The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 18% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Nelson Mandela Elementary School
Nelson Mandela Elementary School is a regular public school in Newark’s Newark Public School District, serving prekindergarten through third grade. With a small enrollment for that grade band, it operates as a neighborhood elementary school in the city’s Central Ward. The school is not a charter or magnet and does not appear to have a Title I designation in the available data.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black population and small shares of Asian, White, and multiracial students. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is modest relative to many urban schools. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported. The school does not serve grades where state assessments are required in pre-K or kindergarten, so the testing picture comes from the two tested grades.
In math, third-grade proficiency was below the midpoint among the county’s districts, while fourth-grade math reached a level that was higher than the school’s overall average. English language arts results were notably weaker: third-grade proficiency was very low, and fourth-grade ELA, while higher, still trailed the county median by a wide margin. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint relative to the districts in Essex County. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports early literacy development and what interventions are in place for students who arrive below grade-level expectations in reading.
Because Nelson Mandela Elementary only covers pre-K through third grade, families will need to plan for a transition to another school for fourth grade and beyond. The Newark district has recently been designated a High Performing District by the state, a milestone that follows years of state oversight and a return to local control, and it has been expanding career-themed high schools. Those developments affect the broader district but do not directly touch this early elementary school’s programming.
Newark is a dense, mixed-use city with a large employment base, major transit connections, and a range of cultural and civic institutions. Housing in the zip code area is valued above the national median, and rents reflect a competitive market. The school sits on Hartford Street in a residential part of the Central Ward, within walking distance of some downtown amenities and near bus and light rail lines. Families choosing this school should weigh its early-grade focus and current academic profile against the options available in a district with many elementary choices.
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