Parent guide

1. Write down what your child needs

Before looking at school websites, write down your answers to a few questions:

• When has my child felt successful at school, and what helped: clear explanations, predictable routines, extra practice, individual feedback, or more challenging work?
• What does my child enjoy or want to explore: reading, science, art, music, sports, technology, or career programs?
• Does my child need a specific service, such as special education, English language support, counseling, or help catching up in a subject?
• How important are a particular start time, after-school program, school calendar, or location?
• If my child is older, what do they want from their school experience?

Pick your three most important needs. Use them to guide your research. New Jersey’s family guides recommend asking how a school meets your own goals for your student and what academic, arts, and support opportunities students can access. NJDOE guide for elementary families (PDF) · NJDOE guide for middle and high school families (PDF)

Separate essential needs from preferences. For example, a confirmed after-school care arrangement may be essential for your work schedule, while a robotics club may be a preference. Write both down so an exciting tour does not make you forget something your family depends on.

Give your child a voice, too. Ask what they hope will stay the same, what they would like to change, and what makes them nervous about a new school. After a visit, ask which part of the day they could imagine enjoying and which adult seemed approachable. Use their answers to guide follow-up questions.

2. Check the campus and the full daily routine

Use our school directory and the school comparison table to find schools that serve your child’s grade. Check the individual campus, not just the school network name: one network may have several campuses and different grade ranges.

For each school, confirm:

• The grade your child is entering and which grades the school will serve in the coming year.
• The campus address and whether the school can tell you which campus your child would attend.
• School day hours, calendar, and any before- or after-school care.
• How your child would get there each morning and home each afternoon.
• Which application the school uses. Most participating charter schools use Newark Common App; our How to apply page lists each school’s route.

Try the trip. A route that looks easy on a map can be difficult at school arrival time, especially if you have children at different campuses. Newark charter schools generally do not run yellow bus fleets citywide, but under state rules, students who live beyond the distance thresholds (about 2 miles for elementary grades and 2.5 miles for high school) may be eligible for transportation or aid in lieu through their resident district. Several schools also provide free NJ Transit passes for eligible students. Ask the school and your resident district what applies to your child. Rules depend on factors including grade, distance, district, and an Individualized Education Program (IEP), so do not assume a bus will be provided. NJDOE: Charter school transportation

Build a sample weekday from wake-up to bedtime. Include travel, homework, meals, activities, and time to relax. A long journey can affect friendships and activities as well as the school day itself.

Confirm the details that are easy to overlook: whether after-school care has a separate application or waitlist, when pickup ends, what happens on early dismissal days, and whether children can get home after clubs. Ask for any costs for care, uniforms, supplies, and optional activities, along with available assistance.

For a school with several campuses, ask when your child’s location will be confirmed. Also ask about planned moves or grade expansions, and how students continue to the next grade or school. Treat a proposed program or future campus as something to verify before relying on it.

Think about the full grade path. Full K–12 networks (KIPP Newark, North Star Academy, Great Oaks Legacy, Marion P. Thomas, and BRICK Gateway Academy) let a student stay in the same system through graduation without re-entering an admissions lottery. Standalone elementary and middle schools, such as Philip’s Academy (PK–8), Robert Treat Academy (K–8), or Discovery (4–8), offer smaller, specialized environments, but your child will need to apply to a new school for 9th grade. Neither is better; it is a question of whether your family values continuity now or choosing again later.

3. Use school data and ratings to ask better questions

Visit the New Jersey School Performance Reports and search for each school on your shortlist. The reports include information about academic results, student growth, chronic absenteeism, school climate, staffing, and, for high schools, graduation and college or career readiness.

Start with a few questions rather than trying to read every chart:

• Are students learning and improving? Look at achievement and growth over time. Ask what the school does when a student needs extra help or more challenging work.
• Do students feel supported? Review attendance and school climate information. Ask how staff respond to bullying, conflict, and missed school days.
• Are opportunities available to all students? Ask about arts, sports, advanced courses, career programs, and academic supports that matter to your child.
• For high school, what happens after graduation? Look at graduation, advanced course participation, and college or career pathways. Ask which opportunities students actually complete, not just which appear in a brochure.

