Newark students show academic growth on new state tests, though most fall short of proficiency

Most students in Newark Public Schools did not meet grade-level expectations in math and English language arts on New Jersey's new state tests in the 2025-26 school year. Only 13.7% of third graders and 29.1% of eighth graders were considered proficient in the exams, while proficiency rates for fourth to seventh graders ranged from 22% to 35%.

District officials cautioned that the results cannot be directly compared with previous years due to changes in the tests' content and scoring. Rochanda Jackson, executive director of the district's Office of Policy, Planning, Evaluation, and Testing, emphasized that the review of achievement data requires a new perspective. While Newark's general education students lagged behind statewide proficiency rates, the gaps were smaller in higher grades.

Preliminary state results released in September showed that most third and fourth graders fell short in reading, and fewer than a quarter of eighth graders were proficient in math. Despite these challenges, about two-thirds of Newark students showed typical or high growth in math, and roughly 60% did so in English language arts.

Math proficiency increased across all tested grades and courses compared to last year, bringing overall performance within 0.6% of pre-pandemic levels. Superintendent Roger León reported that Newark students are learning faster than their peers in most U.S. school districts, though they remain more than two grade levels behind the 2019 national average in reading and math.

The district has implemented tutoring, summer, and Saturday-school programs, as well as a new English language arts curriculum, to support academic recovery.