Editing Union City, New Jersey (section)

==Education==
[[File:7.4.22UCNJBoardOfEdByLuigiNovi3.jpg|thumb|The city's Board of Education building]]
The student population was 9,730 as of November 2009.<ref name=UCRSchools>Rappaport, Melissa. ""Small school district, big problem". ''The Union City Reporter''. November 1, 2009. pp. 1 and 15</ref> In 2021, its 14 public schools served 11,893 students.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publicschoolreview.com/new-jersey/union-city-school-district/3416380-school-district|title=Union City School District|publisher=Public School Review|date=2021|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=May 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529042436/https://www.publicschoolreview.com/new-jersey/union-city-school-district/3416380-school-district}}</ref>

Historically, Union City schools have ranked among the highest in Hudson County in reported incidents of violence compared to the size of the student population more than once, most recently in a November 2009 report by the [[New Jersey Department of Education]], which annually records incidents of violence, vandalism, weapons and substance abuse or possession. According to the report, such incidents declined statewide between the 2006–2007 and the 2007–2008 school years, but rose slightly in Hudson County, with Union City schools having the second-highest number of reported incidents behind the [[Jersey City Public Schools]].<ref name=UCRSchools/>

[[University of California, Berkeley]] Professor [[David L. Kirp]], in his 2011 book, ''Kids First'', and his 2013 book, ''Improbable Scholars'', praised Union City's education system for bringing poor, mostly immigrant kids (three quarters of whom live in homes where only Spanish is spoken and a quarter of which are thought to be undocumented and fearful of deportation) into the educational mainstream. Kirp, who spent a year in Union City examining its schools, notes that while in the late 1970s, Union City schools faced the threat of state takeover, they now boast achievement scores that approximate the statewide average. Kirp also observes that in 2011, Union City boasted a high school graduation rate of 89.5 percent—roughly 10 percentage points higher than the national average, and that in 2012, 75 percent of Union City graduates enrolled in college, with top students winning scholarships to the [[Ivy League]]. Kirp singles out the city's practice of enrolling almost every 3- and 4-year-old in kindergarten, and the leadership of [[Union City High School (New Jersey)|Union City High School]] principal John Bennetti for the positive educational atmosphere in that school.<ref>[[Kirp, David L.]] [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/opinion/sunday/the-secret-to-fixing-bad-schools.html "The Secret to Fixing Bad Schools"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 9, 2013. Accessed July 6, 2017.</ref><ref>Kirp, David L. (2011). ''Kids First: Five Big Ideas for Transforming Children's Lives'', (1st edition), Public Affairs, pp. 88,90, 92, 111-112, 137, {{ISBN|158648947X}}</ref><ref>DeChiaro, Dean. [https://archive.hudsonreporter.com/2013/03/31/tortoise-beats-hare/ "Tortoise beats hare; Berkeley professor celebrates UC in new book"], ''The Hudson Reporter'', March 31, 2013. Accessed November 14, 2019.</ref><ref>[[David L. Kirp|Kirp, David L.]] [http://www.thenation.com/article/how-union-city-shifting-arc-immigrant-kids-lives/ "How Union City Is Shifting the Arc of Immigrant Kids' Lives"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915051648/http://www.thenation.com/article/how-union-city-shifting-arc-immigrant-kids-lives/ |date=September 15, 2015 }}. ''[[The Nation]]'', April 8, 2013. Accessed October 14, 2015.</ref>

