Original Research by School Decision on A.e. Burling High School
A.E. Burling High School is an alternative school serving grades six through twelve in Pennsauken, New Jersey, part of the Pennsauken Township Board of Education School District. The school is very small, with an enrollment that places it among the smallest secondary schools in the area. Its alternative designation means it is designed for students who need a different educational setting than a traditional comprehensive high school provides.
The student body is diverse. About half of students are Black, roughly a third are Hispanic, and a smaller share are White. A single Asian student is enrolled. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that gives a rough sense of the economic mix of families the school serves. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not reported, so it is unclear what proportion of the population receives special education or language support services.
Standard academic performance metrics are absent for this school. There are no state assessment results, no graduation rate, and no chronic absenteeism data available. This gap is typical for an alternative school, which often serves students whose circumstances place them outside standard testing cohorts or whose academic pathways do not follow a traditional timeline. A parent or guardian considering this placement should contact the school or district directly to understand how student progress is measured and what outcomes are tracked. The comparison data for Camden County districts notes that proficiency and graduation metrics are not applicable here, which reinforces that this school operates on a different framework from the county’s mainstream high schools.
Pennsauken itself is a suburban township bordering Philadelphia across the Delaware River, connected by the Betsy Ross Bridge. Its character is shaped by major highways and industrial zones rather than a walkable downtown. The township includes a large industrial park with a Pepsi bottling plant and J & J Snack Foods, and its history includes the Pennsauken Mart, a large indoor market that closed and was replaced by a luxury apartment complex. NJ Transit bus routes and three River Line rail stops provide public transit, but daily life leans heavily on driving. Housing values are moderate relative to the broader region, with typical home prices and rents reflecting the area’s mix of older single-family homes and newer apartment developments. The district itself reported little in the way of major recent changes, so families may want to check with the school for any upcoming program adjustments or facility plans.
For a family exploring A.E. Burling High School, the key takeaway is that this is a small, alternative setting intended for students who need a departure from the conventional school model. The absence of test scores and graduation rates is not unusual for such a school, but it does mean families have less public data to evaluate. The strongest next step would be to speak with school staff about the specific academic program, the supports available, and how students transition out of the alternative placement, either back to a mainstream setting or toward graduation and beyond.
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