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The Gray Charter School

Public, Charter Grades K-8

49^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 96% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

The Gray Charter School is a public charter elementary school serving 339 students in grades K-8 in Newark, New Jersey. The school has consistently demonstrated strong academic performance, ranking among the top elementary schools in the state.

The Gray Charter School significantly outperforms the state average in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 96.2% of 7th-grade students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 57%. The school's performance is particularly impressive for its diverse student subgroups, ranking among the top schools in the state. Additionally, the school has maintained relatively low chronic absenteeism rates, suggesting effective student engagement and support. The Gray Charter School also spends $9,242 per student, higher than the state average, indicating a commitment to providing adequate resources and support.

Compared to nearby schools, the Newark Educators Community Charter School and the traditional public schools in the Newark Public School District, The Gray Charter School significantly outperforms in academic achievement, attendance, and resource allocation. This highlights the potential benefits of the charter school model in providing a high-quality education, particularly in underserved urban areas like Newark.

317

Students ?

19.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,242

Per pupil spending ?

72.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

55 Liberty Street
Newark, NJ 07102

(973) 824-6661

District: Gray Charter School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.8%

African American:

35.3%

White:

1.9%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare The Gray Charter School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 64th percentile in 2015 → 96th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Jersey average (79% vs 44% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 4% of New Jersey elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 32 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school79%

District avg79%

New Jersey avg44%

Elementary school

49^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Top 4%▲ up 32 pts since 2015

From top 36% (2015) to top 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

40^th of 752

New Jersey public middle schools ?

Top 5%▲ up 12 pts since 2015

From top 17% (2015) to top 5% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

24^th of 609Gray Charter School 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	93.7	49 of 1347	96.4%	★★★★★
2024	89.2	130 of 1338	90.3%	★★★★★
2023	82.9	228 of 1342	83.0%	★★★★☆
2022	86.4	180 of 1345	86.6%	★★★★☆
2021	74.7	299 of 1317	77.3%	★★★★☆
2019	88.3	117 of 1360	91.4%	★★★★★
2018	82.1	226 of 1353	83.3%	★★★★☆
2017	76.7	341 of 1352	74.8%	★★★★☆
2016	56.6	619 of 1346	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	66.2	482 of 1357	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	71.8	437 of 1363	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	83.1	146 of 1367	89.3%	★★★★☆
2012	80.0	218 of 1363	84.0%	★★★★☆
2011	73.0	387 of 1360	71.5%	★★★★☆
2010	73.0	383 of 1354	71.7%	★★★★☆
2009	61.6	627 of 1346	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.4	629 of 1338	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	54.3	811 of 1329	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	56.4	759 of 1314	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	82.5	98 of 1303	92.5%	★★★★★
