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James J Ferris High School

Public Grades 9-12

409^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 434 New Jersey High Schools

Better than 6% of New Jersey high schools

Summary

James J Ferris High School is a public high school located in Jersey City, New Jersey, serving grades 9-12 with an enrollment of 1,345 students. The school faces significant challenges, as evidenced by its consistently low academic performance, high dropout rates, and high chronic absenteeism compared to state and district averages.

Academically, James J Ferris High School ranks in the bottom half of New Jersey high schools, with only 28.8% of 9th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts and just 6.4% and 2.9% proficient or better in Algebra I and Geometry, respectively. The school's four-year graduation rate has fluctuated between 77.7% and 91.3% in recent years, which is generally lower than the state and district averages. Additionally, the school's chronic absenteeism rate has ranged from 14.9% to 25.6%, higher than the state and district averages.

While Jersey City Public Schools district as a whole faces challenges, some nearby schools, such as Dr. Ronald McNair High School and County Prep High School, have significantly higher academic performance and better student outcomes, suggesting that there is potential for improvement within the district. The school's diverse student population, with a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, highlights the need for targeted strategies and resource allocation to support the success of all students at James J Ferris High School.

1,364

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,071

Per pupil spending ?

72.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

35 Colgate St
Jersey City, NJ 07302-3307

(201) 915-6660

District: Jersey City Public Schools

Feeder schools for James J Ferris High School:

Elementary:	Cornelia F. Bradford School
	Dr. Michael Conti School
	Frank R Conwell School
	Rafael Cordero y Molina
Middle:	Middle School # 4

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.2%

African American:

21.2%

Asian:

11.3%

See top rated New Jersey high schools

Compare James J Ferris High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 7th percentile in 2015 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (22% vs 49% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Geometry scores 53 pts below the New Jersey average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg38%

New Jersey avg49%

409^th of 434

New Jersey public high schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 8High Schools in the Jersey City Public Schools

455^th of 609Jersey City Public Schools 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	11.6	409 of 434	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	371 of 429	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	329 of 422	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.2	338 of 415	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.1	370 of 405	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.2	384 of 416	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.2	341 of 415	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.9	316 of 411	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	25.6	319 of 409	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.9	376 of 406	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	5.7	381 of 411	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.9	374 of 396	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	11.5	352 of 388	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	9.3	342 of 378	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	6.5	343 of 371	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.7	348 of 370	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.7	337 of 359	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.4	333 of 361	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.5	336 of 357	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	8.1	321 of 351	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	4.8	323 of 348	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	3.4	324 of 343	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	236 of 283	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.3	192 of 282	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.8	223 of 250	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.4	114 of 256	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	21.6	225 of 247	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.0	222 of 254	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.6	151 of 266	43.2%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	9.0	165 of 190	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	167 of 191	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.9	143 of 172	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.8	166 of 175	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.0	162 of 165	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.1	188 of 191	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.4	194 of 198	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	27.9	165 of 215	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	179 of 191	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	42.3	74 of 161	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.6	93 of 137	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.4	93 of 101	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.8	118 of 138	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.2	116 of 146	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	13.7	389 of 426	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	370 of 420	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.9	343 of 416	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	354 of 414	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.3	363 of 402	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.5	383 of 408	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.3	362 of 403	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	384 of 406	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	349 of 403	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.4	285 of 385	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.5	320 of 382	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.8	333 of 374	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.8	338 of 364	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.5	320 of 368	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	332 of 377	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.1	260 of 358	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.4	208 of 344	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.6	233 of 324	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.0	267 of 326	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.3	305 of 347	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	277 of 345	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	10.1	398 of 426	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	354 of 419	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	332 of 414	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	300 of 410	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.1	371 of 402	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.7	372 of 407	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	346 of 405	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	299 of 359	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.7	208 of 361	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.2	142 of 339	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	21.1	317 of 344	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	317 of 333	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.3	215 of 349	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.3	332 of 355	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	6.5	334 of 347	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.6	335 of 345	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	219 of 335	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.0	248 of 335	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	316 of 336	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.1	331 of 339	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.8	311 of 340	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)23rd percentile+17 vs school

Special Education (2025)17th percentile+11 vs school

African American (2025)17th percentile+11 vs school

Asian (2025)13th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)12th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)9th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)7th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)5th percentile~ school

White (2025)4th percentile~ school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts54%-27 vs state

Mathematics26%-32 vs state

Algebra I6%-25 vs state

Science6%-25 vs state

Geometry3%-53 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Very good school Close Quote

