Equity
New Jersey's Attendance Equity Gap Closed on Paper, Not in Practice
The Black-white chronic absenteeism gap nearly doubled during COVID and has only partially recovered, leaving Black students 10 points behind.
New Jersey
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of New Jersey, grounded in New Jersey Department of Education data.
New Jersey's White and Hispanic Enrollment Shares Are 1.3 Points Apart
White students were 36.5% of New Jersey enrollment and Hispanic students were 35.2% in 2025-26, narrowing a once-wide gap.
Paterson Public Schools Lost 16 Percent of Enrollment From 2023 to 2026
Paterson Public Schools enrolled 26,067 students in 2023 and 21,849 in 2026, a decline of 4,218 students, or 16.2 percent.
In Closter and Other Suburbs, a 40-Point Black-White Absence Chasm
Closter has NJ's largest Black-white chronic absenteeism gap at 39.9 points. Across 9 districts, gaps exceed 20 points.
Four Shore Districts Stayed Above 30% Chronic Absence in 2024
Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights, Keansburg and Neptune City all remained above 30% chronic absenteeism in 2024 while New Jersey's statewide rate fell to 14.9%.
More Coverage
Enrollment
New Jersey Public School Enrollment, 2025-26: The Data Release
NJ recently released 2025-26 enrollment data. Total enrollment fell 23,732 to 1,357,450, the largest single-year drop in 27 years of state files. K-12 down 24,564. Hispanic and English-learner counts each fell for the first time in over a decade.
Early Childhood
One in Three Pre-K Students in New Jersey Is Chronically Absent
NJ pre-K chronic absenteeism hit 29.7% in 2023-24, double the state average, even as the state expands universal preschool to 80,000 children.
Equity
Three in Five New Jersey Students Experiencing Homelessness Make It to Class. The Gap to Their Peers Hasn't Closed.
Students who are currently homeless miss school at nearly triple the state average, and the gap has widened since the pandemic despite statewide improvements.
Absence
South Jersey's Attendance Gap With the North Has Nearly Doubled Since the Pandemic
South Jersey districts average 15.6% chronic absenteeism vs 11.1% in the north, a 4.5 pp gap that was only 2.4 pp pre-COVID.
District Spotlight
Camden's Absenteeism Reversal
Nearly half of Camden students are chronically absent after a post-pandemic recovery stalled and reversed in 2024, widening the gap with New Jersey's statewide rate.
Absence
One in Five New Jersey Seniors Is Chronically Absent
Twelfth-grade chronic absenteeism averages 20.3% across NJ schools, 8.3 points higher than 3rd grade, but seniors have recovered faster from COVID than any other grade.
Equity
Three Groups, One Number: The 21% Ceiling
Black, economically disadvantaged, and disabled students all hit 21% chronic absenteeism in NJ, converging from different peaks.
Charter Schools
New Jersey's Charter Schools Have Higher Chronic Absence Rates, but the Averages Hide a Deeper Story
NJ charter districts average 16.7% chronic absenteeism vs. 12.8% for traditional districts, but half of all charters beat the state average.
District Spotlight
Newark Cut Chronic Absenteeism by More Than Half
Newark's chronic absenteeism dropped from 26.8% to 11.5%, falling below the state average while 87% of NJ districts remain above pre-COVID levels.
District Spotlight
Paterson's Black Students Trail Every Group in Attendance Recovery
Black chronic absenteeism in Paterson hit 45.9% in 2023-24, still 10.7 points above pre-COVID levels and 4x the statewide white rate.
