Public schools in Jersey City, NJ

53 open public schools with an address in Jersey City, operated by 13 education agencies. Compare size, staffing, grade spans, and school type, then confirm assignment with the district.

Public schools

NCES preliminary directory 2025–26

Reported students

32,094

53 schools reporting · NCES 2024–25

Median student–teacher ratio

11.8:1

New Jersey median 11.2:1

Charter schools

5 magnet · 0 virtual

An overview of Jersey City public schools

The federal directory lists 53 public schools in Jersey City, NJ: 33 elementary, 6 middle, 11 high, 3 combined or other. The 53 schools that reported 2024–25 membership enrolled 32,094 students, an average of 606 per school. The largest campus is William L Dickinson High School (1,786 students), and the largest elementary school is Cornelia F. Bradford School (1,082).

Jersey City Public Schools operates the most schools here (39), plus 12 charter, service, or other agencies. City names come from school mailing addresses, which often differ from district or municipal boundaries.

Across schools that reported staffing, the median student–teacher ratio is 11.8:1, similar to the statewide school median of 11.2:1. A ratio counts classroom-teacher FTE against total enrollment, so specialized programs and part-time staffing can move it; ask schools for actual class sizes by grade.

School choice options include 11 charter schools, 5 magnet schools. Application windows and lotteries usually open months before the school year.

Among 13 high and combined schools with 2021–22 civil-rights data, 12 reported students enrolled in AP courses and 8 of 13 reported computer-science classes. Confirm current course catalogs directly with each school.

School	Grades	Students	Ratio
Alexander D. Sullivan School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–05	638	11.9:1
Alfred Zampella School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	629	10.8:1
Chaplain Charles Watters School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	586	11.4:1
Charles E. Trefurt School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–05	668	9.7:1
Christa McAuliffe School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	906	12.1:1
Cornelia F. Bradford School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–05	1,082	19.7:1
Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School · Charter	KG–08	383	14.2:1
Dr. Charles P. DeFuccio School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	320	8.2:1
Dr. Maya Angelou Elementary School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–05	607	13.8:1
Dr. Michael Conti School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	651	11.4:1
Dr. Paul Rafalides School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–04	318	11.2:1
Frank R Conwell School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–05	605	11.8:1
Gladys Nunery School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–05	251	10.9:1
James F. Murray School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	642	13.7:1
Jersey City Community Charter School Jersey City Community Charter School · Charter	KG–08	561	15.6:1
Jersey City Global Charter School Jersey City Global Charter School · Charter	KG–08	423	18.4:1
Jersey City Golden Door Charter School Jersey City Golden Door Charter School · Charter	PK–08	662	16.3:1
Joseph H. Brensinger School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	926	9.7:1
Jotham W. Wakeman School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–05	617	11:1
Julia A. Barnes School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–05	433	13.3:1
Learning Community Charter School The Learning Community Charter School · Charter	PK–08	634	13.8:1
Mahatma K. Gandhi School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	821	10.1:1
Martin Center for the Arts Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	359	10.6:1
Martin Luther King Jr. School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	752	11.7:1
Nicolaus Copernicus School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–05	497	10.6:1
Ollie Culbreth Jr. School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	335	8.8:1
Patricia M. Noonan School PS #26 Jersey City Public Schools	PK–05	539	9.8:1
President Barack Obama Elementary School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	425	12.1:1
Rafael Cordero y Molina Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	794	10.7:1
Rev. Dr. Ercel F. Webb School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–05	613	8.9:1
Soaring Heights Charter School Soaring Heights Charter School · Charter	KG–08	272	16.7:1
The Ethical Community Charter School The Ethical Community Charter School School Distirct · Charter	KG–08	357	22.3:1
Whitney M. Young Jr. School Jersey City Public Schools	PK–08	623	10.7:1

