District data shows significant improvements in academic performance, Advanced Placement success, graduation rates, and access to rigorous coursework
NEWARK, N.J. – Newark Public Schools’ historic 10-year strategic plan, to transform the school district is working.
As the district is in the sixth year of implementation of The Next Decade: 2020-2030, Newark Public Schools has achieved substantial and measurable gains in student outcomes since the district’s return to local control, according to newly compiled Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data comparing the 2017–2018 school year to the 2024–2025 school year.
“These results reflect the sustained, strategic work of our teachers, school principals and leaders, students, and families,” said Superintendent León. “When we talk about transformation in Newark Public Schools, this is what we mean. There are more students succeeding in rigorous coursework, more students prepared for college and careers, and more students crossing the graduation stage ready for college and work.”
The data highlights a clear trajectory of transformation, with improvements across multiple indicators that reflect both increased opportunity and stronger academic performance for students.
From 2017–2018 to 2024–2025:
- the size of the first-time ninth-grade cohort grew from 1,696 students to 2,831 students, an increase of 67%.
- the number of ninth-grade students completing Algebra I or Integrated Math I rose from 1,301 students (76.7%) to 2,467 students (87.1%), marking a gain of 10.4 percentage points.
- the total number of Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores increased from 1,045 to 2,763, a 164% rise.
- the number of passing AP scores of 3 or higher grew from 319 to 1,405, a 340% increase. This raised the district’s AP success rate from 30.5 percent to 50.9 percent, an increase of more than 20 percentage points.
- the number of students failing one or more core courses dropped from 1,081 in 2017–2018 to 404 in 2024–2025, representing a decrease of 62.6 percent. Meanwhile, the number of ninth-grade students earning a B average or better increased from 609 to 1,142, an 87.5 percent rise.
- Student participation in at least one AP course nearly doubled, increasing from 854 students to 1,645. Early college enrollment saw even greater growth, rising from 290 students to 1,292, an increase of more than 345%.
- The district’s four-year graduation rate increased from 76% (cohort 2018) to 90% (cohort 2025), a gain of 14 percentage points and the highest level in decades.
This KPI data is part of a performance measurement and benchmarking project by the Council of Great City Schools to track key indicators across member school districts in academic performance, operations, business services, finances, human resources, and technology.
The district’s progress aligns with the goals outlined in its strategic plan and its focus on strengthening instruction, expanding opportunities, and ensuring that all students graduate prepared for success in college, careers, and life.
The report comes on the heels of the Education Scorecard report that found that Newark Public Schools ranked higher than 93% of districts nationwide in average learning rates during school years 2022 through 2025.