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Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology

Public Grades 9-12

165^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 434 New Jersey High Schools

Better than 62% of New Jersey high schools

Summary

The Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology is a public high school serving 1,148 students in grades 9-12 in Newark, New Jersey. The school is part of the Essex County Schools of Technology district, which is ranked 352 out of 609 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The school consistently ranks in the top 40% of New Jersey high schools, maintaining a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past 8 years. Its academic performance is particularly strong in certain student subgroups, with African American students ranking in the top 10% and Hispanic students ranking in the top 25% of New Jersey high schools. The school also boasts high graduation rates, ranging from 91.1% to 98.0% over the past 5 years, and low dropout rates, ranging from 0.0% to 1.2%. Additionally, the school's chronic absenteeism rate is generally lower than the district and state averages.

Compared to nearby schools, the Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology significantly outperforms other Newark Public School District schools, such as West Side High School, Barringer High School, and Bard Early College High School, across a range of academic indicators. The only nearby school that appears to match its performance is Science Park High School, which is also a high-performing school within the Newark Public School District.

1,230

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,605

Per pupil spending ?

73.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

498-544 West Market St
Newark, NJ 07107-1218

(973) 412-2203

District: Essex County Schools of Technology

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.6%

Hispanic:

44.5%

White:

1.9%

See top rated New Jersey high schools

Compare Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 68th percentile in 2022 → 62nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Jersey average (48% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the New Jersey average (91%)

✓Above the New Jersey median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 68th-percentile peak (2022) to 62nd (2025)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Science scores 10 pts below the New Jersey average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school48%

District avg44%

New Jersey avg43%

165^th of 434

New Jersey public high schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 49% (2015) to top 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3High Schools in the Essex County Schools of Technology

352^nd of 609Essex County Schools of Technology among New Jersey districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	57.1	165 of 434	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.2	152 of 429	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.7	160 of 422	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.8	132 of 415	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.6	187 of 405	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.3	186 of 416	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.7	170 of 415	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	38.8	227 of 411	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	33.7	267 of 409	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	39.6	209 of 406	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	70.4	131 of 411	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.5	202 of 396	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	71.2	121 of 388	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	50.4	244 of 378	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	37.3	287 of 371	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	37.9	275 of 370	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	19.7	306 of 359	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.1	287 of 361	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	13.0	314 of 357	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	12.5	315 of 351	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	5.0	322 of 348	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	7.5	316 of 343	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	81.8	26 of 283	90.8%	★★★★★
2024	83.7	22 of 282	92.2%	★★★★★
2023	78.1	17 of 250	93.2%	★★★★★
2022	87.8	14 of 256	94.5%	★★★★★
2021	77.9	28 of 247	88.7%	★★★★☆
2019	79.7	20 of 254	92.1%	★★★★★
2018	71.8	44 of 266	83.5%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	54.4	61 of 215	71.6%	★★★★☆
2024	77.8	24 of 191	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	39.9	80 of 161	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.9	26 of 137	81.0%	★★★★☆
2021	79.0	11 of 101	89.1%	★★★★★
2019	45.5	54 of 138	60.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	55.1	181 of 426	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.7	163 of 420	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.4	197 of 416	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.7	134 of 414	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.5	195 of 402	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.4	207 of 408	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.4	170 of 403	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	63.9	107 of 406	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	74.0	81 of 403	79.9%	★★★★☆
2023	69.5	62 of 385	83.9%	★★★★☆
2022	55.3	112 of 382	70.7%	★★★★☆
2021	62.6	92 of 374	75.4%	★★★★☆
2019	62.0	101 of 364	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	66.4	72 of 368	80.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	72.9	49 of 377	87.0%	★★★★☆
2024	80.2	29 of 358	91.9%	★★★★★
2023	74.6	33 of 344	90.4%	★★★★★
2022	75.2	25 of 324	92.3%	★★★★★
2021	74.4	31 of 326	90.5%	★★★★★
2019	71.5	50 of 347	85.6%	★★★★☆
2018	70.0	49 of 345	85.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	64.5	114 of 426	73.2%	★★★★☆
2024	59.0	131 of 419	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.7	99 of 414	76.1%	★★★★☆
2022	43.8	174 of 410	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.1	174 of 402	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.2	159 of 407	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.7	156 of 405	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	57.4	105 of 359	70.8%	★★★★☆
2024	89.5	15 of 361	95.8%	★★★★★
2023	69.0	50 of 339	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	57.9	88 of 344	74.4%	★★★★☆
2021	46.3	150 of 333	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.8	71 of 349	79.7%	★★★★☆
2018	69.2	59 of 355	83.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	218 of 347	37.2%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2025)91st percentile+29 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)87th percentile+25 vs school

