The latest enrollment figures for the 2024-2025 scholastic year shows an increased demand for Hoboken’s three public charter schools: Elysian Charter School, Hoboken Charter School, and the Hoboken Dual Language Charter School.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Our child-centered approach to education has allowed us to be more attentive to the unique needs of all students, especially those needing the most support,” Elysian Charter School Director Susan Grierson said in a statement.
Hoboken’s public charter schools have a triple weight in their lottery for economically disadvantaged families and were among the first in New Jersey to do so.
In addition, HoLa, an immersion dual language school, also expanded their weighting to include English Language Learners (ELL).
“Our unique language-immersion model enriches students academically and culturally precisely because we’ve taken these steps to foster a diverse and inclusive community,” HoLa Executive Director Jennifer Sargent added.
The schools are now seeing a large increase in economically disadvantaged applicants compared with prior years: ECS saw a 76% increase and HCS had a threefold increase, while HoLa’s 40% increase also included a 140% increase in English Language Learners.
Overall demand for Hoboken’s public charters schools has also grown with the number of applicants far exceeding each school’s capacity:
ECS had a 23% jump with 728 applicants for the 2024-25 school year, with the largest increase in its middle school. The waitlist is just shy of 700 applicants.
HCS had 724 applicants for the 2024-25 school year, with just under 700 remaining on the waitlist.
HoLa had 784 applicants for the 2024-2025 school year, an approximate 28% increase, with over 800 students currently on the waitlist.
Leaders of Hoboken’s public charter schools pointed to their responsiveness to families’ needs for the increased demand.
“At the core of our mission is a commitment to social justice and empowering historically underserved communities. It’s how we deliver quality education for all students,” noted Hoboken Charter School Executive Director Deirdra Grode.
All three Hoboken charter schools plan to have a presence at the city’s SWFest on June 23rd, where families can learn more about free, public school options available to them.
“We applaud Hoboken’s public charter schools for their efforts to ensure families know that public charter schools are free and open to all, regardless of family income or learning needs,” exclaimed New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association CEO President and CEO Harry Lee.
The deadline for applicants for all three charters in the Mile Square City was January 11th.
