Partner with us to ensure that zip code is not destiny in the state of New Jersey
According to a recent report released by the New Jersey Education Transformation Task Force, zip code is destiny within New Jersey public school systems. While the state ranks second in reading nationally, New Jersey has one of the largest achievement gaps between the economically disadvantaged and their wealthier peers. “Tens of thousands of children [within our state] attend schools where only a minority of students meets basic levels of proficiency in reading and math, and hundreds of thousands of children overall perform below these minimal standards. In entire districts, barely ½ of the children who begin 9th grade successfully graduate from high school”.
Nowhere is this disparity seen more profoundly, than in the city of Newark. Currently, less than 50% of Newark Public School students are enrolled in a college preparatory curriculum in high school. In addition, the high school dropout rate citywide is 49%, and 8% of adults 25 and older have earned a four year college degree. Within the city of Newark, if students are not already at the top of the class when graduating from primary school, there are very few options available for them for where they can go to receive a quality secondary education. This is why The Paulo Freire Charter School (aka The Freire School) is paramount in addressing the needs of Newark’s children.
At full capacity, The Paulo Freire Charter School (aka The Freire School) will serve over 300 secondary students in grades 9 through 12, by providing a quality college preparatory education for some of Newark’s most underserved students.