===Public schools===
[[File:6.20.13UnionCityHighSchoolByLuigiNovi.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Union City High School (New Jersey)|Union City High School]]]]
The [[Union City School District (New Jersey)|Union City School District]] operates public schools in Union City, serving students in [[pre-kindergarten]] through [[twelfth grade]]. The district is one of 31 former [[Abbott district]]s statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the [[New Jersey Supreme Court]] in ''Abbott v. Burke'',<ref>[https://www.njsda.gov/About/WhatWeDo#History What We Do: History], [[New Jersey Schools Development Authority]]. Accessed March 1, 2022. "In 1998, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in the ''Abbott v. Burke'' case that the State must provide 100 percent funding for all school renovation and construction projects in special-needs school districts. According to the Court, aging, unsafe and overcrowded buildings prevented children from receiving the "thorough and efficient" education required under the New Jersey Constitution.... Full funding for approved projects was authorized for the 31 special-needs districts, known as 'Abbott Districts'."</ref> 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]].<ref>[https://www.njsda.gov/About/WhatWeDo What We Do], [[New Jersey Schools Development Authority]]. Accessed March 1, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://www.njsda.gov/Content/FactSheets/31_SDA_Districts.pdf SDA Districts], [[New Jersey Schools Development Authority]]. Accessed March 1, 2022.</ref>

As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of 14 schools, had an enrollment of 12,848 students and 858.0 classroom teachers (on an [[full-time equivalent|FTE]] basis), for a [[student–teacher ratio]] of 15.0:1.<ref name=NCES>[https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&details=1&ID2=3416380&DistrictID=3416380 District information for Union City School District], [[National Center for Education Statistics]]. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref> Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the [[National Center for Education Statistics]]<ref>[https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3416380 School Data for the Union City School District], [[National Center for Education Statistics]]. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref>) are 
Eugenio Maria de Hostos Center for Early Childhood Education<ref>[https://ecc.ucboe.us/ Eugenio Maria de Hostos Center for Early Childhood Education], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (279; grades PreK-K), 
Thomas A. Edison Elementary School<ref>[https://edison.ucboe.us/ Thomas A. Edison Elementary School], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (839; PreK–6), 
Sara Gilmore Academy School<ref>[https://gilmore.ucboe.us// Sara Gilmore Academy School] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721183053/https://gilmore.ucboe.us/ |date=July 21, 2020 }}, Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (390; 1–8), 
Henry Hudson Elementary School<ref>[https://hudson.ucboe.us/ Henry Hudson Elementary School], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (295; PreK–3), 
Jefferson Elementary School<ref>[https://jefferson.ucboe.us/ Jefferson Elementary School], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (302; PreK–4), 
Colin Powell Elementary School<ref>[https://cpowell.ucboe.us/ Colin Powell Elementary School], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (721; K–5),<ref>McDonald, Terrence T. [https://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index.ssf/2013/02/gov_christie_attends_union_cit.html#incart_river "Gov. Christie visits Union City school opening, hears Democratic mayor praise him"]. [[NJ.com]], February 8, 2013. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref>
Theodore Roosevelt School<ref>[https://roosevelt.ucboe.us/ Theodore Roosevelt School], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (919; K–6), 
Veteran's Memorial Elementary School<ref>[https://veterans.ucboe.us/ Veteran's Memorial Elementary School], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (551; PreK–5), 
George Washington Elementary School<ref>[https://washington.ucboe.us/ George Washington Elementary School], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (779; PreK–6), 
Robert Waters Elementary School<ref>[https://rws.ucboe.us/ Robert Waters Elementary School], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (976; PreK–6), 
[[Emerson Middle School (New Jersey)|Emerson Middle School]]<ref>[https://ems.ucboe.us/ Emerson Middle School], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (1,001; 6–8), 
[[Union Hill Middle School]]<ref>[https://uhms.ucboe.us/ Union Hill Middle School], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (849; 7–8), 
José Martí STEM Academy<ref>[https://jmsa.ucboe.us/ José Martí STEM Academy], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (664; 9–12) and  
[[Union City High School (New Jersey)|Union City High School]]<ref>[https://uchs.ucboe.us/ Union City High School], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref> (3,025; 9–12).<ref>[https://www.ucboe.us/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=416205&type=d&pREC_ID=909643 Schools], Union City School District. Accessed December 2, 2024.</ref><ref>[https://rc.doe.state.nj.us/selectreport/2022-2023/17/5240 School Performance Reports for the Union City School District], [[New Jersey Department of Education]]. Accessed April 3, 2024.</ref><ref>[https://homeroom6.doe.state.nj.us/directory/school/districtid/5240 New Jersey School Directory for the Union City School District]. [[New Jersey Department of Education]]. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref><ref>Schwartz, Art. [http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/23485051/article-Back-to-school-in-Union-City--Kids--teachers-gear-up-this-week-- "Back to school in Union City; Kids, teachers gear up this week"], ''[[The Hudson Reporter]]'', September 1, 2013. Accessed July 6, 2017.</ref>

