People's Achieve Community Charter School, Newark NJ

Original Research by School Decision on People's Achieve Community Charter School

People's Achieve Community Charter School sits in Newark, New Jersey's largest city and a dense, mixed-use urban center with a strong downtown, major universities, and extensive transit connections. The city is divided into five political wards, each with its own character, and the school's address places it in a residential part of the city served by bus and light rail. Newark is the state's biggest employment hub, with major corporate headquarters, a busy port, and an international airport, giving the area a decidedly urban feel.

The school itself is a charter school, operating independently within Newark's broader educational landscape. It recently expanded from serving kindergarten through eighth grade to a full kindergarten through twelfth grade span, meaning families can now enroll their children here for a continuous pathway from elementary school all the way through high school graduation. This is a relatively new change, so the school is still building its reputation as a full K-12 option.

The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic enrollment and very small numbers of white, Asian, or other groups. A significant share of students come from households with low incomes, as measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. The school serves just under a thousand students across all grades, with the high school grades (nine through twelve) drawing a sizable portion of that enrollment.

On state assessments, the school's results vary by grade and subject. In the earlier elementary grades, a moderate share of students met the state's proficiency standards in both math and English language arts. By later elementary and middle school grades, those proficiency rates dropped substantially, particularly in math, where very few students scored at the proficient level. Science results, tested in fifth and eighth grades, were very low. Compared with other school districts across Essex County, the school's overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quarter. This is a consistent pattern across multiple grades and subjects, and a parent evaluating the school will want to ask the school directly about its strategies for improving academic performance in the upper grades.

Because the school now includes high school, a graduation rate would be a key measure of how well it supports students through to completion, but that data was not available. Similarly, information on programs such as Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, or career pathways was not provided. The absence of a graduation rate is a notable gap for a school that serves twelfth grade; families considering this school for high school should inquire about graduation outcomes and college or career preparation.

Housing in the area around the school reflects the broader Newark market. Typical home values are above the national median but below the New Jersey state median, and rents are substantial. The city has seen population growth and redevelopment in recent decades, with billions of dollars of investment in downtown, university areas, and the port. The area's transit network, including Penn Station and light rail, makes commuting to New York City and other parts of the region feasible.

People's Achieve Community Charter School offers families in Newark a single-site K-12 charter option in a dense urban setting with a high-need student population. The academic performance data shows pockets of relative strength in early elementary but pronounced difficulties in later grades, particularly in math and science. With no graduation rate yet reported and limited information on high school programming, a parent considering this school for the upper grades will want to gather more details directly from the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 351%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 43%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 8%

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 615%

School 15% · District 15%

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

Grade 77%

School 7% · District 7%

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

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 12%

▼ 5 pts below state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 33%

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

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 51%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 25%

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

Grade 645%

School 45% · District 45%

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

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 32%

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

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 45%

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

Science

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 6%

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

Grade 82%

School 2% · District 2%

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

This schoolPeople's Achieve Community Charter School, 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.