Newark Public School District

Newark Public School District serves 42,791 students across 64 schools in New Jersey. It is one of the larger urban districts in the state, and 63 of its schools carry ranked scores on the MySchoolScout scale. The district's average score sits at 5.7 out of 10 — a baseline that matters most when weighed against its individual standouts.

Michelle Obama Elementary School leads the district with a 9.1 out of 10, placing it among the strongest-performing elementary schools in this peer set. That score signals consistently solid outcomes at the foundational level, which parents of younger children should factor heavily into neighborhood and enrollment decisions. The gap between the district average of 5.7 and Michelle Obama's 9.1 is significant — nearly four full points — making school-level research essential here rather than optional.

At the high school level, Science Park High School scores 8.7 out of 10, followed closely by Technology High School at 8.2. Both schools outperform the district average by a wide margin and represent strong options for students with interests in STEM-focused academics. Bard Early College High School earns a 7.9, offering a college-credit pathway that distinguishes it from traditional high school programming. Newark School of Data Science and Information Technology rounds out the top tier at 7.6, reinforcing the district's depth of specialized secondary options.

For parents comparing Newark Public School District to other large urban districts, the concentration of high-scoring specialized schools is the defining factor. The district average of 5.7 reflects the full range of 63 ranked schools, and that number will pull low when a system serves a large, diverse population across dozens of campuses. The stronger signal is the cluster of schools scoring 7.6 and above — five schools in total — which gives families real choices at multiple grade levels. Identifying which of those schools is accessible, whether through zoning, application, or lottery, should be the first step in any enrollment search.