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Dr. Maya Angelou Elementary School

Q: Is Dr. Maya Angelou Elementary School a good school?

Dr. Maya Angelou Elementary School ranks 908 th of 1347 New Jersey elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

908^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,347 New Jersey Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of New Jersey elementary schools

Summary

Dr. Maya Angelou Elementary School is a public elementary school in Jersey City Public Schools that serves 626 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. The school faces significant challenges, with consistently low student performance on state assessments and high rates of chronic absenteeism.

Dr. Maya Angelou Elementary School has ranked in the bottom quarter of New Jersey elementary schools for the past 10 years, with proficiency rates on state tests well below the district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 49.4% of 3rd graders, 48.2% of 4th graders, and 36.6% of 5th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 46.7%, 49.2%, and 43.5% for the district, and 44.9%, 53.6%, and 52.7% for the state. The school also faces high rates of chronic absenteeism, with 14.9% of students chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year.

Interestingly, the nearby Soaring Heights Charter School significantly outperforms the district and state averages on state assessments, indicating that high-performing schools can be successful in the same geographic area. However, other nearby schools, such as Whitney M. Young Junior School, Martin Center for the Arts, and James F. Murray School, also perform poorly on state assessments and have high rates of chronic absenteeism, suggesting that the challenges faced by Dr. Maya Angelou Elementary School are not unique to the school but are systemic issues within the Jersey City Public Schools district.

607

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,010

Per pupil spending ?

77.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

239 Ocean Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07305-2626

(201) 915-6470

District: Jersey City Public Schools

Students who attend Dr. Maya Angelou Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Ezra L. Nolan School
High:	Henry Snyder High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

46.8%

Hispanic:

37.4%

Asian:

6.4%

See top rated New Jersey elementary schools

Compare Dr. Maya Angelou Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2015 → 33rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (36% vs 46% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (39% vs 14% New Jersey)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg40%

New Jersey avg46%

908^th of 1,347

New Jersey public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 21 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^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	33.1	908 of 1347	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.5	959 of 1338	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	1034 of 1342	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.3	1047 of 1345	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.0	1097 of 1317	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.9	1041 of 1360	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.5	1175 of 1353	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.1	1154 of 1352	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.2	1131 of 1346	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	13.0	1200 of 1357	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	16.6	1173 of 1363	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	16.6	1179 of 1367	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	17.5	1167 of 1363	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	26.7	1098 of 1360	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	19.5	1164 of 1354	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	22.8	1130 of 1346	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	13.2	1200 of 1338	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.4	1088 of 1329	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	27.2	1079 of 1314	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	24.1	1085 of 1303	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	12.1	1152 of 1298	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	7.3	1084 of 1204	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	72.1	83 of 463	82.1%	★★★★☆
2024	61.1	148 of 469	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.9	154 of 463	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.2	167 of 494	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.1	267 of 456	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.4	171 of 522	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.5	265 of 517	48.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	21.0	518 of 597	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.0	479 of 559	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.2	266 of 499	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.4	304 of 489	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.3	183 of 411	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	28.5	316 of 434	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	30.5	921 of 1326	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.4	863 of 1317	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.6	880 of 1318	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.2	920 of 1326	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.7	1024 of 1290	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.0	931 of 1331	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	18.8	1118 of 1333	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	43.8	528 of 1032	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.7	494 of 989	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.7	634 of 982	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.5	605 of 953	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.5	505 of 896	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.7	542 of 899	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.6	694 of 870	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	57.9	369 of 1023	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.4	387 of 939	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.2	433 of 910	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.3	509 of 863	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.2	463 of 839	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.6	536 of 948	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.2	697 of 942	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	37.6	814 of 1318	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.3	1001 of 1313	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	1078 of 1315	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	1063 of 1324	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.2	1113 of 1297	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.5	1071 of 1335	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.6	1157 of 1334	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	37.9	562 of 1023	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.6	824 of 989	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.8	568 of 958	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.4	711 of 949	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.3	671 of 868	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.0	684 of 1007	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.5	761 of 1001	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)82nd percentile+49 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)64th percentile+31 vs school

Hispanic (2025)49th percentile+16 vs school

Special Education (2025)45th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)38th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)31st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)13th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts45%-6 vs state

Mathematics35%-12 vs state

Science16%-14 vs state

3.5

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

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3★1

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, April 14, 2014

20 is an excellent school...my daughter has had some awesome teachers!, just as in all schools you have a few bad teachers as is the case here as well as a lack of communication amongst administrators and teachers. If coming to 20 I would suggest keeping an open communication policy with your child's teacher along with talking with administrators and if that doesn't work, do your follow up at the board of education as well as certified letters, this seems the quickest way for a response which is sad. It wasn't always this way. I personally think they need a shake up, it's too family oriented as if your going to have "friends" night out opposed to going to work. This is coming from someone that has worked with the public for a number of years, when you have someone on your team that can and will talk to parents any kind of way that is a red flag and there is a few of them there, then yes it's time for changes to made pronto. Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Wednesday, October 26, 2011