The city's single public high school, Union City High School, opened September 3, 2009,<ref>Rappaport, Melissa. [https://archive.hudsonreporter.com/2009/08/30/back-to-school-9/ "Back to school; New buildings, new amenities for 2009"], ''The Hudson Reporter'', August 30, 2009. Accessed November 14, 2019.</ref> and was built on the site of the former [[Roosevelt Stadium (Union City)|Roosevelt Stadium]].<ref>Hu, Winnie. [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/nyregion/22union.html "After 88 Years of Rivalry, the Last as Us and Them"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', November 22, 2007. Accessed July 6, 2017. "But today's so-called Turkey Game signals the end of the tradition. Next fall, the two schools will merge in a new $176 million building.... The new Union City High School will take up {{convert|4.5|acre|m2}} in the center of the city, squeezed between row houses and commercial strips. It will have a football field and bleachers built on the roof so that players will no longer have to share the facilities at José Martí Middle School."</ref> The $178 million school, whose signature feature is an athletic field on its second floor roof, replaced the former Emerson High School and Union Hill High School, which converted to middle schools.<ref>Thorbourne, Ken. [http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2009/08/eagels_ready_to_soar_at_new_un.html "Eagles ready to soar at new Union City High School"], ''[[The Jersey Journal]]'', August 30, 2009. Accessed July 6, 2017.</ref>

[[Hudson County Community College]]'s $28.1 million North Hudson Higher Education Center opened in September 2011. The seven-story, {{convert|92250|sqft|m2|adj=on}} Center is located on [[County Route 501 (New Jersey)|Kennedy Boulevard]], adjacent to the [[Bergenline Avenue (HBLR station)|Bergenline Avenue Light Rail station]]. It incorporates [[green technology]], such as [[photovoltaic electrical systems]], [[rainwater harvesting]] tanks, daylight and occupancy sensors, [[low-flow]] fixtures, and high-efficiency mechanical equipment. The NHHEC also houses offices for the Hudson County Career Development Center and the County Clerk.<ref>Diaz, Lana Rose. [https://archive.hudsonreporter.com/2010/09/19/college-for-the-community/ "College for the community; HCCC previews new North Hudson Higher Education Center"], ''The Hudson Reporter'', September 19, 2010. Accessed November 14, 2019.</ref><ref>Clark, Amy Sara. [http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2009/02/hudson_county_community_colleg.html "Hudson County Community College's building spree continues with North Campus in Union City"]. ''[[The Jersey Journal]]'', February 18, 2009. Accessed July 6, 2017.</ref>
[[File:1.20.10MotherSetonMiftaahulUloomByLuigiNovi.jpg|thumb|Mother Seton Interparochial School (left) and [[Miftaahul Uloom Academy]], a Pre-K to 12th grade [[Islamic]] school (right), are both located on 15th Street.]]

