# East Orange School District

East Orange School District is a comprehensive community public school district serving students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade from the city of East Orange, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising 20 schools, had an enrollment of 10,072 students and 744.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.5:1.
In 2003, Patrick Healy Middle School was identified as one of seven "persistently dangerous" public schools in New Jersey. The designation has since been removed.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "A", the lowest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.

## Schools

Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:

### Early childhood education centers

* Althea Gibson Early Childhood Academy (159 students; in grades PreK and K)
** Crystal Davis, principal
* Wahlstrom Early Childhood Center (156; PreK-K)
** Annie Jackson, principal

### Elementary schools

* Benjamin Banneker Academy (511; PreK-5)
** Sharon Vincent, principal
* Edward T. Bowser, Sr. School of Excellence (609; PreK-5)
** Brian Heaphy, principal
* George Washington Carver Institute of Science and Technology (325; PreK-5)
** Sharon Alsbrook Davis, principal
* Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Academy (193; K-5)
** Tabina H. Adam, principal
* Mildred Barry Garvin School (356; PreK-5)
** Howard Walker, principal
* Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative & Performing Arts (369; PreK-8)
** Henry Hamilton, principal
* Langston Hughes Elementary School (589; PreK-5)
** Thelma Ramsey, principal
* J. Garfield Jackson Sr. Academy (256; K-5)
** Yvy Joseph, principal
* Ecole Touissant Louverture (297; PreK-5)
** Ralph Jacob, Jr., principal
* Gordon Parks Academy School of Radio, Animation, Film and Television (285; PreK-5)
** Leslie Shults, principal
* Cicely L. Tyson Community Elementary School (504; PreK-5)
** Passion Moss-Hasan, principal
* Dionne Warwick Institute of Economics and Entrepreneurship (462; PreK-5)
** Flore Nadeige Lovett, principal

### Middle schools

* Future Ready Prep (NA; 6-7)
** Renee N. Richardson, administrator
* Patrick F. Healy Middle School (392; 7)
** Howard Walker, principal
* John L. Costley Middle School (367; 8). The school was named in honor of John L. Costley Sr., a local community activist who was a World War I veteran and member of the 369th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Harlem Hellfighters.
** Koree Toles, principal
* Sojourner Truth Middle School (406; 6)
** Monica Burton, principal

### High schools

* Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts (740; 6-12)
** John English, principal
* East Orange Campus High School located on the former campus of Upsala College (1,651; 9-12)
** Ronnie Estrict, principal
* East Orange STEM Academy (358; 6-12)
** Vincent Stallings, principal

### Other

* Fresh Start Academy Middle / High - Glenwood Campus (NA; 6-12)

## Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:
* Abdulsaleem Hasan, superintendent of schools
* Christina Hunt, school business administrator

## Board of education

The district's board of education is comprised of seven members who set policy and oversee the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type I school district, the board's trustees are appointed by the mayor to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three members up for reappointment each year. Of the more than 600 school districts statewide, East Orange is one of 15 districts with an appointed school board. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.