2004	77.4	259 of 1298	80.0%	★★★★☆
2003	2.7	1142 of 1204	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2024	97.9	9 of 469	98.1%	★★★★★
2023	97.8	7 of 463	98.5%	★★★★★
2022	95.4	17 of 494	96.6%	★★★★★
2021	98.3	3 of 456	99.3%	★★★★★
2019	99.5	7 of 522	98.7%	★★★★★
2018	90.6	32 of 517	93.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	93.9	39 of 1326	97.1%	★★★★★
2024	85.4	175 of 1317	86.7%	★★★★☆
2023	74.0	352 of 1318	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	86.0	168 of 1326	87.3%	★★★★☆
2021	70.6	311 of 1290	75.9%	★★★★☆
2019	86.5	133 of 1331	90.0%	★★★★★
2018	80.2	239 of 1333	82.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	98.9	12 of 1032	98.8%	★★★★★
2024	98.0	16 of 989	98.4%	★★★★★
2023	95.1	40 of 982	95.9%	★★★★★
2022	98.8	8 of 953	99.2%	★★★★★
2021	95.9	36 of 896	96.0%	★★★★★
2019	87.1	78 of 899	91.3%	★★★★★
2018	97.7	16 of 870	98.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	99.4	7 of 1023	99.3%	★★★★★
2024	99.1	5 of 939	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	96.6	17 of 910	98.1%	★★★★★
2022	99.8	5 of 863	99.4%	★★★★★
2021	98.8	5 of 839	99.4%	★★★★★
2019	100.0	1 of 948	99.9%	★★★★★
2018	97.2	14 of 942	98.5%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	89.9	103 of 1318	92.2%	★★★★★
2024	90.8	87 of 1313	93.4%	★★★★★
2023	89.4	113 of 1315	91.4%	★★★★★
2022	84.1	201 of 1324	84.8%	★★★★☆
2021	71.0	322 of 1297	75.2%	★★★★☆
2019	86.7	125 of 1335	90.6%	★★★★★
2018	84.8	168 of 1334	87.4%	★★★★☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	90.6	40 of 752	94.7%	★★★★★
2024	93.0	21 of 743	97.2%	★★★★★
2023	83.9	91 of 748	87.8%	★★★★☆
2022	93.0	29 of 745	96.1%	★★★★★
2021	86.0	70 of 652	89.3%	★★★★☆
2019	76.3	163 of 745	78.1%	★★★★☆
2018	86.9	52 of 716	92.7%	★★★★★
2017	86.6	57 of 712	92.0%	★★★★★
2016	74.1	153 of 713	78.5%	★★★★☆
2015	77.5	124 of 713	82.6%	★★★★☆
2014	66.8	280 of 717	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	67.0	273 of 704	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	71.7	231 of 677	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.0	276 of 684	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.8	279 of 677	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	55.7	379 of 664	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	44.1	436 of 640	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	38.4	465 of 631	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	48.7	389 of 599	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	7.6	526 of 588	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2021	96.4	6 of 291	97.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	86.7	81 of 728	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	90.3	43 of 717	94.0%	★★★★★
2023	56.0	284 of 720	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	93.3	26 of 726	96.4%	★★★★★
2021	92.5	26 of 625	95.8%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	98.9	6 of 608	99.0%	★★★★★
2024	99.4	2 of 589	99.7%	★★★★★
2023	93.2	17 of 587	97.1%	★★★★★
2022	99.6	3 of 591	99.5%	★★★★★
2021	96.8	9 of 480	98.1%	★★★★★
2019	68.0	129 of 524	75.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	98.6	11 of 613	98.2%	★★★★★
2024	99.6	7 of 584	98.8%	★★★★★
2022	99.9	3 of 549	99.5%	★★★★★
2021	98.2	10 of 467	97.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	93.5	34 of 726	95.3%	★★★★★
2024	91.5	47 of 719	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	72.0	169 of 730	76.8%	★★★★☆
2021	72.7	142 of 635	77.6%	★★★★☆