Colin Powell Elementary School opened in September 2012 and was dedicated on February 7, 2013. It is the seventh educational facility created over the course of a decade, and the 14th school in the city.<ref>McDonald, Terrence T. [http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index.ssf/2013/02/gov_christie_attends_union_cit.html#incart_river "Gov. Christie visits Union City school opening, hears Democratic mayor praise him"], ''[[The Jersey Journal]]'', February 8, 2013. Accessed July 6, 2017.</ref> For the 2013–2014 school year students from Gilmore and Hudson Schools were relocated to Colin Powell, so that the former schools, both of which are over 100 years old, could undergo renovations.<ref>Schwartz, Art. [https://archive.hudsonreporter.com/2013/09/01/back-to-school-in-union-city/ "Back to school in Union City; Kids, teachers gear up this week"], ''[[The Hudson Reporter]]'', September 1, 2013. Accessed November 14, 2019.</ref> The K-5 school, which is located on New York Avenue and 15th Street, was visited by its namesake, former Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]], in June 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/2013/06/seeing_union_city_school_with.html|title=Seeing Union City school with his name a special thrill for Colin Powell|publisher=[[NJ.com]]|author=Ambrosio, John|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=June 5, 2013|access-date=September 13, 2023|archive-date=September 13, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230913210157/https://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/2013/06/seeing_union_city_school_with.html}}</ref>

Woodrow Wilson School was awarded the [[National Blue Ribbon Schools Program|Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence]] by the [[United States Department of Education]], the highest award an American school can receive, during the 2004–2005 school year.<ref>[http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-2003.pdf U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982 Through 2013 (PDF)], [[United States Department of Education]]. Accessed December 31, 2014.</ref> The Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence was awarded again to Woodrow Wilson for the 2014–2015 school year.<ref>Goldman, Jeff. [http://www.nj.com/education/2014/10/which_nj_schools_were_named_to_national_blue_ribbon_list.html "Which N.J. schools were named to national 'Blue Ribbon' list?"], NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], October 2, 2014. Accessed December 31, 2014. "Eleven New Jersey schools have been named to the annual National Blue Ribbon list, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday."</ref><ref>[http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2014/national.pdf#page=17 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools All Public and Private], [[United States Department of Education]]. Accessed December 31, 2014.</ref>

The Sarah M. Gilmore Elementary School, which is located on Kerrigan Avenue, between 16th and 17th Streets, opened in September 2017. The school, which cost $29 million, opened with 350 students.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/hudson/2017/08/union_city_to_open_new_school_in_time_for_start_of.html|publisher=[[NJ.com]]|title=Union City to open new school in time for start of classes|author=Strunsky, Steve|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=August 31, 2017|access-date=September 13, 2023|archive-date=September 13, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230913205720/https://www.nj.com/hudson/2017/08/union_city_to_open_new_school_in_time_for_start_of.html}}</ref>

The city's newest school is Union City Middle School, which began construction in September 2023. The 15th school in the city, the six-story, $93.7 million project, which is located at 518 36th Street between Kennedy Boulevard and Bergenline Avenue, was conceived to ease overcrowding in the city's classrooms. It will house students that otherwise would have attended Emerson and Union Hill Middle Schools, as well as some ninth graders that would have otherwise attended Union City High School, and enable the city to move all sixth graders into its elementary schools. It is expected to open for the 2025 Fall semester. Although it will be able to host 936 students, the city will limit it to 827. Its specialized classrooms will include a [[robotics]] lab, a [[hydroponics lab]], and a [[dance studio]].<ref>[https://www.nj.com/hudson/2023/09/union-city-finds-solution-to-overcrowded-classrooms-new-937-million-middle-school.html "Union City finds solution to overcrowded classrooms: New $93.7 million middle school"], ''[[The Jersey Journal]]'' / NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], September 12, 2023. Accessed December 2, 2024. "Shovels are in the ground and construction is underway for a new Union City middle school intended to ease overcrowded classrooms in the growing school district. The state-funded school at 518 36th St. — between Kennedy Boulevard and Bergenline Avenue — is expected to open in fall 2025, welcoming students in grades seven through nine. With room for more than 900 students, the new building will both pull in students from other city middle schools and be the new home for some ninth-graders who would otherwise have attended Union City High School, Superintendent Silvia Abbato said.... The estimated $93.7 million school is funded by the state Schools Development Authority (SDA), an agency dedicated to improving school facilities for 31 urban school districts in the state, formerly known as Abbott districts.... The school will stand six stories and be approximately 132,000 square feet, according to the SDA’s project page."</ref>

