NJ Public School Facts

Excellent News About NJ Public Schools!   * New Jersey's Public School Graduation Rate is the HIGHEST, 1st out of 50, in the country! * New Jersey ranks 1st of all states in the percent of entering 9th grade students who go on to graduate high school! * New Jersey ranks 2nd in the nation in the percentage of high school graduates going on to college!   * New Jersey public schools rank #1 in the nation in how well they prepare students for college and the workforce!   * The national center for public policy and higher education gives New Jersey a grade of "A" for how well its schools prepare students for college ~ one of only 3 states to receive such a high grade!   * New Jersey ranks 2nd in the nation in the percentage of advanced placement (AP) exams taken by public school students that result in scores high enough to qualify for college credit!   * New Jersey has been named one of the four "smartest states" in the country based on the quality of its public elementary and secondary schools!   * New Jersey public schools rank 3rd in the nation in academic achievement!     More Excellent News About NJ Public Schools: Pre-School NJ ranks #1 in the nation in the percentage of 3 and 4 year-old students who are enrolled in pre-school. NJ ranks among the Top 7 states in the nation in the quality of its public pre-school. Grade 4 NJ is among the TOP 2 STATES in the nation for having the largest proportion of public school students at the highest two levels in Reading in the NAEP. NJ ranks 2ND HIGHEST in the nation for having the largest proportion of public school students scoring at the highest two levels in Mathematics in NAEP. Grade 8 NJ ranks among the TOP 3 STATES in the nation for having the largest proportion of public school students scoring at the highest two levels in Reading in the NAEP! NJ is among the TOP 5 STATES in the nation for having the largest proportion of public school students scoring at the highest two levels in Mathematics in the NAEP! High School The number of NJ public school high school students taking and testing in an AP course has increased 60% since 2000. The number of NJ public school high school students scoring 3 or higher on AP exams has increased 64% since 2000. 88% of NJ students taking the SATs have high school grade point averages of "B" or better. NJ is one of the TOP 10 STATES in the proportion of high school graduates with scores in the TOP 20% nationally on either the ACT or SAT college entrance examinations. State Testing   Elementary School ESPA Language Arts scores for 4th grade students have risen 42% in Proficiency and Advanced Proficiency levels in the past 8 years. ESPA Mathematics scores for 4th grade students have risen 40% in Proficiency and Advanced Proficiency levels in the past 8 years. The proportion of NJ public school 4th grade students who scored at the highest two levels in Reading in the NAEP increased 30% since 1994. ESPA Science scores for 4th grade students have doubled in Advanced Proficiency in the past 3 years. Middle School GEPA Language Arts scores for 8th grade students have doubled in Advanced Proficiency in the past 3 years. GEPA Mathematics scores for 8th grade students have risen 21% in Proficiency and Advanced Proficiency in the past 5 years. GEPA Science scores for 8th grade students have doubled in Advanced Proficiency in the past 4 years. For more in-depth information about the excellent performance levels of NJ public school students, select the web link listed below: http://www.njea.org/page.aspx?z=1013&pz=3