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May 22, 2024Central Jersey College Prep: 100% Graduation and College Admission Rate
Somerset County Graduating Students to Attend Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, NYU Stern, University of Michigan, UCLA, University of Chicago, Vanderbilt University, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Penn State
Central Jersey College Prep Charter School (CJCP) announced today that for the fourteenth straight year, 100 percent of its senior class will be graduating on time this Spring and that every member of the class of ‘24 has also been accepted to a college or university next Fall, continuing an unprecedented senior class streak for CJCP which began in 2011. This year’s graduating Class will attend prestigious institutions this Fall, such as Harvard, University of Pennsylvania – Wharton, NYU Stern, University of Michigan, UCLA, University of Chicago, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt University, Georgetown, John Hopkins, Boston University, and Penn State.
“We are thrilled that for fourteen straight years, CJCP’s senior class has continued to show a 100 percent graduation rate and that, once again,100 percent will also be attending a college or university next Fall,” stated Dr. Namik Sercan, CJCP’s Chief Education Officer. “For a public school in Central New Jersey, this level of success is simply unprecedented. As parents throughout the area know, many students in our area begin high school educationally disadvantaged, having already battled years of systemic racism and some of the most challenging and at-risk environments in New Jersey. What makes CJCP a different kind of public school is the fundamental and passionate belief that every student can succeed when provided with a safe and strong learning environment. The end of the year is an important and impactful moment for our graduating students and their parents, and each embodies how generational change is possible. But this moment also showcases the thousands of students who remain on waiting lists to attend CJCP. We believe that every student, no matter where they live or the color of their skin, can attend and excel at an elite university. Every year, our senior class shows what is truly possible, and we will not rest until every student in our area is provided with great teachers, facilities, and a strong learning environment.”
CJCP Senior Nehal Bajaj, who will be attending the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania next Fall, stated, “Being accepted into two Ivy League colleges and four Top 20 schools is a surreal feeling. I am so thankful for all the teachers at CJCP who have supported me throughout my academic journey since 6th Grade. Without the support of them, my counselor Mr. Bright, my mentors, and my parents, I would not be the person I am today.”
CJCP Parent Silvia Hidalgo, whose daughter will be attending Harvard University next Fall, stated, “My daughter’s time at CJCP has been an important part of her life, with teachers who helped her discover and strengthen her abilities and skills. She shared time with friends and classmates filled with laughter, games, adventures, and unique moments that will remain forever in her memory. We are so proud of Nichole and cannot wait to see our boys graduate from CJCP with the same success.”
In 2024, U.S. News and World Report announced in its annual nationwide ranking of high schools that CJCP ranked as the top public charter high school in the State of New Jersey and also ranked the school #26 among all high schools ranked in New Jersey and #498 out of nearly 24,000 public high schools in 50 state and the District of Columbia. In prior years, CJCP had been named by The U.S. Department of Education as “National Blue-Ribbon School,” the highest possible designation granted to a K-12 school, and has been widely cited for exemplary high-performing classrooms and their work in closing the Achievement Gap within the Central Jersey region. In addition, CJCP has also been awarded by the New Jersey Department of Education with a Tier 1 designation, the highest possible ranking for a public charter school in the State.
1 Comment
I was a CSA of two NJ charter schools when charter schools years ago. In one of the schools, as a new CSA in its first year, after assessing the needs of the school, I reported to my board that some “drastic” changes were needed, specifically not to rehire 9 teachers for a second year and to change the scheduling from departmentalized to non-departmentalized for our grades 4-5 grades.
There was great vocal resistance and resentment from parents. All but one board member (who was a teacher from another district and understood the reasons behind the recommendations) did not agree with me. No one wanted any changes at all.
I provided the reasons (in closed session) for not rehiring those teachers, and I presented a PP to the board and to the public at a board meeting the reasons for the schedule change:
• More time for reading and writing across the curriculum provided by one teacher.
• More time on task for individual teacher to concentrate on needed area.
• Easier for differentiating instruction as one teacher gets to know class more personally.
• Better accountability, more observations, and better supervision of teachers by administrators.
• Less time off task for changing of classes, (less discipline concerns also, the school had major discipline problems in the 4th and 5th grades).
• Need to improve our NJ ASK scores.
I gathered support for these positions from most of the teachers, who agreed that changes were needed. Despite continued protests, the board approved my recommendations. Within the first month of school (Sept 2012), parent and board sentiments became positive and student assessments improved dramatically. The students themselves were the catalyst for the generated positive attitude. They enjoyed working with one teacher for all 4 core courses. As a result of those changes, NJ ASK scores increased longitudinally by 75% in ELA and 62% in Math across BOTH 4th and 5th graders. Guess what — the DoE closed the school down at the end of the second year — BEFORE the test results were known. I knew of CJCP personally when it first was founded — it has done an outstanding job and I wish them all the best as they continue. HOWEVER, any public school (charter schools ARE public schools – just structured / financed a little differently) CAN do the same job– it takes the commitment of the administration, the staff, and the families to reach the children and students – just as CJCP has been doing all these years.