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Dr. Paul Rafalides School

Q: Is Dr. Paul Rafalides School a good school?

Dr. Paul Rafalides School ranks 768 th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

768^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Dr. Paul Rafalides School is an elementary school located in Jersey City, New Jersey, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 347 students. The school is part of the Jersey City Public Schools district, which has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dr. Paul Rafalides School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of New Jersey elementary schools, with academic performance below the district and state averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. The school's 3rd grade proficiency rates in 2024-2025 were 53.7% in ELA and 47.6% in Math, compared to the district averages of 46.7% and 46.2%, and the state averages of 44.9% and 49.8%, respectively. The school also struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 14.9% to 25.6% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high-poverty student population.

While Dr. Paul Rafalides School faces significant challenges, the nearby Learning Community Charter School, a public charter school, outperforms the district on academic measures, with significantly higher proficiency rates in both ELA and Math. This suggests that targeted interventions and resource allocation could potentially help improve the performance of Dr. Paul Rafalides School and other schools within the Jersey City Public Schools district.

318

Students ?

11.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,226

Per pupil spending ?

76.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

362 Union St
Jersey City, NJ 07304-1212

(201) 915-6540

District: Jersey City Public Schools

Students who attend Dr. Paul Rafalides School usually attend:

High:

Lincoln High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

28.6%

White:

26.7%

African American:

23.0%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Dr. Paul Rafalides School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 24th percentile in 2021 → 43rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 43rd (2025) from a 24th-percentile low (2021)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (26% vs 14% New Jersey)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg45%

New Jersey avg49%

768^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From top 42% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 26Elementary 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	43.2	768 of 1347	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.0	869 of 1338	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.3	950 of 1342	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	965 of 1345	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.2	1002 of 1317	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.8	674 of 1360	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.0	422 of 1353	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.1	642 of 1352	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.9	634 of 1346	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.8	566 of 1357	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	37.4	974 of 1363	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	54.9	745 of 1367	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	56.4	732 of 1363	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	59.9	690 of 1360	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	68.0	500 of 1354	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	34.6	1017 of 1346	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	35.4	1018 of 1338	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	42.5	955 of 1329	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	34.1	1016 of 1314	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	38.3	962 of 1303	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	38.3	949 of 1298	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	71.8	408 of 1204	66.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	89.7	30 of 463	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	49.2	219 of 469	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.7	255 of 463	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.4	310 of 494	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.3	302 of 456	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	70.1	122 of 522	76.6%	★★★★☆
2018	83.2	63 of 517	87.8%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2024	5.1	307 of 340	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.4	319 of 346	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.2	306 of 348	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.9	315 of 339	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	51.6	186 of 370	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.8	182 of 370	50.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	60.0	177 of 597	70.4%	★★★★☆
2024	65.3	123 of 559	78.0%	★★★★☆
2023	61.3	136 of 499	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	40.1	246 of 489	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.1	314 of 411	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	70.1	110 of 463	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	88.3	41 of 434	90.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	37.7	827 of 1326	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.9	909 of 1317	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.0	943 of 1318	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.4	930 of 1326	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.4	1033 of 1290	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.0	658 of 1331	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.3	522 of 1333	60.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	67.9	263 of 1032	74.5%	★★★★☆
2024	36.4	617 of 989	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.9	811 of 982	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.2	598 of 953	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.3	806 of 896	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	56.0	347 of 899	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	81.6	114 of 870	86.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	75.0	166 of 1023	83.8%	★★★★☆
2024	71.0	177 of 939	81.2%	★★★★☆
2023	53.8	349 of 910	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.2	337 of 863	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.0	213 of 839	74.6%	★★★★☆
2019	79.0	106 of 948	88.8%	★★★★☆
2018	95.7	21 of 942	97.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	49.1	653 of 1318	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.0	718 of 1313	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.3	845 of 1315	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.8	928 of 1324	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.6	906 of 1297	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.8	644 of 1335	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	78.3	282 of 1334	78.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2019	13.3	932 of 1007	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	36.5	637 of 970	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.0	516 of 963	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.9	605 of 975	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.7	583 of 976	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.9	707 of 964	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.9	617 of 1023	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)94th percentile+51 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)84th percentile+41 vs school

Hispanic (2025)75th percentile+32 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)70th percentile+27 vs school

Male (2025)50th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)38th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)34th percentile-9 vs school

Asian (2024)10th percentile-25 vs school

Special Education (2019)7th percentile-43 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts50%~ state avg

