Public education in New Jersey

in New Jersey

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K-12 education in New Jersey

Education facts

State superintendent: Angelica Allen-McMillan

Number of students: 1,372,203

Number of teachers: 110,929

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:12

Number of school districts: 555

Number of schools: 2,598

Graduation rate: 87.5%

Per-pupil spending: $17,572

See also

New Jersey Department of Education • List of school districts in New Jersey • New Jersey • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in New Jersey Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given are the most recent as of June 2015, with school years noted in the text or footnotes.

The New Jersey public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2013 New Jersey had 1,372,203 students enrolled in a total of 2,598 schools in 691 school districts. There were 110,929 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 12 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 288 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average New Jersey spent $17,572 per pupil in 2013, which ranked it fourth highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 87.5 percent in 2013.^[1][2][3]

Common Core[edit]

Common Core, or the Common Core State Standards Initiative, is an American education initiative that outlines quantifiable benchmarks in English and mathematics at each grade level from kindergarten through high school. The New Jersey State Board of Education adopted these standards on June 23, 2010, and fully implemented them during the 2013-2014 school year.^[4]

In 2014, Governor Chris Christie (R) issued an executive order that reduced the impact of student standardized test scores on teacher evaluations for the next two school years. Test scores will count for 10 percent of a teacher's evaluation during the 2014-2015 school year and for 20 percent of the evaluation during the 2015-2016 school year. Prior to the executive order, test scores would have counted for 30 percent of a teacher's evaluation beginning in the 2014-2015 school year. The executive order also established a task force to review the Common Core-aligned exams created by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) testing consortium, along with other potential standardized tests.^[5]

A year later, in 2015, Christie announced that he officially opposes the Common Core standards, stating that it was "simply not working."^[6] Christie also announced that New Jersey would be pulling out of Common Core and that a panel of teachers, educators and parents would be developing new standards for the state.^[7]

General information[edit]

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how New Jersey compared to three neighboring states with respect to the number of students, schools, teachers per pupil and administrators per pupil for the 2012-2013 school year. The chart also displays that information at the national level. When compared to its neighboring states, New Jersey had the highest number of teachers relative to students, a ratio of about 1:12.

Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.

Schools by type[edit]

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Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

See also: Number of schools by school type in the United States

Of the 98,454 schools in the United States, 89,031 were classified as regular schools. After regular schools, magnet schools and charter schools were the most prevalent non-traditional schools in the country, at 6,079 and 5,986, respectively.

The table below breaks down each of the different types of schools in New Jersey and nearby states. Also listed are the numbers of schools in each state that are classified as "Title I" schools. These are public schools that have been specially targeted to correct achievement gaps in public schools.^[8]

In New Jersey, there were 2,360 regular schools as of 2013. Alternative schools were the second most prevalent type of school in the state, with 117 schools classified as such.

Demographics[edit]

See also: Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in New Jersey as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2012-2013.^[9]

During the 2012-2013 school year, just over half of all students in K-12 public schools nationwide were white. About a quarter of the students in the country were Hispanic, with black students making up about 16 percent of the student population.

In New Jersey, a plurality of students were white. White students totaled 683,857, which was about 50 percent of the student population in the state. There were 321,443 Hispanic students in the state, accounting for about 23.4 percent of the student population.

Enrollments by region type[edit]

See also: Student distribution by region type in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 30 percent of all public school students in the country attended city schools during the 2012-2013 school year. About 40 percent attended suburban schools. Approximately 11.5 percent of all students attended schools in towns, while about 18.7 percent attended rural schools.^[10]

A majority of students in New Jersey attended suburban schools during the 2012-2013 school year. Approximately 89.5 percent of the state's students attended city or suburban schools, compared to the approximately 10.5 percent who attended rural or town schools.

Academic performance[edit]

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores[edit]

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The chart below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Delaware, New York, and Pennsylvania), New Jersey had the highest percentage of students scoring at or above proficient in all categories.^[11]

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores[edit]

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for New Jersey and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.^[11][12][13]

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.^[14]

New Jersey schools reported a graduation rate of 87.5 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, highest among its neighboring states.

In New Jersey, more students took the SAT than the ACT in 2013, earning an average SAT score of 1521.

Dropout rate[edit]

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for New Jersey was lower than the national average at 1.4 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 1.4 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.^[15]

Educational choice options[edit]

See also: School choice in New Jersey

As of June 2015 school choice options in New Jersey included charter schools, homeschooling, online learning, private schools and a voluntary inter-district public school open enrollment policy.

Developments[edit]

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)[edit]

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.^[16]

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.^[17]

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

New Jersey is not one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures[edit]

See also: New Jersey state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.^[18][19]

New Jersey spent approximately 24.9 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from local funds. New Jersey spent a larger percentage of its total budget on public education than any of its neighboring states.

Revenue breakdowns[edit]

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.^[19]

In New Jersey, the primary source of school system revenue was local funding during fiscal year 2013, at $15.5 billion. New Jersey reported about the same total public education revenue as Pennsylvania. This was the second highest amount, after New York, when comparing nearby states.

Expenditure breakdowns[edit]

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.^[20]

Public education expenditures in New Jersey totaled approximately $26.1 billion in fiscal year 2012. New Jersey reported slightly lower total public education expenditures than Pennsylvania. New Jersey's expenditures were the second lowest when compared to its neighboring states.

