Best Public Schools in Passaic, NJ

Summary:

The city of Passaic, New Jersey is home to 22 schools, including 14 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 4 high schools, and 1 alternative school, all part of the Passaic City School District, except for one alternative school that is part of the Northern Region Educational Services Commission. The data reveals stark disparities in academic performance, with a few standout schools like the Passaic Arts and Science Charter School and the Passaic Academy for Science and Engineering significantly outperforming the district and state averages, while many other schools struggle with low test scores, high dropout rates, and chronic absenteeism.

The Passaic Arts and Science Charter School stands out as the top performer, with the highest 4-year graduation rate at 96.9%, the lowest dropout rate at 0%, and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 11.4%. The school's test scores are also significantly higher than the district and state averages across multiple grade levels and subjects. Similarly, the Passaic Academy for Science and Engineering has a 100% 4-year graduation rate, 0% dropout rate, and its test scores, particularly in math and science, are notably higher than the district and state averages. The Passaic Gifted and Talented Academy School No. 20 also ranks highly, with the best statewide ranking among Passaic schools and the highest test scores in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

However, the majority of Passaic schools face significant challenges, with predominantly Hispanic student populations, low white and African American representation, and extremely high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, indicating high poverty levels. Many schools also struggle with low test scores, high dropout rates, and chronic absenteeism, suggesting systemic issues within the district that need to be addressed. Understanding the factors that contribute to the success of the top-performing schools could provide valuable insights for improving the overall performance of the Passaic City School District.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				NJSLA-S Science (2023)			NJSLA English Language Arts (2023)							NJSLA Mathematics (2023)						NJSLA Algebra I (2023)					NJSLA Geometry (2023)			NJSLA Algebra II (2023)				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 (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NJSLA-S Science 5th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 8th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 11th 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 English Language Arts 9th 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 7th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 10th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	NJSLA Geometry 9th Grade	NJSLA Geometry 10th Grade	NJSLA Geometry End of Course	NJSLA Algebra II 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra II 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra II 10th Grade	NJSLA Algebra II End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Passaic Arts and Science Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	7 St. Francis Way	Passaic	07410	Bergen County	Passaic Arts and Science Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(201) 773-9140	1,946	126	15.4	74.7%	93 (4.8%)	135 (6.9%)	1,623 (83.4%)	76 (3.9%)	5 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	11 (0.6%)								(n/a)	20.4	3.1	4.7	22.4	34.2	37.2	33.3	44.8	40.2	42.9	37.0	32.7	20.9	20.1	19.1	15.4			16.0		16.0								$9,416	$1,264	$8,152
Vincent Capuana School No. 15	Public	PK-K	374 Broadway	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 815-8563	134	12	11.1	100.0%	4 (3.0%)	5 (3.7%)	114 (85.1%)	10 (7.5%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Daniel F. Ryan Elementary School No. 19	Public	1-8	320 Highland Ave.	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 779-4219	731	58	12.6	99.7%	5 (0.7%)	32 (4.4%)	690 (94.4%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14.1	1167^th of 1342 public elementary schools	13.0%		17.7	1108^th of 1345 public elementary schools	17.6%	59	7.4	3.4		14.7	26.8	24.7	25.0	43.1	46.4		14.3	23.3	18.5	11.1	16.1			11.8			11.8								$9,378	$661	$8,717
Passaic Gifted and Talented Academy School No. 20	Public	2-8	19 Henry Street	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 470-5500	756	54	14.0	100.0%	9 (1.2%)	19 (2.5%)	708 (93.7%)	20 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52	332^nd of 748 public middle schools	55.6%		52.7	318^th of 745 public middle schools	57.3%	14	24.8	12.7		42.5	61.2	74.6	72.9	80.7	70.9		42.6	56.1	42.8	35.5	14.3		56.8	19.5			29.9								$7,620	$653	$6,967
Passaic Academy for Science and Engineering	Public	6-12	291 Lafayette Avenue	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 470-5504	745	56	13.3	100.0%	6 (0.8%)	18 (2.4%)	674 (90.5%)	41 (5.5%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	54.7	135^th of 422 public high schools	68.0%		40.4	212^th of 415 public high schools	48.9%	77		17.9	44.0				47.6	72.0	83.1	74.1				26.2	16.1		77.8	34.2			44.9	43.6	9.1	22.0	61.5	16.0		22.7	$9,146		$9,146
Passaic Preparatory Academy	Public	6-12	252 Boulevard	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 470-5504	713	52	13.7	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.7%)	688 (96.5%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30.2	272^nd of 422 public high schools	35.5%		23.7	307^th of 415 public high schools	26.0%	35		1.0	14.6				45.3	77.2	48.4	73.9				11.9	19.4		46.2	6.6			16.4	40.0	8.4	14.6	0.0	4.6		3.4	$9,290		$9,290
