West Side High School

Summary:

West Side High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Newark, New Jersey, with a student population of 609 that is predominantly African American and Hispanic. The school faces significant challenges, consistently ranking among the lowest-performing high schools in the state with low academic achievement, graduation rates, and high rates of chronic absenteeism.

Compared to nearby schools, West Side High School lags behind in performance. Bard Early College High School, just 0.68 miles away, outperforms West Side High School across various metrics, while Science Park High School, 0.97 miles away, is a high-performing school that ranks among the top 40 in New Jersey. Other nearby schools, such as Newark Vocational High School and Central High School, also struggle with low academic performance and high rates of chronic absenteeism, similar to West Side High School.

The persistent challenges faced by West Side High School, despite being part of the Newark Public School District, suggest that the school may be facing significant socioeconomic and community-related issues that impact student learning and success. Addressing these underlying factors could be crucial in improving the school's performance and providing a better educational experience for its students.

Detail:

Public 9-12

403 South Orange Avenue
Newark, NJ 07103

(973) 733-7019

District: Newark Public School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
410^th of 422 New Jersey High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,251

Feeder schools for West Side High School:

Elementary:	Abington Avenue School
	Ann Street School
	Avon Avenue School
	Belmont Runyon Elementary School
	More...
	Camden Street Elementary School
	Chancellor Avenue School
	Dr. E. Alma Flagg School
	Dr. William H. Horton Elementary School
	Elliott Street Elementary School
	First Avenue School
	Fourteenth Avenue School
	Franklin Elementary School
	George Washington Carver Elementary School
	Grover Cleveland Elementary School
	Harriet Tubman Elementary School
	Hawkins Street School
	Hawthorne Avenue School
	Ivy Hill Elementary School
	Lafayette Street School
	Lincoln Elementary School
	Louise A. Spencer Elementary School
	Luis Munoz Marin Elementary School
	McKinley Elementary School
	Mt Vernon Place School
	Oliver Street School
	Park Elementary School
	Peshine Avenue School
	Quitman Street School
	Rafael Hernandez School
	Ridge Street School
	Roberto Clemente Elementary School
	South 17th Street School
	South Street Elementary School
	Speedway Avenue School
	Sussex Avenue School
	Thirteenth Avenue School
	Wilson Avenue School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.2

Number of students: 609

Racial breakdown:

African American:

80.5%

Hispanic:

18.6%

Asian:

0.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 76.7%

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Compare West Side High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details West Side High School ranks worse than 97.2% of high schools in New Jersey. It also ranks 11^th among 13 ranked high schools in the Newark Public School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.65. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at West Side High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

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

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (80.5%), Hispanic (18.6%), Asian (0.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 76.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at West Side High School is 13.2. 6 high schools in the Newark Public School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare West Side High School employs 46 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at West Side High School is $14,251, which is the 4^th highest among 13 high schools in the Newark Public School District.

Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

West Side High School:

SchoolDigger ranks West Side High School 410^th of 422 New Jersey public high schools. (See West Side High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Newark Public School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Newark Public School District 559^th of 615 New Jersey school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for West Side High School

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Rank History for all students at West Side High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2003	0.35	337^th	343	1.7%
2004	0.82	338^th	348	2.9%
2005	0.93	341^st	351	2.8%
2006	0.93	344^th	357	3.6%
2007	0.62	352^nd	361	2.5%
2008	0.37	352^nd	359	1.9%
2009	0.67	363^rd	370	1.9%
2010	2.13	356^th	371	4.0%
2011	0.44	373^rd	378	1.3%
2012	0.31	383^rd	388	1.3%
2013	0.21	391^st	396	1.3%
2014	0.18	405^th	411	1.5%
2021	5.92	401^st	405	1.0%
2022	10.21	402^nd	415	3.1%
2023	9.65	410^th	422	2.8%

See the entire list of New Jersey High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at West Side High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2021	15.42	321^st	333	3.6%
2022	27.83	258^th	344	25.0%
2023	19.64	303^rd	339	10.6%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at West Side High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2021	10.83	321^st	326	1.5%
2022	16.71	300^th	324	7.4%
2023	16.40	318^th	344	7.6%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at West Side High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2021	5.22	399^th	402	0.7%
2022	9.21	398^th	414	3.9%
2023	8.06	404^th	416	2.9%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at West Side High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2021	9.85	391^st	402	2.7%
2022	8.31	391^st	410	4.6%
2023	9.37	391^st	414	5.6%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at West Side High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2021	14.97	243^rd	247	1.6%
2022	19.02	235^th	256	8.2%
2023	18.95	230^th	250	8.0%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at West Side High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2021	18.95	346^th	374	7.5%
2022	17.29	344^th	382	9.9%
2023	15.11	357^th	385	7.3%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Hispanic 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.

