Best Schools in Jersey City, New Jersey
75 schools · 48 Elementary · 7 Middle · 15 High · 5 Other
Family Snapshot
At a glance- Avg school rating
- 6.2/10
- Median household income
- $106,994
- Median home value
- $619,700
- Bachelor's degree or higher
- 56%
- Avg commute
- 37 min
- Owner-occupied homes
- 27%
33% of schools rated 7+
Census ACS, ZIPs in this city
Owner-occupied units
Adults 25+
Workers age 16+
Of occupied housing units
How Jersey City compares
New Jersey rank
#187 of 344
cities by avg. school score
Vs. state average
-0.1
below New Jersey avg (6.3)
Median household income
$107k
91% of New Jersey median
Schools in this city
70
About Schools in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City's public school system spans 52 ranked schools, with performance ranging from exceptional to well below average. Across all 52, the average score is 5.7 out of 10. That midpoint tells only part of the story: 14 schools — 27% of the ranked total — score 7 or higher, forming a distinct upper tier that sets the city's ceiling well above its mean.
The top schools are genuinely competitive. Liberty High School leads the city at 9.7 out of 10, the highest score in the ranked pool. Explore Middle School follows at 9.4 — a strong result at any level, and a rare one for a middle school. Infinity Institute (9.2) and Dr. Ronald McNair High School (8.7) anchor the next cluster, and County Prep High School (7.9) rounds out a top five that skews heavily toward secondary education.
That secondary concentration matters for families making long-term plans. Four of the top five schools serve middle or high school students. The performance gap is steep: the city's highest-rated school scores nearly 4 full points above the 52-school average. Families who identify and access the top-tier schools will have a substantially different experience than those assigned to schools near that citywide mean. Understanding the path to those schools — whether through address zoning, open enrollment, or application-based programs — becomes the central planning question for anyone relocating here.
The practical takeaway is straightforward: Jersey City has real academic strength, but it is concentrated and unevenly distributed. The 27% of schools above the 7-point threshold are not representative of the broader system. Parents should identify which specific schools serve a prospective address before committing to it, then check whether any of the high-performing programs are accessible through enrollment processes independent of home location. The spread between the city's best and its average is wide enough that a single block can determine which side of that gap a child lands on.
Elementary Schools
48 schools| # | School | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 579 students · Pre-K–5th | 8.5 |
| 2 | 987 students · Pre-K–8th | 8.2 |
| 3 | 273 students · Kindergarten–8th | 7.6 |
| 4 | 630 students · Pre-K–8th | 7.3 |
| 5 | 285 students · Pre-K–5th | 7.2 |
| 6 | 770 students · Pre-K–8th | 7.2 |
| 7 | 1,083 students · Pre-K–5th | 7.2 |
| 8 | 629 students · Pre-K–5th | 7.1 |
| 9 | 926 students · Pre-K–8th | 7.0 |
| 10 | 687 students · Pre-K–8th | 6.9 |
| 11 | 650 students · Pre-K–8th | 6.5 |
| 12 | 508 students · Pre-K–5th | 6.3 |
| 13 | 626 students · Pre-K–5th | 6.3 |
| 14 | 895 students · Pre-K–8th | 6.3 |
| 15 | 307 students · Pre-K–8th | 6.0 |
| 16 | 678 students · Pre-K–8th | 5.9 |
| 17 | 516 students · Pre-K–5th | 5.9 |
| 18 | 659 students · Pre-K–8th | 5.8 |
| 19 | 710 students · Pre-K–5th | 5.4 |
| 20 | 397 students · Pre-K–8th | 5.4 |
| 21 | 552 students · Pre-K–8th | 5.3 |
| 22 | 434 students · Pre-K–8th | 5.3 |
| 23 | 571 students · Kindergarten–8th | 4.9 |
| 24 | 433 students · Kindergarten–8th | 4.8 |
| 25 | 347 students · Pre-K–4th | 4.7 |
Show 23 more elementary schools
| 26 | 309 students · Pre-K–5th | 4.6 | ||
| 27 | 364 students · Pre-K–8th | 4.6 | ||
| 28 | 555 students · Pre-K–5th | 4.5 | ||
| 29 | 764 students · Pre-K–8th | 4.4 | ||
| 30 | 370 students · Kindergarten–8th | 4.2 | ||
| 31 | 647 students · Pre-K–5th | 3.7 | ||
| 32 | 603 students · Pre-K–8th | 3.5 | ||
| 33 | 351 students · Kindergarten–8th | 3.3 | ||
| Private Schools 15 schools Private and public school ratings use different data sources and scoring models. Scores are not directly comparable across school types. | ||||
