Press Releases

Newark Board of Education Salutes Graduates of 2021-22

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Newark, NJ, [June 23, 2022]. Today, Newark Public Schools is hosting graduation ceremonies for over 2,300 seniors from across 14 district high schools in celebration of the Class of 2022’s remarkable accomplishments.

Family, friends, staff, and community members will witness the achievements of this very special and historic class with 434 seniors achieving a GPA of 3.5 or better, 146 earning Associates Degrees, saving their parents over $12 million by taking college courses while in high school and earning more than $77 million in college scholarships.

In acknowledging their success, Superintendent León stated, “The Class of 2022 is making history. Their high school experience was disrupted by a global pandemic, making two of their four years like no other high school experience in history.” He added, “In adversity there is opportunity and our students have excelled at every level along the way. We are confident that all of our lives will be inherently better because of the accomplishments of the Class of 2022.”

During his comments, Superintendent León thanked the higher education partners, who are invaluable to our student success: Essex County College, Rutgers University-Newark, Montclair State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Seton Hall University, Kean University, Bard College, Bergen County Community College, and the newest partner to our dual enrollment program, Howard University.

Dawn Haynes, President of the Board said, “I continue to be impressed with our students. While they faced adversity, we continued to challenge them with rigorous curriculum offerings and our new FAFSA graduation requirement. They did exactly what we knew would happen when Newark’s children are challenged, they excelled.”

Graduating from High School comes with great happiness and joy. The graduating Class of 2022 in Newark has made phenomenally noteworthy accomplishments and we are extremely proud of every senior. We know great things are waiting for the Class of 2022 in the future and we wish them continued success and best wishes.

Two Newark High Schools Have a Multiyear Track Record for Making the U.S. News 2022 “Best High Schools in NJ” List

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On Tuesday, April 26, 2022, U.S. News & World Report released their latest rankings of the best public high schools in America.  More than 400 high schools from New Jersey made the list and two of them are from Newark, New Jersey; Science Park High School ranked #27 and Technology High School ranked #38, have a multiyear track record of success in making the U.S. Best Schools List.

Superintendent León shared, “This is an incredible honor and I congratulate the students and their families, and the administrators and teachers at each school for their dedication and hard work, especially during a pandemic.  We look forward to seeing more of our schools on The Best High Schools in America list.”

U.S. News & World Report system uses a scale of college readiness, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth, and graduation rates.

#27: Science Park High School is a magnet school located in the Central Ward that prepares students for careers in science, mathematics, and technology. Principal Kcyied Zahir said, “Our rigorous curriculum is punctuated by college-level coursework driven by interdisciplinary study, research, ethical leadership, global perspective, and service. We are proud of what our staff and students have accomplished.” The SAT scores remain some of the highest in the country and the school’s curriculum is highly specialized.

#38: Technology High School is a magnet high school located in Newark’s North Ward with a vision of developing global leaders by providing them with tools to succeed in a world driven by technology. “We develop global leaders by providing them with the tools to succeed in a world driven by technology,” said Principal Edwin Reyes. “This recognition is evidence of what can happen when you have dedicated students and staff.”

Board President Dawn Haynes echoed the Superintendent’s sentiment, “I am excited and proud that two of our high schools received this honor.  They set the bar high and we are confident that more will be added in the future.”

Four High Schools in Newark Win the GreatSchools College Success Award – Gold

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[Newark, NJ, September 27, 2021] We are extremely proud to announce that GreatSchools, the leading national non-profit that empowers parents to unlock educational opportunities for their children, recognizes and celebrates public high schools across the country that excel in helping students enroll and succeed in college.

In 2021, 1,838 high schools from 25 states won the annual College Success Award. And to celebrate schools with a multiyear track record of postsecondary success, GreatSchools added an additional elevated level of distinction, the College Success Award – Gold.

As outlined in the District’s strategic plan, The Next Decade 2020-30, this award is made possible because of the collective accountability for what we do in service of preparing students for excellence. “We are extremely proud to have 3 of New Jersey’s 116 high schools receiving this distinctive honor: Bard, Science Park, and Technology High Schools. We also want to congratulate Payne Tech, the fourth school in Newark to receive this honor” said Superintendent Roger León.

Board President, Dawn Haynes said, “I am excited and proud that three of our high schools received the honor and I look forward to seeing more of our schools on the GreatSchools awards list in the coming years.”