Use the reports to form questions for a school visit. A number can point to something worth exploring, but it cannot tell you everything about your child’s likely experience. NJDOE also encourages families to use its reports as a starting point for conversations with school communities.

If you use GreatSchools, open the details behind the overall rating. Its ratings combine available measures of academic progress, test results, and college readiness; the mix depends on the school’s grades and available data. Check the data year and the individual measures. An unrated school may simply lack enough public data for a rating. GreatSchools itself recommends combining ratings with visits and conversations. GreatSchools: How ratings work

Be specific about the school you are comparing. Stanford’s CREDO study published in 2023 found stronger average academic growth for charter students in its study, alongside differences among schools and student groups. Our takeaway for a family’s search: look for evidence about the particular school and the support your child would receive there. A national result cannot predict an individual child’s experience. CREDO study findings (PDF)

4. See an ordinary school day and talk with different people

If possible, arrange a visit while classes are in session. An open house can introduce the school, while a classroom visit can show teaching and student interaction. Look for engagement, relationships, student work, and the condition of shared spaces.

Notice whether students have opportunities to explain their thinking, ask for help, and take part in the lesson. Watch how adults respond when a child makes a mistake. Ask about a piece of student work: what were students learning, and what feedback did they receive?

For younger children, look for conversation, play, movement, creativity, and warm adult interactions. Ask how that experience fits into the actual daily schedule.

Try to hear from a teacher, a current parent, and, where appropriate, a student. Ask a parent what happened when their child struggled. Ask a student who helps when something is confusing. Ask staff what they are working to improve. These conversations can reveal how school policies work in practice.

If something important remains unclear, request a follow-up conversation or another visit. If your schedule prevents a visit, ask for a sample timetable, the family handbook, a phone call with a teacher, and an introduction to a current parent. Write down the question you still need answered.

5. Find out what teaching and extra help look like

Ask the school to describe a recent lesson in your child’s grade and show you the materials students use. When a school describes itself as STEM focused, arts focused, or college preparatory, ask what that means in a regular week: which classes, how often, and for which students?

For children learning to read, ask how teachers teach the relationship between sounds and letters, reading unfamiliar words, vocabulary, and understanding a text. The federal What Works Clearinghouse recommends instruction in these foundations and daily reading of connected text in kindergarten through third grade. IES: Foundational reading skills

Ask to see the sequence of reading skills taught across the year and how staff check progress. Look for a clear instructional plan and ask how the school knows which skills a child has mastered.

For any grade, try these follow-up questions:

• How will you notice that my child is falling behind, and when will you tell me?
• Who provides additional instruction, how often, and during which part of the day?
• How will you tell whether the extra help is working, and what happens if it is not?
• What changes for a student who already understands the material?

Ask about the teaching team as well. How many teachers in your child’s grade returned this year? Are any positions still being filled? What coaching and shared planning time do teachers receive? A staff change needs context; it does not by itself tell you whether a school is good or bad.

For middle and high school, ask whether your child can actually enter the courses and activities that interest them. Confirm prerequisites, selection rules, schedules, and available places. For college and career planning, ask when advising begins, who receives it, and what help is available with applications, financial aid, apprenticeships, or job training.

6. Ask how your child will be supported and included

If your child has an IEP, a 504 plan, or needs English language support, ask how the services would work during an ordinary school week and who would coordinate them. A child’s disability or English proficiency cannot be used as a reason to deny admission to a New Jersey charter school. State rules require charter schools to provide appropriate special education and multilingual learner services to enrolled students. NJ Charter School Program Act · NJ charter school regulations (PDF)

Arrange a conversation with the person responsible for those services. Useful questions include:

• Who would coordinate my child’s plan and communicate with our family?
• How are classroom teachers and specialists scheduled to work together?
• Where and when would services happen, and how would progress be shared?
• How would my child participate in trips, clubs, lunch, and other school activities?