| 1 | HUDSON MONTESSORI
Private
141 students · Pre-K–6th | Not Rated | ||
| 2 | WATERFRONT MONTESSORI
Private
71 students · Pre-K–8th | Not Rated | ||
| 3 | ST ALOYSIUS ELEMENTARY ACADEMY
Private
159 students · Pre-K–8th | Not Rated | ||
| 4 | PRIMARY PREP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Private
254 students · Pre-K–7th | Not Rated | ||
| 5 | MOSDOS OF GREENVILLE
Private
236 students · Kindergarten–8th | Not Rated | ||
| 6 | ST NICHOLAS SCHOOL
Private
149 students · Pre-K–8th | Not Rated | ||
| 7 | HAMILTON PARK MONTESSORI SCHOOL
Private
42 students · Pre-K–Kindergarten | Not Rated | ||
| 8 | WORLD OF ABC THE WALDO SCHOOL
Private
120 students · Pre-K–7th | Not Rated | ||
| 9 | THE FRENCH AMERICAN ACADEMY
Private
130 students · Pre-K–8th | Not Rated | ||
| 10 | OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA
Private
358 students · Pre-K–8th | Not Rated | ||
| 11 | ST JOSEPH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Private
153 students · Pre-K–8th | Not Rated | ||
| 12 | 43 students · Pre-K–8th | Not Rated | ||
| 13 | SACRED HEART SCHOOL
Private
166 students · Pre-K–8th | Not Rated | ||
| 14 | 18 students · Pre-K–Kindergarten | Not Rated | ||
| 15 | 2 students · Pre-K–Kindergarten | Not Rated | ||
Middle Schools
7 schools| # | School | Rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 151 students · 6th–8th | 9.4 | ||
| 2 | 751 students · 6th–8th | 7.5 | ||
| 3 | 450 students · 6th–8th | 7.0 | ||
| 4 | 882 students · 6th–8th | 6.5 | ||
| 5 | 218 students · 6th–8th | 5.6 | ||
| Private Schools 2 schools Private and public school ratings use different data sources and scoring models. Scores are not directly comparable across school types. | ||||
| 1 | 136 students · 1st–8th | Not Rated | ||
| 2 | ST ANTHONY HIGH SCHOOL
Private
137 students · 1st–8th | Not Rated | ||
High Schools
15 schools| # | School | Rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 188 students · 9th–12th | 9.6 | ||
| 2 | 288 students · 6th–12th | 9.3 | ||
| 3 | 698 students · 9th–12th | 8.3 | ||
| 4 | 286 students · 9th–12th | 8.1 | ||
| 5 | 917 students · 9th–12th | 8.0 | ||
| 6 | 433 students · 9th–12th | 5.4 | ||
| 7 | 1,345 students · 9th–12th | 5.0 | ||
| 8 | 877 students · 9th–12th | 4.9 | ||
| 9 | 203 students · 9th–12th | 4.1 | ||
| 10 | 1,856 students · 9th–12th | 4.1 | ||
| 11 | 747 students · 9th–12th | 4.0 | ||
| Private Schools 4 schools Private and public school ratings use different data sources and scoring models. Scores are not directly comparable across school types. | ||||
| 1 | ST DOMINIC ACADEMY
Private
211 students · 7th–12th | Not Rated | ||
| 2 | 512 students · 9th–12th | Not Rated | ||
| 3 | ST PETERS PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Private
908 students · 9th–12th | Not Rated | ||
| 4 | PHILLIPS GLOBAL INSTITUTE
Private
10 students · 12th–12th | Not Rated | ||
Other Schools
5 schools| # | School | Rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 students · Pre-K–12th | 7.3 | ||
| 2 | 1,556 students · Kindergarten–12th | 5.1 | ||
| 3 | 1,181 students · Kindergarten–9th | 5.1 | ||
| Private Schools 2 schools Private and public school ratings use different data sources and scoring models. Scores are not directly comparable across school types. | ||||
| 1 | VIAQUENTI ACADEMY
Private
21 students · UG–UG | Not Rated | ||
| 2 | TET CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Private
17 students · Kindergarten–12th | Not Rated | ||
Schools in Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey · 75 schools
Community Demographics
Census ACS 2022 5-Year Estimates across 6 ZIP codes
Median Income
$106,994
Median Home Value
$619,700
Median Rent
$2,154/mo
Population
287,737
College Educated
56%
Homeownership
27%
Avg Commute
37 min
Poverty Rate
15.1%
Community Profile
Jersey City has a median household income of $106,994. It is a well-educated community where 56% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The median home value in the area is $619,700, with a median rent of $2,154/month. The area has a poverty rate of 15.1%. The average commute in the area is 37 minutes, which is above the national average. Source: U.S. Census ACS 2022 5-Year Estimates.