Data source: New Jersey Department of Education

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Enrollment information for West Side High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	1	976	0	44	0	n/a	n/a	1021
1989	10	1355	25	47	1	n/a	n/a	1438
1990	6	1103	0	58	0	n/a	n/a	1167
1991	0	1111	0	33	0	n/a	n/a	1144
1992	6	1322	0	24	0	n/a	n/a	1352
1993	0	1233	0	19	0	n/a	n/a	1252
1994	0	1155	0	9	0	n/a	n/a	1164
1995	1	1100	0	17	0	n/a	n/a	1118
1996	1	1100	0	17	0	n/a	n/a	1118
1998	1	976	0	21	0	n/a	n/a	998
1999	0	1070	0	17	0	n/a	n/a	1087
2000	0	1064	2	31	2	n/a	n/a	1099
2001	0	1033	1	32	2	n/a	n/a	1068
2002	4	1278	3	41	1	n/a	n/a	1327
2003	4	1278	3	41	1	n/a	n/a	1327
2004	9	1347	4	44	0	n/a	n/a	1404
2005	6	1436	3	37	0	n/a	n/a	1482
2006	2	1474	5	31	0	n/a	n/a	1512
2007	2	1477	1	32	0	n/a	n/a	1512
2008	1	1461	3	37	0	n/a	n/a	1502
2009	0	1447	3	36	0	1	0	1487
2010	0	1228	3	44	0	1	0	1276
2011	0	919	0	45	0	1	0	965
2012	0	989	3	59	0	7	0	1058
2013	1	763	1	45	0	0	0	810
2014	4	501	1	39	0	0	0	545
2019	1	556	2	75	1	0	0	635
2020	0	532	4	79	0	0	0	615
2021	1	515	5	98	1	0	0	620
2022	0	532	3	120	2	1	0	658
2023	0	490	2	113	1	1	2	609

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 West Side High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1021	79.0	12.9	n/a
1989	1438	98.0	14.6	n/a
1990	1167	98.0	11.9	n/a
1991	1144	99.0	11.5	51.5
1992	1352	99.0	13.6	38
1993	1252	104.0	12.0	58.4
1994	1164	97.0	12.0	61
1995	1118	92.5	12.1	60.6
1996	1118	92.5	12.1	60.6
1998	998	70.0	14.3	66.2
1999	1087	75.0	14.5	63.1
2000	1099	86.0	12.8	57.4
2001	1068	86.0	12.4	64.3
2002	1327	88.5	15.0	56.7
2003	1327	88.5	15.0	56.7
2004	1404	89.5	15.7	58.4
2005	1482	99.0	15.0	n/a
2006	1512	101.0	15.0	50.4
2007	1512	87.0	17.4	61.6
2008	1502	81.0	18.5	57.6
2009	1487	75.6	19.8	64.3
2010	1276	77.0	16.5	69.3
2011	965	68.5	14.0	76.6
2012	1058	78.2	13.5	76.8
2013	810	84.0	9.6	88.3
2014	545	56.0	9.7	80.7
2019	635	52.0	12.2	53.1
2020	615	47.0	13.0	82.3
2021	620	44.0	14.0	62.7
2022	658	45.5	14.4	76.9
2023	609	46.0	13.2	76.7

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 West Side High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1021	79.0	12.9	n/a
1989	1438	98.0	14.6	n/a
1990	1167	98.0	11.9	n/a
1991	1144	99.0	11.5	51.5
1992	1352	99.0	13.6	38
1993	1252	104.0	12.0	58.4
1994	1164	97.0	12.0	61
1995	1118	92.5	12.1	60.6
1996	1118	92.5	12.1	60.6
1998	998	70.0	14.3	66.2
1999	1087	75.0	14.5	63.1
2000	1099	86.0	12.8	57.4
2001	1068	86.0	12.4	64.3
2002	1327	88.5	15.0	56.7
2003	1327	88.5	15.0	56.7
2004	1404	89.5	15.7	58.4
2005	1482	99.0	15.0	n/a
2006	1512	101.0	15.0	50.4
2007	1512	87.0	17.4	61.6
2008	1502	81.0	18.5	57.6
2009	1487	75.6	19.8	64.3
2010	1276	77.0	16.5	69.3
2011	965	68.5	14.0	76.6
2012	1058	78.2	13.5	76.8
2013	810	84.0	9.6	88.3
2014	545	56.0	9.7	80.7
2019	635	52.0	12.2	53.1
2020	615	47.0	13.0	82.3
2021	620	44.0	14.0	62.7
2022	658	45.5	14.4	76.9
2023	609	46.0	13.2	76.7

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 West Side High School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$797 (5.6%)	$13,454 (94.4%)	$14,251

Data source: New Jersey Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on West Side 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.