Middle schools in Jersey City

School	Grades	Students	Ratio
Academy I Jersey City Public Schools · Magnet	06–08	415	13.6:1
Explore Middle School Hudson County Schools of Technology School District · Career and Technical School	06–08	163	11.2:1
Ezra L. Nolan School Jersey City Public Schools	06–08	250	8.1:1
Franklin L. Williams School Jersey City Public Schools · Magnet	06–08	906	12.4:1
Kindle Education Public Charter School Kindle Education Public Charter School · Charter	06–08	87	21.8:1
Middle School # 4 Jersey City Public Schools	06–08	755	16.1:1

High schools in Jersey City

School	Grades	Students	Ratio
Academy of Technology Design Hudson County Schools of Technology School District · Career and Technical School	09–12	235	58:1
County Prep High School Hudson County Schools of Technology School District · Career and Technical School	09–12	892	9.7:1
Dr Ronald McNair High School Jersey City Public Schools · Magnet	09–12	716	13.1:1
Henry Snyder High School Jersey City Public Schools	09–12	729	8.7:1
Infinity Institute Jersey City Public Schools · Magnet	06–12	265	11:1
Innovation High School Jersey City Public Schools · Magnet	09–12	301	—
James J Ferris High School Jersey City Public Schools	09–12	1,364	13.7:1
Liberty High School Jersey City Public Schools	09–12	193	7.7:1
Lincoln High School Jersey City Public Schools	09–12	767	12.7:1
University Academy Charter High School University Academy Charter High School · Charter	09–12	429	10.7:1
William L Dickinson High School Jersey City Public Schools	09–12	1,786	13.7:1

Combined, early-childhood, and other schools in Jersey City

School	Grades	Students	Ratio
BelovED Community Charter School BelovED Community Charter · Charter	KG–12	1,573	22.2:1
Empowerment Academy Charter School Empowerment Academy Charter School · Charter	KG–11	1,272	12.1:1
Regional Day School Jersey City Public Schools · Special Education School	PK–12	67	6.1:1

Student demographics

Race and ethnicity share of reported enrollment

White16.7%
Hispanic36.1%
Black24.9%
Asian19%
American Indian / Alaska Native0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander0.7%
Multiracial2.2%

Enrollment-weighted across 53 Jersey City schools with NCES CCD 2024–25 race/ethnicity counts (32,094 students). Privacy suppression can leave small gaps.

Questions about public schools in Jersey City

How many public schools are in Jersey City, NJ?

The current NCES directory lists 53 open public schools with a location address in Jersey City: 33 elementary, 6 middle, 11 high, 3 combined or other. Together they reported 32,094 students in 2024–25. The count includes charter, alternative, and special-purpose public schools; it excludes private schools.

Which school districts serve Jersey City?

Schools with an address in Jersey City belong to 13 education agencies, led by Jersey City Public Schools (39 schools), Hudson County Schools of Technology School District (3 schools), BelovED Community Charter (1 school). A mailing city is not an attendance boundary; confirm the district for a specific address.

What is the largest public high school in Jersey City?

William L Dickinson High School reported the largest high-school enrollment in Jersey City, with 1,786 students in 2024–25 (grades 09–12). Size is a description of the campus, not a quality measure.

Are there charter schools in Jersey City?

Yes. 11 of the 53 public schools in Jersey City are identified as charter schools in the NCES directory, including BelovED Community Charter School, Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School, Empowerment Academy Charter School. Charter schools are public and tuition-free, but admission usually uses an application or lottery.

What is the typical student–teacher ratio in Jersey City schools?

The median reported student–teacher ratio across Jersey City public schools is 11.8:1, similar to the New Jersey school median of 11.2:1. The ratio divides enrollment by classroom-teacher FTE; it is not an average class size.

Does living in Jersey City guarantee a seat at a specific school?

No. Assignment depends on the district's attendance boundaries, programs, and enrollment rules, which can split a city or cross city lines. Use the district profile and its official boundary or school-locator tool to confirm the assigned school for an exact address.

Nearby New Jersey cities

Sources: NCES Common Core of Data 2025–26 preliminary directory (schools, grades, addresses, charter status) and 2024–25 nonfiscal files (enrollment, teachers, race/ethnicity, meal eligibility); Civil Rights Data Collection 2021–22 (AP and computer science). Cities are grouped by school mailing address. Methodology · All New Jersey cities