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)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)99th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)99th percentile~ school

African American (2024)98th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)97th percentile~ school

Male (2025)92nd percentile-4 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2025)99th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)98th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2021)98th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)95th percentile~ school

Female (2025)89th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts88%+34 vs state

Mathematics84%+43 vs state

Science40%+15 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, January 13, 2022

I had such high hopes for this school. I am a very involved parent, but my wife and I both feel that this school tries to fail children so easily in the early stages. They force children into a very rigid mold as opposed to building off their strengths. This has been an incredibly discouraging and disappointing experience for our family. I understand that the upper school students score well in standardized tests, but their lower school curriculum is in desperate need of reframing, it just is not realistic for children at the first stages of schooling. I would encourage family-involved projects instead of hours and hours of daily after school busywork that will only serve to burn these kids out so early in their education. This is a prime time to foster a love of learning for children and their families- not a dreading of overly tedious and frustrating daily homework assignments. The Gray Charter School is not correct in how it’s designed its program for its youngest learners. I hope they read this review and take a second look at this for future generations. Close Quote

Schools Near The Gray Charter 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
The Gray Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	55 Liberty Street	Newark	07102	Essex County	Gray Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 824-6661	317	16	19.2	72.9%	6 (1.9%)	112 (35.3%)	196 (61.8%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	93.7	49^th of 1347 public elementary schools	96.4%		89.2	130^th of 1338 public elementary schools	90.3%	81	55.2	20.8	65.7	93.1	86.2	92.9	96.2	95.9	96.9	89.7	82.7	71.4	69.2	91.7			$9,242	$1,298	$7,944
Lafayette Street School	Public	PK, KG-8	205 Lafayette St	Newark	07105	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 465-4860	1,213	75	16.1	87.3%	238 (19.6%)	13 (1.1%)	956 (78.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	27.1	997^th of 1347 public elementary schools	26.0%		24.8	1010^th of 1338 public elementary schools	24.5%	13	18.5	8.8	30.2	36.8	45.4	54.8	66.6	66.4	25.4	27.3	24.4	29.9	29.7	21.3	74.2	74.2	$7,737	$782	$6,955
Oliver Street School	Public	PK, KG-8	86 Oliver St	Newark	07105	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 465-4870	1,034	77	13.4	83.0%	337 (32.6%)	32 (3.1%)	655 (63.3%)	5 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	44.7	745^th of 1347 public elementary schools	44.7%		43.9	744^th of 1338 public elementary schools	44.4%	1	17.9	4.0	42.5	53.3	49.0	53.2	60.6	50.9	42.0	46.6	43.4	41.2	39.7	6.7	73.7	73.7	$8,360	$409	$7,951
East Ward Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-7	104 Oliver Street	Newark	07105	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 465-4880	854	49	17.4	88.8%	275 (32.2%)	40 (4.7%)	527 (61.7%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.5%)	6.1	1307^th of 1347 public elementary schools	3.0%		5.4	1311^th of 1338 public elementary schools	2.0%	4	3.8		13.6	4.5	10.5	25.5	35.4		15.3	8.6	8.2	6.9	30.9				$10,905		$10,905
South Street Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	44-48 Hermon Street	Newark	07105	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 465-4880	866	57	15.1	88.0%	179 (20.7%)	52 (6.0%)	628 (72.5%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	21.6	1070^th of 1347 public elementary schools	20.6%		18.2	1102^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	17.6%	32	1.2	2.3	40.3	36.0	17.7	46.3	41.6	46.5	47.5	17.5	11.1	22.5	21.3	9.6	76.9	76.9	$10,591	$549	$10,042
Link Community Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	23 Pennsyvania Ave	Newark	07114	Essex County	Link Community Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 642-0529	343	22	15.5	72.3%	1 (0.3%)	289 (84.3%)	46 (13.4%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	41.4	372^nd of 752 public elementary schools	50.5%		44	743^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	44.5%	371	14.3	3.8	41.8		47.1	70.6	66.7	67.9	37.2		34.3	29.4	21.6	17.0			$12,874	$943	$11,931
Ironbound Academy Elementary School	Public	K-6	366 East Kinney Street	Newark	07105	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(973) 465-4996	325	16	20.3	80.9%	27 (8.3%)	12 (3.7%)	281 (86.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	16.7	1150^th of 1347 public elementary schools	14.6%		9.4	1246^th of 1338 public elementary schools	6.9%	96	14.6		18.8	29.6	25.5	22.9			16.0	29.2	37.5	16.7
Newark Educators Community Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	12 Fulton St	Newark	07102	Essex County	Newark Educators Community Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 289-6117	142	12	11.8	81.0%	0 (0.0%)	101 (71.1%)	40 (28.2%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34.1	893^rd of 1347 public elementary schools	33.7%		52.9	636^th of 1338 public elementary schools	52.5%	257			0.0	77.8					12.6	38.9
Quitman Street School	Public	PK, KG-8	21 Quitman St	Newark	07103	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 733-6947	706	43	16.4	84.4%	15 (2.1%)	383 (54.2%)	284 (40.2%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	16 (2.3%)	5.8	1310^th of 1347 public elementary schools	2.7%		5.7	1306^th of 1338 public elementary schools	2.4%	4	4.6	2.6	10.0	18.8	20.3	11.1	18.4	28.8	7.3	6.0	10.8	5.4	1.3	0.0	20.0	20.0	$12,167	$889	$11,278
Wilson Avenue School	Public	K-8	19 Wilson Ave	Newark	07108	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 465-4910	1,006	62	16.2	85.7%	357 (35.5%)	18 (1.8%)	631 (62.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26.1	1012^th of 1347 public elementary schools	24.9%		24	1020^th of 1338 public elementary schools	23.8%	8	11.3	6.7	38.3	43.6	35.4	45.2	29.6	58.1	28.5	32.2	21.8	29.5	24.5	30.3	50.0	50.0	$8,387	$438	$7,949

Frequently Asked Questions about The Gray Charter School

Is The Gray Charter School a good school?

Yes! The Gray Charter School is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 49^th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of The Gray Charter School?

Students at The Gray Charter School are 62% Hispanic, 35% African American, 2% White.

How many students attend The Gray Charter School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 317 students attended The Gray Charter School.

What district is The Gray Charter School in?

Gray Charter 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.