James J Ferris High School

Summary:

James J Ferris High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Jersey City, New Jersey, part of the Jersey City Public Schools district. With a diverse student population, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of New Jersey high schools and received a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating it is among the lowest-performing high schools in the state.

The school's challenges are evident in its key metrics. Its four-year graduation rate has ranged from 82.0% to 84.7% over the past 5 years, lower than the state average and nearby high-performing schools like Liberty High School and Dr. Ronald McNair High School, both of which have 100% graduation rates. James J Ferris High School's proficiency rates on state assessments are also significantly lower than state and district averages, and the school has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates.

Comparing James J Ferris High School to other schools in the area reveals stark differences. While the school's diverse student population and high percentage of economically disadvantaged students may be contributing factors, nearby high schools like County Prep High School and Dr. Ronald McNair High School have significantly higher statewide rankings, graduation rates, and test scores, suggesting that the challenges faced by James J Ferris High School are not necessarily shared by all schools in the Jersey City Public Schools district.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 35 Colgate St
       Jersey City, NJ  07302-3307


(201) 915-6660

District: Jersey City Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
329th of 422 New Jersey High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $14,071 Help


Feeder schools for James J Ferris High School:

Elementary:    Cornelia F. Bradford School
    Dr. Michael Conti School
    Frank R Conwell School
    Rafael Cordero y Molina
Middle:    Middle School # 4

Student/teacher ratio:  14.7 Help
Number of students:  1,348

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
55.6%
African American:
24.0%
White:
10.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  59.2% Help


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 Compare James J Ferris High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details James J Ferris High School ranks worse than 78% of high schools in New Jersey. It also ranks 5th among 8 ranked high schools in the Jersey City Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 20.76. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at James J Ferris High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (55.6%), African American (24%), White (10.4%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 59.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at James J Ferris High School is 14.7. 5 high schools in the Jersey City Public Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare James J Ferris High School employs 91.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at James J Ferris High School is $14,071, which is the 3rd highest among 8 high schools in the Jersey City Public Schools District.
Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

James J Ferris High School:

SchoolDigger ranks James J Ferris High School 329th of 422 New Jersey public high schools. (See James J Ferris High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Asian students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Jersey City Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Jersey City Public Schools 459th of 615 New Jersey school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for James J Ferris High School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at James J Ferris High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 3.35 324th 343 5.5%
2004 4.78 323rd 348 7.2%
2005 8.07 321st 351 8.5%
2006 4.54 336th 357 5.9%
2007 5.45 333rd 361 7.8%
2008 3.75 337th 359 6.1%
2009 4.70 348th 370 5.9%
2010 6.50 343rd 371 7.5%
2011 9.32 342nd 378 9.5%
2012 11.48 352nd 388 9.3%
2013 3.92 374th 396 5.6%
2014 5.65 381st 411 7.3%
2015 16.89 376th 406 7.4%
2016 25.59 319th 409 22.0%
2017 24.90 316th 411 23.1%
2018 21.20 341st 415 17.8%
2019 10.23 384th 416 7.7%
2021 13.08 370th 405 8.6%
2022 19.20 338th 415 18.6%
2023 20.76 329th 422 22.0%
See the entire list of New Jersey High School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at James J Ferris High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 28.19 116th 146 20.5%
2019 24.85 118th 138 14.5%
2021 23.37 93rd 101 7.9%
2022 30.60 93rd 137 32.1%
2023 42.34 74th 161 54.0%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at James J Ferris High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 20.28 332nd 355 6.5%
2019 33.29 215th 349 38.4%
2021 15.88 317th 333 4.8%
2022 21.07 317th 344 7.8%
2023 45.21 142nd 339 58.1%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at James J Ferris High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 26.97 277th 345 19.7%
2019 18.31 305th 347 12.1%
2021 27.02 267th 326 18.1%
2022 28.56 233rd 324 28.1%
2023 34.44 208th 344 39.5%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at James J Ferris High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 15.33 362nd 403 10.2%
2019 7.53 383rd 408 6.1%
2021 14.29 363rd 402 9.7%
2022 15.44 354th 414 14.5%
2023 16.92 343rd 416 17.5%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at James J Ferris High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 19.22 346th 405 14.6%
2019 10.70 372nd 407 8.6%
2021 14.09 371st 402 7.7%
2022 21.66 300th 410 26.8%
2023 16.35 332nd 414 19.8%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at James J Ferris High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 7.36 194th 198 2.0%
2019 2.10 188th 191 1.6%
2021 5.02 162nd 165 1.8%
2022 10.82 166th 175 5.1%
2023 14.88 143rd 172 16.9%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at James J Ferris High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 40.57 151st 266 43.2%
2019 19.97 222nd 254 12.6%
2021 21.56 225th 247 8.9%
2022 42.35 114th 256 55.5%
2023 19.85 223rd 250 10.8%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at James J Ferris High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 21.53 320th 368 13.0%
2019 12.78 338th 364 7.1%
2021 21.79 333rd 374 11.0%
2022 20.53 320th 382 16.2%
2023 26.37 285th 385 26.0%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at James J Ferris High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NJ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 14.83 311th 340 8.5%
2019 4.05 331st 339 2.4%
2021 13.35 316th 336 6.0%
2022 25.04 248th 335 26.0%
2023 29.67 219th 335 34.6%
See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: New Jersey Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