If your child is learning English, ask how language development is supported alongside grade-level subjects and how the school communicates with your family in your preferred language. If your child has a health need, ask who handles it during classes, activities, and trips. Seek a clear explanation of the arrangements for your child.

7. Look closely at belonging, discipline, and family communication

A useful question for every school is: Which adult will get to know my child well? The CDC describes school connectedness as students feeling cared for and supported by adults and peers. Ask how the school welcomes new students and notices when someone is becoming isolated. CDC: Building school connectedness

Ask for the family handbook and walk through an everyday situation: a student interrupts a lesson, misses homework, or reports bullying. What does the teacher do first? When is the family contacted? How does the school help the child return to learning? Ask how expectations and responses take account of a child’s age and support needs.

During a visit, notice whether teachers listen to students and treat them respectfully while keeping clear expectations. These are useful things to ask about as you consider the school’s approach to behavior.

Family communication should make it easy for you to share information and get an answer. Ask how you reach a teacher, the usual response time, how interpretation is arranged, and whom you contact if a concern remains unresolved. Ask for an example of something the school changed after hearing from families.

8. Compare evidence, preferences, and unanswered questions

After each visit or call, jot down specifics while they are fresh. You can print this page and fill in this worksheet for each school on your list.

Use short notes such as “confirmed,” “needs follow-up,” or “does not meet our need.” A blank space means you need more information. Keep essential needs visible when weighing attractive extras.

Check what kind of evidence you have. A current handbook, a classroom observation, a schoolwide result, and one parent’s story answer different questions. For an online review, check the date and campus and use the concern as a question to investigate. Seek perspectives from families whose children have similar needs.

For a charter school, you can also ask for its latest annual report and information about its renewal status. New Jersey’s oversight framework covers academics, organizational performance, and financial health. If a report raises a concern, ask what the school has done about it and what evidence shows progress. NJDOE: Charter school accountability · NJDOE: Performance framework

Before choosing, write one sentence for each finalist: “This school could work for my child because ___; I still need to confirm ___.” This makes the reason for your preference and the remaining question clear.

9. Put your choices in your true order of preference

When you are ready to apply through Newark Common App, list only schools you would be willing for your child to attend. You may rank up to five. Put your favorite first, then your next favorite, and so on. Newark Common App says its matching process offers a student the highest-ranked school on their list that has space; it will not match a student to a school they did not list. Ranking more than one school can increase the chance of receiving an offer from a school you chose. Newark Common App FAQ

An application does not guarantee a seat. Keep track of each child’s offer or waitlist status and the next steps listed in the application. For instructions, see How to apply.

A quick checklist before you apply

• I know the grade and likely campus for every school on my list.
• I have checked the daily schedule and travel plan.
• I have asked about the services and activities my child needs.
• I understand how the school teaches, provides extra help, and checks progress.
• I have asked how staff respond to bullying, mistakes, and behavior concerns.
• I know how to contact a teacher and raise a concern.
• I have reviewed each school’s state performance report and asked about anything I do not understand.
• I have heard my child’s questions and reactions.
• I would be comfortable accepting an offer from every school I rank.
• My schools are in my genuine order of preference.

Understanding this directory

Each active school profile shows its application route. Some schools use Newark Common App, New Horizons is listed on Newark Enrolls, and other schools have their own process or ask you to contact them.

Student counts are labeled with their school year. They describe enrollment in that year; they are not available seats. A network’s count may include several campuses.

Some schools have different public and state reporting names. KIPP Newark is reported as TEAM Academy Charter School. North Star Academy is part of Uncommon Schools. BRICK Gateway Academy brings together the former Achieve and People’s Prep schools.

We keep closed and merged school profiles available for historical reference. A merged profile links to the current school when that connection has been confirmed.