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	635	609	4.1%
African American	556	490	11.9%
American Indian	1	1
Asian	2	2
Hispanic	75	113	50.7%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	1	0	100%
Two or More Races	0	2
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	53.1%	76.7%	23.6%

Schools Near West Side High School

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)		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 8th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 11th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 7th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 8th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 9th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	NJSLA Geometry 9th Grade	NJSLA Geometry End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
West Side High School	Public	9-12	403 South Orange Avenue	Newark	07103	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 733-7019	609	46	13.2	76.7%	0 (0.0%)	490 (80.5%)	113 (18.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	9.6	410^th of 422 public high schools	2.8%		10.2	402^nd of 415 public high schools	3.1%	8		5.0			13.5			1.4	1.4			$14,251	$797	$13,454
LEAD Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	201 Bergen Street	Newark	07103	Essex County	LEAD Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(862) 772-1724	196	5	39.2	68.4%	1 (0.5%)	156 (79.6%)	39 (19.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13.1	376^th of 422 public high schools	10.9%					(n/a)		2.7			20.9			7.1	7.1			$7,324	$814	$6,510
Bard Early College High School	Public	9-12	321 Bergen Street	Newark	07103	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 733-8363	381	27	14.1	70.6%	6 (1.6%)	257 (67.5%)	108 (28.3%)	5 (1.3%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	32.9	254^th of 422 public high schools	39.8%		51.8	147^th of 415 public high schools	64.6%	107		15.1			62.0			11.9	11.9	16.7	16.7	$10,089	$279	$9,810
Essex Rch	Public	9-12	461 463 Central Avenue	Newark	07107	Essex County	Office Of Education Juvenile Justice Commission	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 648-7078	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology	Public	9-12	498-544 West Market St	Newark	07107	Essex County	Essex County Schools of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 412-2203	1,154	93	12.4	82.6%	10 (0.9%)	523 (45.3%)	596 (51.6%)	8 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	12 (1.0%)	49.7	160^th of 422 public high schools	62.1%		54.8	132^nd of 415 public high schools	68.2%	28		30.3			63.2			25.9	25.7	40.0	37.7	$8,605	$479	$8,126
Newark Vocational High School	Public	9-12	301 West Kinney St	Newark	07103	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 733-7308	583	56	10.4	84.9%	10 (1.7%)	316 (54.2%)	252 (43.2%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11.8	392^nd of 422 public high schools	7.1%					(n/a)		2.8			23.6			3.9	3.9
Science Park High School	Public	7-12	260 Norfolk Street	Newark	07102	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 733-8689	938	67	14.0	62.8%	98 (10.4%)	372 (39.7%)	445 (47.4%)	16 (1.7%)	3 (0.3%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	82.8	40^th of 422 public high schools	90.5%		83	36^th of 415 public high schools	91.3%	4	31.3	57.5	90.2	83.3	86.0	62.7	62.5	83.4	78.0	53.7	53.7	$11,449	$497	$10,952
Central High School	Public	9-12	250 18th Avenue	Newark	07103	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 733-6378	894	71	12.6	74.8%	9 (1.0%)	646 (72.3%)	219 (24.5%)	6 (0.7%)	10 (1.1%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	10.2	404^th of 422 public high schools	4.3%		9	411^th of 415 public high schools	1.0%	7		3.3			13.4			3.3	3.3			$16,638	$864	$15,774
Essex County Jdc	Public	8-12	80 Duryea Street	Newark	08302	Cumberland County	Essex County Jdc	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 484-4908	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Essex County Newark Technical	Public	9-12	91 West Market St	Newark	07103	Essex County	Essex County Schools of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 412-2204	519	53	9.7	85.4%	4 (0.8%)	205 (39.5%)	297 (57.2%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	36.9	232^nd of 422 public high schools	45.0%		42.5	193^rd of 415 public high schools	53.5%	39		11.5			63.9			18.3	18.1	53.4	40.0	$7,912	$961	$6,951

Frequently Asked Questions about West Side High School

What district is West Side High School in?

Newark Public School District

What schools feed into West Side High School?

How many students attend West Side High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 609 students attended West Side High School.

What is the racial makeup of West Side High School?

Students at West Side High School are 80% African American, 19% Hispanic.

Is West Side High School a good school?

West Side High School ranks in the bottom 2.8% of New Jersey high schools.

Rate West Side High School!

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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.