James J Ferris High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: New Jersey Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Open Quote Very good school Close Quote



Enrollment information for James J Ferris High School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 65 512 30 830 0 n/a n/a 0 1437
1989 73 483 34 691 0 n/a n/a 0 1281
1990 68 448 41 710 0 n/a n/a 0 1267
1991 57 436 69 737 0 n/a n/a 0 1299
1992 43 437 93 776 0 n/a n/a 0 1349
1993 42 486 108 857 0 n/a n/a 0 1493
1994 42 519 122 838 0 n/a n/a 0 1521
1995 45 527 133 862 0 n/a n/a 0 1567
1996 45 527 133 862 0 n/a n/a 0 1567
1998 47 503 139 885 0 n/a n/a 0 1574
1999 44 479 140 857 0 n/a n/a 0 1520
2000 34 423 157 883 3 n/a n/a -1 1499
2001 43 371 163 899 0 n/a n/a 0 1476
2002 159 413 121 835 0 n/a n/a 0 1528
2003 159 413 121 835 0 n/a n/a 0 1528
2004 171 427 74 751 37 n/a n/a 0 1460
2005 138 415 115 767 0 n/a n/a 0 1435
2006 112 398 161 728 0 n/a n/a 0 1399
2007 92 387 172 728 0 n/a n/a 0 1379
2008 79 385 182 756 2 n/a n/a 0 1404
2009 75 410 217 800 0 0 0 0 1502
2010 77 414 252 812 0 0 0 0 1555
2011 93 444 241 844 0 0 0 0 1622
2012 94 482 215 751 0 0 0 0 1542
2013 94 419 201 645 1 1 3 0 1364
2014 110 383 182 585 0 1 4 0 1265
2015 105 349 174 597 0 5 2 0 1232
2016 126 305 159 596 0 6 4 0 1196
2017 159 313 140 645 0 6 5 0 1268
2018 178 327 115 697 0 4 6 0 1327
2019 177 343 119 639 1 5 5 0 1289
2020 155 332 108 688 3 7 5 0 1298
2021 142 303 106 648 2 5 4 0 1210
2022 133 347 102 693 2 7 8 0 1292
2023 140 324 113 750 3 5 12 1 1348

