Best Public Schools in Orange, NJ

The city of Orange, New Jersey is home to 10 schools, including 7 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school, all part of the Orange Board of Education district. While the district as a whole faces significant challenges, with a ranking of 493 out of 613 in the state and a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, a few standout schools emerge from the data.

Heywood Avenue Elementary School and Forest Street Community Elementary School both perform well above the district average on English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments, with Heywood Avenue Elementary also boasting a relatively low chronic absenteeism rate. Meanwhile, Orange Preparatory Academy School of Inquiry and Innovation stands out for its high performance on Algebra I assessments, with 86.8% of 8th graders proficient or better, far exceeding the district average of 27.3%.

However, the data also reveals significant disparities in academic performance across the district, with some schools, such as Cleveland Street Elementary and Oakwood Avenue Community School, struggling significantly with proficiency rates well below the state average. These disparities may be linked to the high rates of free and reduced lunch recipients and chronic absenteeism across the district, suggesting the need for targeted interventions and support to address the unique challenges faced by the student population.