At a glance
New Jersey publishes detailed School Performance Reports for every school and identifies lower-performing schools for support under ESSA — rather than assigning a single letter grade or star rating.
How this state rates schools
New Jersey’s reports show a wide range of performance data (achievement, growth, graduation, college/career readiness, climate, and more), and the state assigns ESSA designations (CSI, TSI, ATSI) to schools needing support. Most schools carry no negative designation. Read the data and any designation together.
What gets measured
Under the federal ESSA law, every state rates schools using several indicators. They typically include:
- Academic achievementHow students score on state tests (proficiency in reading/ELA and math)
- Academic growth / progressHow much students improve year to year — not just where they land
- Graduation rateFor high schools (the 4-year cohort rate)
- English-learner progressHow English learners are progressing toward proficiency
- School quality / student successAn extra indicator — often attendance/chronic absenteeism, college/career readiness, or similar
Finding & reading the report card
Look up any school on the NJ School Performance Reports (rc.doe.state.nj.us). Because there’s no single grade, read across the indicators and note the trend and any support designation.
How families should use ratings
A rating is a helpful starting point, not a verdict. Use it wisely:
- Read it in contextA school’s score reflects its students’ circumstances too, not only its quality
- Look at growth, not just scoresGrowth shows how much a school moves students — often more telling than raw proficiency
- Check the trendIs the school improving over time?
- Look past the summaryDig into the underlying data (subgroups, attendance, readiness)
- Then visitData raises questions; a visit answers them (see our guide on evaluating a school)
Tips for families
- Start on the official portalLook up your specific school, not just district averages
- Weigh growth heavilyHow much a school moves students matters as much as test scores
- Mind the contextRatings partly reflect student demographics and circumstances
- Compare a few schoolsRatings are most useful for comparison, in context
- Pair data with a visitNumbers plus a tour give the real picture
Frequently asked questions
- How does New Jersey rate schools?New Jersey uses detailed School Performance Reports plus ESSA designations — not a letter grade or stars.
- What do the ratings measure?Test scores, growth, graduation rate, English-learner progress, and a school-quality indicator.
- Where do I look up my school?On the state’s official report-card portal (see below).
- Should I choose a school by its rating alone?No — use it as a starting point, weigh growth and context, and visit.
- What are CSI and TSI?Federal labels for schools flagged for Comprehensive or Targeted Support and Improvement.
At a glance
- FormatSchool Performance Reports (dashboard)
- DesignationsESSA CSI/TSI/ATSI
- NoSingle grade or stars
- ToolNJ School Performance Reports
- Look up atrc.doe.state.nj.us
Where to look it up
Look up a specific school on the official portal: