Best Public Schools in Camden, NJ

Camden, New Jersey, has 22 schools: 11 elementary schools, one middle school, five high schools and five alternative schools, serving students across a range of grade levels. In grade 3 in 2025–26, the 15 schools with reported results averaged 19% in ELA and 24% in math, compared with state results of 48% and 49%. The clearest overall finding is that average grade 3 proficiency was far below state results, while performance varied widely from school to school.

Some schools stand out in particular grades and subjects, while others had much lower results. In grade 3 ELA, Forest Hill School scored 48.4%, close to the state’s 48.1%; Henry B. Wilson Family School scored 5.7%, a 42-point difference from Forest Hill. In grade 3 math, Camden Prep Inc. led at 51%, while Wilson scored 3%. At grade 9, LEAP Academy University Charter School led ELA at 30%, compared with 5% at Camden High School. Exceptions to the broader low results include KIPP: Cooper Norcross A New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation, at 29% in grade 8 math versus 23% statewide, and Camden’s Promise Charter School, at 76% in grade 8 Algebra I versus 75% statewide.

Recent changes are mixed, and results depend on the grade and measure. For the same schools, the grade 3 ELA average rose from 18% in 2024–25 to 19% in 2025–26, while the state result rose from 45% to 48%, widening the average gap by about 2 points. The grade 3 math average fell from 24.2% to 23.6%, matching the state’s 0.6-point decline. SchoolDigger placed Creative Arts High School at the 21st statewide percentile and Dr. Henry H. Davis Elementary School at the 15th percentile among elementary schools in 2025–26. Similar school characteristics do not predict similar scores: Forest Hill and Wilson had student–teacher ratios of 9.1 and 9.0, and free/reduced lunch eligible shares of 64% and 67%, respectively, in 2024–25, yet their grade 3 results differed sharply. These figures describe school-level patterns and do not explain individual students’ experiences.