Sonia Sotomayor School #21	Public	K-8	225 Madison Street	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 470-5500	588	47	12.5	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.9%)	550 (93.5%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	8.8	1265^th of 1342 public elementary schools	5.7%		8.1	1277^th of 1345 public elementary schools	5.1%	12	5.0	0.0		6.6	26.9	15.3	7.8	15.5	23.6		12.7	23.6	3.3	1.9	6.8			3.7			3.7
Passaic High School No. 12	Public	9-12	170 Paulison Ave.	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 470-5600	2,596	170	15.2	99.3%	12 (0.5%)	81 (3.1%)	2,486 (95.8%)	11 (0.4%)	1 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.1%)	7.2	421^st of 422 public high schools	0.2%		8	413^th of 415 public high schools	0.5%	8			4.7							14.5									1.4	0.0	1.4	10.8	2.2	3.0		0.3	0.0	0.2	$10,541	$1,012	$9,529
Thomas Jefferson School No. 1	Public	K-8	390 Van Houten Ave.	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 470-5501	446	39	11.4	99.8%	4 (0.9%)	16 (3.6%)	405 (90.8%)	17 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	14.9	1156^th of 1342 public elementary schools	13.9%		20.1	1076^th of 1345 public elementary schools	20.0%	80	1.9	0.0		22.4	17.4	7.4	34.9	23.3	21.1		29.3	28.6	13.8	2.1	6.1			4.9			4.9								$11,482	$735	$10,747
Mario Drago School No. 3	Public	PK, KG-8	155 Van Houten Ave.	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 470-5503	694	60	11.5	99.0%	25 (3.6%)	15 (2.2%)	586 (84.4%)	58 (8.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.2%)	12.3	1200^th of 1342 public elementary schools	10.6%		16.3	1126^th of 1345 public elementary schools	16.3%	74	3.9	3.2		21.9	26.7	22.9	24.0	28.6	40.4		23.6	14.3	8.0	5.6	11.2			5.1			5.1								$10,486	$800	$9,686
Martin Luther King Junior School No. 6	Public	PK, KG-8	85 Hamilton Ave.	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 470-5506	682	73	9.3	99.4%	4 (0.6%)	41 (6.0%)	630 (92.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.6%)	5.8	1306^th of 1342 public elementary schools	2.7%		9.3	1261^st of 1345 public elementary schools	6.2%	45	1.4	3.9		1.4	13.3	5.9	15.1	17.0	21.7		10.4	4.8	4.2	5.2	4.9			10.8			10.8								$10,342	$836	$9,506
Sallie D. Gamble School No. 7	Public	PK-K	155 Summer St.	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 470-5507	254	23	11.0	99.2%	5 (2.0%)	7 (2.8%)	239 (94.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)								(n/a)																													$7,390	$721	$6,669
Etta Gero School No. 9	Public	K-6	140 First St.	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 470-5509	387	34	11.3	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	382 (98.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	6.8	1295^th of 1342 public elementary schools	3.5%		7.3	1301^st of 1345 public elementary schools	3.3%	6	4.7			6.0	18.2	20.0	5.5				1.9	11.1	4.9	5.3															$10,703	$787	$9,916
Theodore Roosevelt School No. 10	Public	K-6	151 Harrison St.	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 470-5510	285	21	13.5	100.0%	5 (1.8%)	3 (1.1%)	275 (96.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11.2	1224^th of 1342 public elementary schools	8.8%		9.4	1256^th of 1345 public elementary schools	6.6%	32	8.9			17.5	19.0	16.7	17.1				9.3	18.2	20.0	2.6															$10,200	$692	$9,508
William B. Cruise Memorial School No. 11	Public	K-8	390 Gregory Ave.	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 470-5511	908	62	14.6	99.9%	2 (0.2%)	22 (2.4%)	874 (96.3%)	7 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	13.3	1181^st of 1342 public elementary schools	12.0%		12.5	1198^th of 1345 public elementary schools	10.9%	17	5.6	1.4		11.0	32.1	40.7	32.1	18.6	17.3		6.7	9.9	3.3	4.5	5.9			2.1			2.1								$9,572	$759	$8,813
Ellen Ochoa School Number 22	Public	4-6	95 Dayton Ave	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(973) 470-5500	387	33	11.7	99.5%	3 (0.8%)	5 (1.3%)	376 (97.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)	3.3				10.0	14.5	23.8					12.0	8.3	5.6
Muhammad Ali School Number 23	Public	7-8	63 Dayton Ave	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(973) 470-5500	479	48	9.9	99.4%	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.2%)	456 (95.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	7.6	736^th of 748 public middle schools	1.6%					(n/a)		1.6						14.9	25.6						3.7			5.6			5.6
Mahatma Gandhi School Number 25	Public	K-3	64 Parker Ave	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Passaic City School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(973) 470-5500	515	42	12.2	100.0%	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.9%)	497 (96.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	6	1303^rd of 1342 public elementary schools	2.9%					(n/a)				11.7							6.9
Hope Academy	Public	6-12	266 Harrison Street	Passaic	07055	Passaic County	Northern Region Educational Services Commission	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 928-1509	124	12	10.5	97.6%	0 (0.0%)	15 (12.1%)	109 (87.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																													$15,648		$15,648

Cities Near Passaic

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Wallington	0.95 mi	3	249^th
Clifton	0.98 mi	20	388^th
East Rutherford	1.25 mi	4	222^nd
Garfield	1.32 mi	12	287^th
Rutherford	1.78 mi	5	159^th

See the top NJ New Jersey cities

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.