Mathematics40%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dr. Paul Rafalides School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NJSLA-S Science (2025)		NJSLA English Language Arts (2025)						NJSLA Mathematics (2025)						NJSLA Algebra I (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	NJSLA-S Science 5th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 8th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 4th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 5th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 6th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 7th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 8th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dr. Paul Rafalides School	Public	PK, KG-4	362 Union St	Jersey City	07304	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6540	318	29	11.1	76.4%	85 (26.7%)	73 (23.0%)	91 (28.6%)	49 (15.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.8%)	11 (3.5%)	43.2	768^th of 1347 public elementary schools	43.0%		35	869^th of 1338 public elementary schools	35.1%	101			53.7	46.4					47.6	32.8							$10,226	$468	$9,758
Chaplain Charles Watters School	Public	PK, KG-8	220 Virginia Ave	Jersey City	07304	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6510	586	52	11.3	83.8%	87 (14.8%)	245 (41.8%)	183 (31.2%)	46 (7.8%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	19 (3.2%)	10.5	1243^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	7.7%		9.3	1247^th of 1338 public elementary schools	6.8%	4	9.7	1.7	21.4	18.1	20.0	20.2	13.4	14.9	33.9	18.3	14.6	7.2	6.7	3.3			$11,181	$395	$10,786
Ollie Culbreth Junior School	Public	PK, KG-8	153 Union St	Jersey City	07304	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6430	335	38	8.8	85.4%	17 (5.1%)	215 (64.2%)	90 (26.9%)	4 (1.2%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	6 (1.8%)	6.5	1303^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	3.3%		6	1300^th of 1338 public elementary schools	2.8%	3	2.9	0.0	11.5	7.7	3.0	34.4	15.6	21.6	11.1	12.5	2.9	8.8	0.0	5.3			$15,626	$510	$15,116
Learning Community Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	2495 John F Kennedy Blvd	Jersey City	07304	Hudson County	The Learning Community Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 332-0900	634	46	13.7	32.0%	185 (29.2%)	103 (16.2%)	126 (19.9%)	199 (31.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	17 (2.7%)	70.9	410^th of 1347 public elementary schools	69.6%		74.5	360^th of 1338 public elementary schools	73.1%	50	34.9	29.9	74.3	63.6	80.3	59.1	84.6	89.6	68.2	37.9	60.6	57.6	69.3		46.3	46.3	$9,314	$711	$8,603
Joseph H. Brensinger School	Public	PK, KG-8	600 Bergen Ave	Jersey City	07304	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6120	926	95	9.7	86.0%	371 (40.1%)	179 (19.3%)	277 (29.9%)	76 (8.2%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.4%)	18 (1.9%)	27.4	990^th of 1347 public elementary schools	26.5%		33.1	902^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	32.6%	88	11.9	3.8	36.3	51.7	35.8	44.2	42.0	49.5	39.3	32.3	25.3	20.0	18.0	10.3	70.6	70.6	$9,638	$511	$9,127
Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	509 Bramhall Ave.	Jersey City	07304	Hudson County	Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 433-5300	383	27	14.1	77.3%	0 (0.0%)	292 (76.2%)	83 (21.7%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	13.6	1195^th of 1347 public elementary schools	11.3%		20.5	1069^th of 1338 public elementary schools	20.1%	126	6.4	0.0	35.5	19.5	25.5	26.3	27.3	30.7	26.7	17.0	14.9	15.8	9.3	5.1			$10,336	$1,186	$9,150
Julia A. Barnes School	Public	PK, KG-5	91 Astor Place	Jersey City	07304	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6420	433	33	13.3	70.7%	72 (16.6%)	73 (16.9%)	254 (58.7%)	30 (6.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	38.9	830^th of 1347 public elementary schools	38.4%		8.7	1261^st of 1338 public elementary schools	5.8%	431			41.3						41.3								$13,400	$497	$12,903
Gladys Nunery School	Public	PK, KG-5	123 Claremont Ave	Jersey City	07305	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6520	251	23	10.9	84.5%	4 (1.6%)	150 (59.8%)	91 (36.3%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	17.8	1135^th of 1347 public elementary schools	15.7%		21.1	1057^th of 1338 public elementary schools	21.0%	78	17.5		25.5	27.5	50.0				17.3	15.4	23.1						$11,509	$394	$11,115
Dr. Charles P. DeFuccio School	Public	PK, KG-8	214 Plainfield Ave	Jersey City	07306	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6560	320	39	8.2	74.4%	40 (12.5%)	105 (32.8%)	121 (37.8%)	42 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	8 (2.5%)	11.3	1226^th of 1347 public elementary schools	9.0%		7	1281^st of 1338 public elementary schools	4.3%	55	2.6	3.7	28.6	40.7	21.6	29.2	27.3	42.3	19.0	14.8	2.6	11.5	13.0	7.4			$16,245	$610	$15,635
James F. Murray School	Public	PK, KG-8	339 Stegman Parkway	Jersey City	07305	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6620	642	47	13.6	77.4%	146 (22.7%)	192 (29.9%)	167 (26.0%)	96 (15.0%)	4 (0.6%)	24 (3.7%)	13 (2.0%)	35.6	876^th of 1347 public elementary schools	35.0%		30.7	933^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	30.3%	57	24.3	7.7	34.8	48.4	60.6	47.2	52.5	58.8	27.1	28.4	45.7	22.8	12.6	13.3	55.0	55.0	$10,598	$570	$10,028

Frequently Asked Questions about Dr. Paul Rafalides School

What is the racial makeup of Dr. Paul Rafalides School?

Students at Dr. Paul Rafalides School are 29% Hispanic, 27% White, 23% African American, 15% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 3% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Dr. Paul Rafalides School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 318 students attended Dr. Paul Rafalides School.

Is Dr. Paul Rafalides School a good school?

Dr. Paul Rafalides School ranks 768^th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Dr. Paul Rafalides School in?

Jersey City Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Dr. Paul Rafalides School attend?

Students who attend Dr. Paul Rafalides School usually go on to attend:

High : Lincoln High School

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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.