Schools Near James J Ferris High School

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 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 11th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	NJSLA Geometry 9th Grade	NJSLA Geometry 10th Grade	NJSLA Geometry End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
James J Ferris High School	Public	9-12	35 Colgate St	Jersey City	07302	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6660	1,364	100	13.7	72.1%	151 (11.1%)	289 (21.2%)	753 (55.2%)	154 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	14 (1.0%)	11.6	409^th of 434 public high schools	5.8%		17.1	371^st of 429 public high schools	13.5%	38	53.6	26.4	5.9	28.8	6.4	6.4	3.8		2.9	$14,071	$548	$13,523
Academy of Technology Design	Public	9-12	525 Montgomery Street	Jersey City	07302	Hudson County	Hudson County Schools of Technology School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 631-6331	235	4	58.0	49.4%	43 (18.3%)	21 (8.9%)	128 (54.5%)	29 (12.3%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.1%)	71.4	87^th of 434 public high schools	80.0%		62	138^th of 429 public high schools	67.8%	51		49.1	15.1	87.1	63.3	63.3
County Prep High School	Public	9-12	525 Montgomery Street	Jersey City	07306	Hudson County	Hudson County Schools of Technology School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 631-6302	892	92	9.7	57.1%	227 (25.4%)	45 (5.0%)	302 (33.9%)	265 (29.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	45 (5.0%)	83.7	40^th of 434 public high schools	90.8%		78.5	62^nd of 429 public high schools	85.5%	22		89.6	49.0	91.0	51.2	51.2	77.5		76.5	$16,033	$2,637	$13,396
Dr Ronald McNair High School	Public	9-12	123 Coles Street	Jersey City	07302	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 418-7617	716	55	13.1	35.2%	150 (20.9%)	100 (14.0%)	115 (16.1%)	310 (43.3%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.6%)	33 (4.6%)	90.8	12^th of 434 public high schools	97.2%		91.3	11^th of 429 public high schools	97.4%	1			94.6	99.4	96.1	96.1	83.4		83.4	$11,528	$339	$11,189
William L Dickinson High School	Public	9-12	2 Palisade Ave	Jersey City	07306	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 714-4400	1,786	130	13.7	76.6%	284 (15.9%)	296 (16.6%)	880 (49.3%)	269 (15.1%)	29 (1.6%)	10 (0.6%)	18 (1.0%)	15.4	385^th of 434 public high schools	11.3%		18.8	365^th of 429 public high schools	14.9%	20	62.2	32.6	15.4	22.6	6.2	6.2	4.8	1.9	2.7	$11,534	$519	$11,015
Lincoln High School	Public	9-12	60 Crescent Ave	Jersey City	07304	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6700	767	61	12.6	75.6%	49 (6.4%)	428 (55.8%)	246 (32.1%)	29 (3.8%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	9 (1.2%)	15.6	384^th of 434 public high schools	11.5%		15.1	383^rd of 429 public high schools	10.7%	1	71.9	22.7	14.1	19.2	4.1	4.1		0.0	5.9	$14,645	$514	$14,131
Liberty High School	Public	9-12	299 Sip Avenue	Jersey City	07306	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 714-4373	193	25	7.7	68.9%	56 (29.0%)	34 (17.6%)	49 (25.4%)	50 (25.9%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	75.9	66^th of 434 public high schools	84.8%		79.3	58^th of 429 public high schools	86.5%	8		78.0	55.1	90.9	65.5	65.5	55.5	20.0	39.4	$14,454	$356	$14,098
Henry Snyder High School	Public	9-12	239 Bergen Ave	Jersey City	07305	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6600	729	84	8.6	78.1%	24 (3.3%)	444 (60.9%)	222 (30.5%)	25 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.1%)	6 (0.8%)	14	397^th of 434 public high schools	8.5%		13.1	390^th of 429 public high schools	9.1%	7	65.9	21.1	16.9	19.1	2.1	2.1	20.0	0.0	10.0	$12,551	$328	$12,223
Innovation High School	Public	9-12	239 Bergen Avenue	Jersey City	07305	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-1504	301			69.8%	58 (19.3%)	85 (28.2%)	86 (28.6%)	61 (20.3%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	6 (2.0%)	34.2	297^th of 434 public high schools	31.6%		27.6	326^th of 429 public high schools	24.0%	29		46.1	34.7	50.6	12.5	12.5	0.0	12.5	6.3	$9,809	$344	$9,465
Hoboken High School	Public	9-12	Ninth & Clinton St	Hoboken	07030	Hudson County	Hoboken Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 356-3700	652	47	13.9	52.1%	201 (30.8%)	89 (13.7%)	309 (47.4%)	30 (4.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	20 (3.1%)	58.5	151^st of 434 public high schools	65.2%		56.5	163^rd of 429 public high schools	62.0%	12	89.0	64.7	30.8	69.4	11.6	11.6	59.1		58.4	$19,451	$358	$19,093

Frequently Asked Questions about James J Ferris High School

What is the racial makeup of James J Ferris High School?

Students at James J Ferris High School are 55% Hispanic, 21% African American, 11% Asian, 11% White, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend James J Ferris High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,364 students attended James J Ferris High School.

What district is James J Ferris High School in?

Jersey City Public Schools

Is James J Ferris High School a good school?

James J Ferris High School ranks in the bottom 5.8% of New Jersey high schools.

What schools feed into James J Ferris High School?

James J Ferris High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cornelia F. Bradford School
Elementary : Dr. Michael Conti School
Elementary : Frank R Conwell School
Elementary : Rafael Cordero y Molina
Middle : Middle School # 4

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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.