The table and chart below present further detail, including expenditure types, for New Jersey and surrounding states.

Personnel salaries[edit]

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in New Jersey, the average salary decreased by 3.2 percent.^[22]

Organizations[edit]

State agencies[edit]

See also: New Jersey Department of Education

The New Jersey Department of Education is led by the New Jersey Commissioner of Education. There are seven divisions or officers that fall directly under the Commissioner of Education, including: Student Services and Career Readiness, the Chief Innovation Officer, the Chief Performance Officer, the Chief Talent Officer, the Chief Academic Officer, Field Services and Administration and Finance.^[23]

The New Jersey State Board of Education has 13 members who are appointed by the governor with the consent of the New Jersey State Senate. Members serve six-year terms without compensation. The State Board of Education also includes a nonvoting student representative who is selected annually by the New Jersey Association of Student Councils. The New Jersey Commissioner of Education serves as the State Board of Education's secretary and official agent. As chief executive school officer, the Commissioner of Education is part of the governor's cabinet. David Hespe was first appointed as commissioner in 2014.^[24][25]

The mission statement of the New Jersey State Board of Education reads:^[26]

Unions[edit]

In 2012, the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. New Jersey ranked seventh overall for union power and influence, or "strongest," which was in the first tier of five.^[28]

The main union related to the New Jersey school system is the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA). NJEA is the largest education association in the state.

List of local New Jersey school unions:^[29]

• New Jersey Education Association
• Newark Teachers Union
• New Jersey State Federation of Teachers
• Perth Amboy Federation AFT
• Federation of Rowan College Educators
• Upper Montclair AFT
• William Paterson Federation of College Teachers Local 1796

Taxpayer-funded lobbying[edit]

See also: New Jersey government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the New Jersey School Boards Association.

Studies and reports[edit]

Quality Counts 2014[edit]

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

New Jersey received a score of 88.2, or a B+ average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. Except for the "chance for success" category, the state's highest score was in "school finance" at 84.5, or a B average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 67.2, or a B average. New Jersey had the second highest score in the "chance for success" category in the country. The chart below displays the scores of New Jersey and its surrounding states.^[30]

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

State Budget Solutions education study[edit]

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts[edit]

See also: School board elections portal

District types[edit]

New Jersey contains two primary types of school districts and several variations:^[31]

• Type 1 districts are dependent on municipal, township or county governments or the state government for fiscal management or school board appointments or both, depending on the district.
• Type 2 districts are traditional districts with an elected governing body that can change tax levies and issue bonds for voter approval.
  • Consolidated districts are a Type 2 district variant that were formed from two or more school districts in the past.
  • All purpose regional districts are a Type 2 district variant that provides all school services in a region and thereby replace any other Type 1 or Type 2 districts in the area.
  • Limited regional districts are a Type 2 district variant that provides a limited number of specialized services for other school districts in the region.

School board composition[edit]

New Jersey school board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although some school board members are appointed. New Jersey school board elections typically follow one of these three methods, or a mixture thereof:

• At-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, regardless of geographic location.
• Trustee area: Only voters residing in a specific geographic area within the school district may vote on certain candidates, who must also reside in that specific geographic area.
• Trustee area at-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, but candidates must reside in specific geographic areas within the school district.

School boards typically consist of seven or nine members. School board members serve three-year terms.^[32]

Term limits[edit]

New Jersey does not impose statewide term limits on school board members.^[33]

Elections[edit]

See also: New Jersey school board elections, 2021

Editor's note: Some school districts choose to cancel the primary election, or both the primary and general election, if the number of candidates who filed does not meet a certain threshold. The table below does not reflect which primary or general elections were canceled. Please click through to each school district's page for more information.

Path to the ballot[edit]

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in New Jersey, a person must be:^[32]

• Able to read and write
• A resident of the school district for at least one year before filing for office
• Registered to vote in the school district before filing for office

A person must not be:

• Serving in another elected office
• Serving as a mayor or as part of a municipal or county governing body
• Convicted of certain crimes
• Involved in a claim against the board
• Holding or having a stake in a contract with the board

The process of running for office as a school board candidate begins with filing nomination petitions that include a minimum of 10 signatures from qualified voters in the district. Petitions must be filed with the secretary of the board if it is for an April election or with the county clerk if it is for a November election. Candidates must also adhere to all campaign finance reporting requirements to stay on the ballot.^[32]

Campaign finance[edit]

New Jersey requires all school board candidates who receive contributions of any amount to file a "Certificate of Organization and Designation of Campaign Treasurer and Depository" form with the Election Law Enforcement Commission. Campaign finance reporting deadlines vary according to whether the district holds its elections in April or November.^[32]

Recent legislation[edit]

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the New Jersey state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures[edit]

See also: Education on the ballot and List of New Jersey ballot measures

As of June 2014, there were no education ballot measures in New Jersey.

In the news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms New Jersey education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also[edit]

• Historical public education information in New Jersey
• New Jersey state budget and finances
• New Jersey Department of Education
• List of school districts in New Jersey
• School choice in New Jersey
• Charter schools in New Jersey
• New Jersey
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links[edit]

• New Jersey Department of Education
• State Board of Education
• State School Report Card
• New Jersey School Surveys, Reports, Data
• New Jersey Public School Ratings by PSK12
• New Jersey Public School Ratings by Great Schools

Footnotes[edit]

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