Hispanic (2025)74th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)73rd percentile+11 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)72nd percentile+10 vs school

Special Education (2025)71st percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)58th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)37th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics79%+21 vs state

English Language Arts66%+16 vs state

Geometry47%-9 vs state

Algebra I34%+3 vs state

Science21%-10 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NJGPA English Language Arts (2025)	NJGPA Mathematics (2025)	NJSLA-S Science (2025)		NJSLA English Language Arts (2025)			NJSLA Mathematics (2025)	NJSLA Algebra I (2025)			NJSLA Geometry (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NJGPA English Language Arts 11th Grade	NJGPA Mathematics 11th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 8th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 11th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 7th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 8th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 9th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	NJSLA Geometry 9th Grade	NJSLA Geometry End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology	Public	9-12	498-544 West Market St	Newark	07107	Essex County	Essex County Schools of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 412-2203	1,230	93	13.2	73.4%	23 (1.9%)	635 (51.6%)	547 (44.5%)	14 (1.1%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	57.1	165^th of 434 public high schools	62.0%		59.2	152^nd of 429 public high schools	64.6%	13		78.7		21.3			66.0			34.3	34.3	47.6	45.9	$8,605	$479	$8,126
Essex Rch	Public	8-12	461 463 Central Avenue	Newark	07107	Essex County	Office Of Education Juvenile Justice Commission	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 648-7078	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Essex County Jdc	Public	8-12	80 Duryea Street	Newark	08302	Essex County	Essex County Jdc	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 484-4908	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
John F. Kennedy School	Public	9-12	311 S Tenth St	Newark	07103	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 733-6788	143	22	6.5	79.0%	1 (0.7%)	81 (56.6%)	58 (40.6%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)														$34,476	$428	$34,048
West Side High School	Public	9-12	403 South Orange Avenue	Newark	07103	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 733-7019	541	44	12.4	81.1%	2 (0.4%)	436 (80.6%)	96 (17.7%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	15.2	387^th of 434 public high schools	10.8%		9.7	411^th of 429 public high schools	4.2%	24	73.8	17.9		3.8			6.7			2.9	2.9			$14,251	$797	$13,454
Barringer High School	Public	9-12	90 Parker St	Newark	07104	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 268-5125	1,894	110	17.2	59.7%	12 (0.6%)	243 (12.8%)	1,619 (85.5%)	6 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	7 (0.4%)	6.7	427^th of 434 public high schools	1.6%		5.6	425^th of 429 public high schools	0.9%	2	19.2			2.6			5.4			2.1	2.1			$5,862	$299	$5,563
LEAD Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	201 Bergen Street	Newark	07103	Essex County	LEAD Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(862) 772-1724	333	5	66.6	65.5%	18 (5.4%)	284 (85.3%)	19 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14.3	395^th of 434 public high schools	9.0%		18.4	366^th of 429 public high schools	14.7%	29	60.7			7.4							6.7			$7,324	$814	$6,510
Science Park High School	Public	7-12	260 Norfolk Street	Newark	07102	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 733-8689	964	68	14.2	68.0%	83 (8.6%)	332 (34.4%)	502 (52.1%)	27 (2.8%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.5%)	12 (1.2%)	87.4	20^th of 434 public high schools	95.4%		82.8	46^th of 429 public high schools	89.3%	26			56.8	73.8	88.2	92.2	98.1	86.2	92.2	85.8	88.0	68.2	68.2	$11,449	$497	$10,952
Essex County Newark Technical	Public	9-12	91 West Market St	Newark	07103	Essex County	Essex County Schools of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 412-2204	606	56	10.8	86.1%	9 (1.5%)	238 (39.3%)	347 (57.3%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	44.6	237^th of 434 public high schools	45.4%		42.8	240^th of 429 public high schools	44.1%	3		76.4		9.1			55.9			26.6	26.6	25.8	23.7	$7,912	$961	$6,951
Bard Early College High School	Public	9-12	321 Bergen Street	Newark	07103	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 733-8363	395	32	12.5	62.5%	2 (0.5%)	257 (65.1%)	124 (31.4%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	57.6	158^th of 434 public high schools	63.6%		44.8	230^th of 429 public high schools	46.4%	72		84.9		23.1			58.9			44.0	44.0	7.7	7.7	$10,089	$279	$9,810

Frequently Asked Questions about Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology

What is the racial makeup of Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology?

Students at Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology are 52% African American, 44% Hispanic, 2% White, 1% Asian.

What district is Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology in?

Essex County Schools of Technology

Is Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology a good school?

Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology ranks 165^th of 434 New Jersey high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,230 students attended Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology.

Rate Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Jersey Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.