Officials say they are not sure of the reason for the gap between blacks and Hispanics compared to whites and Asians, but agree it must be addressed. For example, fewer than half of blacks and 60 percent of Hispanics in the state's wealthiest districts measured at or above proficiency in the math section of the Elementary School Proficiency Assessment test for fourth-graders. Whites and Asians topped 90 percent. Charter schools also generally performed poorly, but tend to be in lower-income areas where public schools have low test scores. There are 54 charter schools operating across New Jersey.
Opponents say charter schools rob dollars from existing public schools.
Locally, they often perform below average. In its fourth year, the LEAP Academy had 19.5 percent of its students passing all three sections, compared with a 14. 6 percent passing rate for the Camden School District. Overall, most of the statewide average scores showed limited progress, or even regression. But Education Commissioner David Hespe said he was pleased with the results. In the tri-county area, Raymond W. Kershaw School in Mount Ephraim was one of the top performing elementary schools, despite being classified in one of the state's lower socioeconomic categories.