PS # 20 School has shown itself, in my opinion, to be one of the best schools in Jersey City! There is a lot of teacher/parent cooperation. Although my experience with one teacher was a little frustrating, however this year I find my son's 2nd grade teacher to be phenomenal! The principal and vice principal are very hands on! Also PS #20 has a high test score rating. Close Quote

Schools Near Dr. Maya Angelou Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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. Maya Angelou Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	239 Ocean Avenue	Jersey City	07305	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6470	607	44	13.7	77.1%	37 (6.1%)	284 (46.8%)	227 (37.4%)	39 (6.4%)	11 (1.8%)	3 (0.5%)	6 (1.0%)	33.1	908^th of 1347 public elementary schools	32.6%		28.5	959^th of 1338 public elementary schools	28.3%	51	15.9		49.4	48.2	36.6				40.5	32.5	30.5						$9,010	$324	$8,686
Jersey City Community Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	128 Danforth Avenue	Jersey City	07305	Hudson County	Jersey City Community Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 433-2288	561	36	15.5	82.5%	7 (1.2%)	347 (61.9%)	192 (34.2%)	15 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29	969^th of 1347 public elementary schools	28.1%		23.9	1022^nd of 1338 public elementary schools	23.6%	53	12.7	3.3	50.9	50.0	42.9	41.6	38.5	47.6	30.2	30.6	25.4	16.7	13.8	9.1	70.6	70.6	$5,983	$1,290	$4,693
President Barack Obama Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1830 Kennedy Blvd	Jersey City	07305	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6550	425	35	12.1	84.0%	28 (6.6%)	238 (56.0%)	118 (27.8%)	30 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	5 (1.2%)	11.4	1224^th of 1347 public elementary schools	9.1%		10.3	1230^th of 1338 public elementary schools	8.1%	6	2.5	2.5	29.1	24.0	37.5	13.6	21.1	13.5	20.4	14.0	17.5	4.5	7.2	2.6			$15,299	$629	$14,670
Alexander D. Sullivan School	Public	PK, KG-5	171 Seaview Ave	Jersey City	07305	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6530	638	54	11.9	81.3%	46 (7.2%)	167 (26.2%)	378 (59.2%)	30 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.7%)	11.1	1230^th of 1347 public elementary schools	8.7%		8.2	1267^th of 1338 public elementary schools	5.3%	37	9.0		20.6	23.1	25.4				20.3	21.4	16.2						$11,486	$434	$11,052
Soaring Heights Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	1 Romar Avenue	Jersey City	07305	Hudson County	Soaring Heights Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 434-4800	272	16	16.6	55.9%	39 (14.3%)	70 (25.7%)	44 (16.2%)	92 (33.8%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.3%)	10 (3.7%)	93.2	61^st of 1347 public elementary schools	95.5%		89.9	115^th of 1338 public elementary schools	91.4%	54	56.0	32.0	87.5	92.0	88.0	94.0	96.0	88.0	66.7	72.0	80.0	80.0	64.0	72.0			$8,696	$1,133	$7,563
Whitney M. Young Junior School	Public	PK, KG-8	135 Stegman St	Jersey City	07305	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6440	623	58	10.7	86.7%	21 (3.4%)	360 (57.8%)	217 (34.8%)	14 (2.2%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.6%)	5 (0.8%)	5.3	1318^th of 1347 public elementary schools	2.2%		5.2	1314^th of 1338 public elementary schools	1.8%	4	5.7	1.9	11.1	23.3	15.4	7.0	3.1	6.0	4.7	11.4	5.8	1.3	1.5	3.6			$15,967	$786	$15,181
Martin Center for the Arts	Public	PK, KG-8	59 Wilkinson Ave	Jersey City	07305	Hudson County	Jersey City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 915-6590	359	34	10.5	84.4%	13 (3.6%)	217 (60.4%)	116 (32.3%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.7%)	6.2	1306^th of 1347 public elementary schools	3.0%		8.9	1258^th of 1338 public elementary schools	6.0%	48	3.4	4.0	18.1	22.2	12.0	13.2	8.0	14.0	13.0	7.1	6.9	7.7	3.7	6.0			$12,741	$620	$12,121
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
Woodrow Wilson Community School	Public	PK, KG-8	101 West 56th Street	Bayonne	07002	Hudson County	Bayonne School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 858-5996	740	71	10.4	67.4%	278 (37.6%)	132 (17.8%)	209 (28.2%)	79 (10.7%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	36 (4.9%)	36.4	865^th of 1347 public elementary schools	35.8%		38.9	812^th of 1338 public elementary schools	39.3%	53	27.5	12.7	29.2	63.9	57.4	29.2	69.0	61.1	36.9	38.7	33.3	22.7	39.4	21.9			$12,061	$545	$11,516
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

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