Salome Urena Elementary School, Newark NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Salome Urena Elementary School

Salome Urena Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through eighth grade as a regular public school within the Newark Public School District. It is located in the city’s North Ward, on First Avenue in the Forest Hill area. The school is part of a district that, as of mid-2026, the New Jersey Department of Education had declared a High Performing District—a notable status given the district’s history of state oversight, which ended several years prior.

The student body at Salome Urena is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of students also identifying as Black or African American, and smaller representations of American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, white, and multiracial students. A large majority of students come from households experiencing economic disadvantage, as reflected in the free or reduced-price meal data. The elementary grades run from PK through grade five, with middle school covering grades six through eight; the school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.

On state assessments in the most recent testing year, the school’s results varied considerably by grade and subject. In English language arts, the share of students reaching proficiency was highest in grades seven and four, while it was notably lower in grade six. In math, proficiency rates were highest in grade four, then declined across the upper elementary and middle school grades, with the sixth-grade math proficiency rate being the lowest across all tested subjects and grades. In science, tested in grades five and eight, proficiency rates were low in both. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile when compared with other districts in Essex County. A parent considering this school may want to ask the school directly about the factors behind the lower middle-grade math performance and the science results, and about any specific interventions in place.

The school environment itself is an urban one. The building sits on a residential street in a dense, mixed-use city. Newark is the state’s most populous city and a major employment center, with a downtown core housing universities, corporate headquarters, government offices, and cultural institutions. The city’s five wards each have their own character; the North Ward, where the school is located, is largely residential with a mix of housing types. Public transit, including NJ Transit bus and light rail lines, connects the neighborhood to the rest of the city and region. The school’s setting means that families are part of a large, diverse urban district with numerous school-choice options at the high school level, including several new career-themed high schools the district has recently launched.

Housing in the area commands a moderate premium compared to national figures, with home values having seen a modest year-over-year decline, while rental costs have risen. The local housing market shows a relatively tight supply, with active listings and new listings both up from the prior year. For families deciding whether this school fits, the most relevant facts are the student composition, the academic proficiency picture that varies by grade and subject, and the urban context of a large district that offers multiple high school pathways starting in ninth grade.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 28% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 23% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 22%

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

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 18% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 717%

School 17% · District 21% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 12% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 28% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 30% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 31% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 615%

School 15% · District 36% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 38% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 39% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 10% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 6%

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