Summary:
The city of Orange, New Jersey is home to 11 schools that are part of the Orange Board of Education School District, which includes 8 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school. The district is ranked 499 out of 615 school districts in New Jersey and is rated 1 star out of 5 by SchoolDigger, indicating significant challenges in providing quality education to its predominantly African American and Hispanic student population.
Among the standout schools in the district are Forest Street Community Elementary School, which ranks the highest among the elementary schools, and Heywood Avenue Elementary School, which has the second-highest proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics. The Orange Preparatory Academy School of Inquiry and Innovation is the highest-ranking middle school in the district, with the best Algebra I proficiency rates.
However, the district as a whole faces significant challenges, including high rates of free and reduced lunch recipients, chronic absenteeism, and low academic performance on standardized tests compared to state averages. These disparities suggest a strong correlation between socioeconomic status and student outcomes, highlighting the need for targeted interventions and support. While the district's investment in early childhood education at the Orange Early Childhood Center is a positive step, addressing the underlying socioeconomic factors and learning from the practices of the higher-performing schools could be crucial in improving the overall quality of education in the district.
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