Camden's Promise Charter School

Camden's Promise Charter School is an alternative public charter school serving 2,440 students in grades PK-12 in Camden, New Jersey, a city with high poverty rates. The school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 89.67% to 91.31% over the past few years, and a relatively high student-teacher ratio of 10.4 to 11.6.

Despite the challenges, Camden's Promise Charter School has maintained high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 91.1% to 98.0% over the past few years, which is notably higher than the state average. The school's dropout rates are also relatively low, ranging from 0.3% to 1.2%, better than the state average. However, the school's test scores on the NJSLA (New Jersey Student Learning Assessments) are generally lower than the state averages across various grade levels and subject areas, with proficiency rates ranging from 18.6% to 46.2% in English Language Arts and 5.3% to 28.1% in Mathematics, compared to state averages of 44.9% to 57.1% and 20.7% to 49.8%, respectively. The school's chronic absenteeism rates are also relatively high, ranging from 8.2% to 16.6%, higher than the state average.

Compared to nearby charter schools, such as Leap Academy University Charter School, KIPP: Cooper Norcross A New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation, and Camden Prep Inc., which generally have higher test scores and graduation rates, Camden's Promise Charter School spends less per student, at $8,782 for the 2018-2019 school year, compared to the nearby charter schools' range of $10,261 to $14,663 per student. The school's higher student-teacher ratio may also be a contributing factor to its lower academic performance.