A Trenton-based public charter school received high marks in School Performance Reports from the NJ Department of Education. Foundation Academy Charter School headed a list of public charter schoolsenjoying significant classroom achievement. Public charter schools located in Newark, Paterson, Jersey City, Vineland, East Orange, and New Brunswick, landed in the top 1% of the state when calculating how students advanced to peers statewide in math and reading year-to-year. “Foundation Academies’ rigorous academic curriculum and emphasis on high-impact tutoring are helping scholars find their purpose and excel in college and beyond. Our mission is to equip scholars with the skills to excel academically while creating more opportunities that support their success,” said Sheria McRae, CEO at Foundation Academy Charter School in Trenton. “As a Trenton native, I dreamed of creating an environment where scholars see themselves in their educators and feel empowered to pursue their aspirations. I’m immensely proud of our entire school community for their commitment to our scholars’ success and growth.” A New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association release noted, “when evaluating student growth in mathematics, six of the top 10 highest growth districts are public charter schools, despite charter schools serving less than 5% of the entire public school population in New Jersey. In reading, four of the top 10 highest growth districts are public charters. The released data shows that public charter schools are accelerating learning faster for Black, Latino and economically disadvantaged students compared to the rest of the State. For Black students, 7 of the top 10 districts in math growth and 3 of the top 10 districts in reading growth are public charter schools. For Latino students, 4 of the top 10 districts in reading growth and 5 of the top 10 districts in math growth are public charter schools. For economically disadvantaged students, 10 of the top 15 districts in math growth and 6 out of the top 10 districts in reading growth are public charter schools. “These incredible results are a true testament to how public charter schools meet students where they are. Through personalizing instruction and targeting learning gaps for every child, they have achieved some of the best student learning gains in the State,” said Harry Lee, President and CEO of the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association. “The data is clear and undeniable – public charter schools play a critical role in eliminating the achievement gap for low-income students of color in our urban school districts. If the State is truly serious about accelerating learning, they would create more great charter schools.” Full reports are available for every public school in New Jersey on the state Department of Education website. Access NJ School Performance Report page. Search for school or district and select summary report or detailed report. ...read more read less