitman Street School

Quitman Street School is a regular public school in Newark serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is one of the many elementary and middle schools within Newark Public Schools, a district that was declared a High Performing District by the New Jersey Department of Education in mid-2026, a milestone that families may weigh as a signal of overall district direction. The school itself sits in the city’s Central Ward, part of a dense, mixed-use urban fabric that includes downtown office towers, university campuses, and transit infrastructure.

The student body is substantial for a PK-8 building. The majority of students are Black, with a large Hispanic population and a small share of White and other backgrounds. A high proportion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a community with significant economic need. Enrollment is roughly balanced across the elementary and middle grades, with a notable number of pre-kindergarten students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the material reviewed, so a parent should ask the school directly about those supports and services.

Academically, the school’s performance on New Jersey’s state assessments is very low. In mathematics, the share of students scoring proficient or above ranges from roughly a tenth in fifth grade down to zero in eighth grade. English language arts results are somewhat higher but still limited: the strongest showing is in eighth grade, where about a quarter of students met the proficiency standard, while in third grade only about one in ten did. Science proficiency is similarly very low. In the context of all districts in Essex County, Quitman Street School’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. These are persistent challenges across every tested grade and subject, and a parent would want to understand what academic interventions and support structures the school has in place.

Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to consider. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing were not present in the information available, so those dimensions are not part of this picture. The school is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet, and district records show its status as open and operational.

Newark itself is New Jersey’s largest city, a dense urban center with a strong employment base anchored by corporations like Prudential and PSEG, major universities, and the Port Newark–Elizabeth terminal. The city has seen population growth and investment in recent decades, and its housing market is expensive relative to national averages, with rents and home values that reflect the broader metropolitan pressure. Public transit is extensive, making the school accessible by bus and light rail. Families living in the area may appreciate the city’s cultural and civic amenities, including parks and performing arts venues.

For families considering Quitman Street School, the academic data point to a school where large majorities of students are not yet reaching state benchmarks in reading, math, or science. The district has invested in new career-themed high schools and a strategic plan through 2030, which could shape the options available to students after they leave Quitman, but the middle school years themselves present a steep climb. A parent would benefit from a direct conversation with the school about its curriculum, intervention programs, and how it works with families to support student progress.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 37%

School 7% · District 28% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 46%

School 6% · District 23% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 22% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 65%

School 5% · District 18% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 71%

School 1% · District 21% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 22 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 310%

School 10% · District 28% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 419%

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

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

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 31% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 611%

School 11% · District 36% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 38% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 39% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Science

Grade 55%

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

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

Grade 83%

School 3% · District 6% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 3 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.