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at James J Ferris High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1437 106.0 13.5 n/a
1989 1281 112.0 11.4 n/a
1990 1267 96.0 13.1 33.2
1991 1299 110.0 11.8 34.6
1992 1349 111.0 12.1 32.8
1993 1493 109.2 13.7 39.7
1994 1521 110.5 13.8 45.6
1995 1567 118.5 13.2 59.3
1996 1567 118.5 13.2 59.3
1998 1574 129.5 12.2 56.2
1999 1520 116.5 13.0 46.3
2000 1499 110.5 13.6 51.7
2001 1476 111.0 13.3 44.5
2002 1528 115.8 13.2 45
2003 1528 115.8 13.2 45
2004 1460 116.8 12.5 40.9
2005 1435 117.8 12.2 n/a
2006 1399 110.0 12.7 48.3
2007 1379 101.0 13.7 42.6
2008 1404 108.0 13.0 60.9
2009 1502 115.0 10.8 58.7
2010 1555 101.0 15.4 52.9
2011 1622 101.0 16.0 59.2
2012 1542 143.9 10.7 66.5
2013 1364 138.0 9.8 65.2
2014 1265 128.0 9.8 67.7
2015 1232 136.0 9.0 73.5
2016 1196 122.0 9.8 69.6
2017 1268 117.5 10.7 70.5
2018 1327 105.5 12.5 70.4
2019 1289 111.0 11.6 67.5
2020 1298 116.0 11.1 65.4
2021 1210 106.0 11.4 66.7
2022 1292 100.8 12.8 60.4
2023 1348 91.5 14.7 59.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio James J Ferris High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1437 106.0 13.5 n/a
1989 1281 112.0 11.4 n/a
1990 1267 96.0 13.1 33.2
1991 1299 110.0 11.8 34.6
1992 1349 111.0 12.1 32.8
1993 1493 109.2 13.7 39.7
1994 1521 110.5 13.8 45.6
1995 1567 118.5 13.2 59.3
1996 1567 118.5 13.2 59.3
1998 1574 129.5 12.2 56.2
1999 1520 116.5 13.0 46.3
2000 1499 110.5 13.6 51.7
2001 1476 111.0 13.3 44.5
2002 1528 115.8 13.2 45
2003 1528 115.8 13.2 45
2004 1460 116.8 12.5 40.9
2005 1435 117.8 12.2 n/a
2006 1399 110.0 12.7 48.3
2007 1379 101.0 13.7 42.6
2008 1404 108.0 13.0 60.9
2009 1502 115.0 10.8 58.7
2010 1555 101.0 15.4 52.9
2011 1622 101.0 16.0 59.2
2012 1542 143.9 10.7 66.5
2013 1364 138.0 9.8 65.2
2014 1265 128.0 9.8 67.7
2015 1232 136.0 9.0 73.5
2016 1196 122.0 9.8 69.6
2017 1268 117.5 10.7 70.5
2018 1327 105.5 12.5 70.4
2019 1289 111.0 11.6 67.5
2020 1298 116.0 11.1 65.4
2021 1210 106.0 11.4 66.7
2022 1292 100.8 12.8 60.4
2023 1348 91.5 14.7 59.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for James J Ferris High School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $548 (3.9%) $13,523 (96.1%) $14,071

Data source: New Jersey Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on James J Ferris High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 384th of 416 High schoolsRanks 329th of 422 High schools
 14.3%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
9th Grade English Language Arts (James J Ferris High School)20.737.9
 17.2%
   9th Grade English Language Arts (Jersey City Public Schools)40.641.4
 0.8%
   9th Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)55.952.1
 3.8%
9th Grade Algebra I (James J Ferris High School)2.513.3
 10.8%
   9th Grade Algebra I (Jersey City Public Schools)11.613.1
 1.5%
   9th Grade Algebra I (New Jersey)27.219.2
 8%
9th Grade Geometry (James J Ferris High School)9.89.7
 0.1%
   9th Grade Geometry (Jersey City Public Schools)48.162.6
 14.5%
   9th Grade Geometry (New Jersey)59.150
 9.1%
End of Course Algebra I (James J Ferris High School)2.813.2
 10.4%
   End of Course Algebra I (Jersey City Public Schools)29.926.9
 3%
   End of Course Algebra I (New Jersey)43.335.1
 8.2%
End of Course Geometry (James J Ferris High School)28.8
 6.8%
   End of Course Geometry (Jersey City Public Schools)17.660.9
 43.3%
   End of Course Geometry (New Jersey)32.251.2
 19%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students12891348
 4.6%
African American343324
 5.5%
American Indian13
 200%
Asian119113
 5%
Hispanic639750
 17.4%
Pacific Islander55
White177140
 20.9%
Two or More Races512
 140%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients67.5%59.2%
 8.3%


Schools Near James J Ferris High School









Frequently Asked Questions about James J Ferris High School

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,348 students attended James J Ferris High School.

James J Ferris High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cornelia F. Bradford School
Elementary : Dr. Michael Conti School
Elementary : Frank R Conwell School
Elementary : Rafael Cordero y Molina
Middle : Middle School # 4

Students at James J Ferris High School are 56% Hispanic, 24% African American, 10% White, 8% Asian.

James J Ferris High School ranks in the bottom 22.0% of New Jersey high schools.


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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.





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