Quick Facts
- State
- New Jersey
- Total Schools
- 75
- Elementary
- 48
- Middle
- 7
- High
- 15
- Districts
- 12
- Avg Rating
- 6.2/10
Resources
School Districts (12)
Jersey City Community Charter School
1 school · 571 students
Jersey City Golden Door Charter School
1 school · 687 students
The Learning Community Charter School
1 school · 630 students
Soaring Heights Charter School
1 school · 273 students
University Academy Charter High School
1 school · 433 students
The Ethical Community Charter School School Distirct
1 school · 350 students
Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School
1 school · 370 students
BelovED Community Charter
1 school · 1,555 students
Jersey City Global Charter School
1 school · 433 students
Empowerment Academy Charter School
1 school · 1,181 students
Hudson County Schools of Technology School District
6 schools · 2,323 students
Jersey City Public Schools
39 schools · 26,293 students
Nearby Cities
Other Major Cities in New Jersey
Top metros statewide by school count.
How We Rate Schools
Every school receives a composite score from 1 to 10 based on four pillars: Academic Performance (50%), Student Growth (20%), Equity (15%), and Learning Environment (15%). Scores are built from publicly available data including standardized test results, enrollment figures, and school climate indicators.
Read our full methodologyFrequently Asked Questions
Common questions about schools in Jersey City, New Jersey
How many schools are in Jersey City, New Jersey?
Jersey City has 75 schools, including 52 public and 23 private schools spanning elementary, middle, and high school levels.
What is the average school rating in Jersey City, New Jersey?
The average MySchoolScout composite score for schools in Jersey City is 6.2 out of 10, based on academic achievement, student growth, equity, and school environment.
What is the top-ranked school in Jersey City, New Jersey?
The top-ranked school in Jersey City on MySchoolScout is Liberty High School with a composite score of 9.6/10.
What is the best elementary school in Jersey City, New Jersey?
The top-ranked elementary school in Jersey City on MySchoolScout is Jotham W. Wakeman School with a composite score of 8.5/10.
What is the best middle school in Jersey City, New Jersey?
The top-ranked middle school in Jersey City on MySchoolScout is Explore Middle School with a composite score of 9.4/10.
What is the best high school in Jersey City, New Jersey?
The top-ranked high school in Jersey City on MySchoolScout is Liberty High School with a composite score of 9.6/10.
How many school districts serve Jersey City, New Jersey?
Jersey City is served by 12 school districts: Jersey City Community Charter School, Jersey City Golden Door Charter School, The Learning Community Charter School, Soaring Heights Charter School, University Academy Charter High School, The Ethical Community Charter School School Distirct, Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School, Beloved Community Charter, Jersey City Global Charter School, Empowerment Academy Charter School, Hudson County Schools of Technology School District, Jersey City Public Schools.
What is the education level in Jersey City, New Jersey?
According to Census data, 56% of adults in Jersey City have earned a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the median income in Jersey City, New Jersey?
The median household income in Jersey City is approximately $106,994 according to Census ACS 2022 estimates.
Are there private schools in Jersey City, New Jersey?
Yes, Jersey City has 23 private schools alongside 52 public schools. The top-rated private school is Hudson Montessori with a score of 7.8/10.
What is the student-teacher ratio in Jersey City, New Jersey?
The average student-teacher ratio across schools in Jersey City is 12.0:1. This ratio varies by school, so families should check individual school profiles for specific classroom sizes.
How does MySchoolScout rate schools in Jersey City, New Jersey?
MySchoolScout rates schools using publicly available data from the NCES Common Core of Data and state education departments. Each school receives a 1-10 composite score based on four components: Academic Achievement, Student Growth, Equity, and School Environment.
Related reading
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Data from NCES Common Core of Data, New Jersey Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.