===Private schools===
St. Francis Academy is a K-8 [[Catholic school]] operated under the auspices of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark]].<ref>[https://catholicschoolsnj.org/hudson-county-1 Hudson County Elementary Schools], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark]]. Accessed March 1, 2023.</ref> In September 2013, St. Francis Academy was one of 15 schools in New Jersey to be recognized by the [[United States Department of Education]] as part of the [[National Blue Ribbon Schools Program]], an award called the "most prestigious honor in the United States' education system" and which Education Secretary [[Arne Duncan]] described as honoring schools that "represent examples of educational excellence".<ref>Rundquist, Jeanette. [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/09/15_nj_schools_named_as_national_blue_ribbon_winners.html "15 N.J. schools named as national 'Blue Ribbon' winners"], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', September 24, 2013. Accessed September 25, 2013. "Five Catholic schools, six county vocational-technical schools and a Yeshiva are among the list of honored schools in New Jersey. Also named as 2013 Blue Ribbon Schools were Dover, Harrison and Wildwood high schools."</ref><ref>[http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2013/national.pdf#page=15 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools All Public and Private], pp. 15–17. [[United States Department of Education]], [[National Blue Ribbon Schools Program]]. Accessed September 25, 2013.</ref> In the wake of declining enrollment and lingering financial issues, Mother Seton Interparochial School (which had been formed in 2006 from the merger of St. Michael's and St. Anthony of Padua) and St. Augustine's School were closed by the Newark Archdiocese after the 2019–20, school year and merged into Academy of St. Joseph of the Palisades in [[West New York, New Jersey]].<ref>Zeitlinger, Ron. [https://www.nj.com/hudson/2020/08/three-north-hudson-catholic-schools-to-consolidate-archdiocese-announces.html "Three North Hudson Catholic schools to consolidate, archdiocese announces"], ''[[The Jersey Journal]]'', August 4, 2020. Accessed March 1, 2023. "Two Union City Catholic schools will merge with Academy of St. Joseph of the Palisade in West New York, the Newark Archdiocese announced Tuesday afternoon. Saint Augustine, at 39th Street and New York Avenue, and Mother Seton Interparochial School, at 15th and New York Avenue, will not reopen in September because of dwindling enrollment and financial problems that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, officials said."</ref>

Other schools in Union City include two Islamic schools, [[Miftaahul Uloom Academy]]<ref>Cullen, Deanna, "Kids in the courtroom", ''The Union City Reporter'', February 20, 2011, pages 1 and 14</ref><ref>[http://www.muanj.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=11&Itemid=8 History], Miftaahul Uloom Academy. Accessed February 18, 2011.</ref> and [[Rising Star Academy]],<ref>[https://www.privateschoolreview.com/rising-star-academy-profile Rising Star Academy], Private School Review. Accessed August 28, 2017.</ref> a Jewish school, Mesivta Sanz,<ref>[https://www.mesivtasanz.com/the-mesivta.html The Mesivta], Mesivta Sanz of Hudson County. Accessed November 14, 2019. "The vibrant institutions of Sanz Zvill, in Union City, New Jersey, stand in an uplifting tribute to the great Sanz Klausenberger Rebbe, Zatzal."</ref><ref>[http://high-schools.com/schools/100896/mesivta-sanz.html "Mesivta Sanz in Union City, NJ"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140511124344/http://high-schools.com/schools/100896/mesivta-sanz.html |date=2014-05-11 }}. high-schools.com. Accessed January 21, 2013.</ref> and Union City Daycare Program School.<ref>Reyes, Daniel. [http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index.ssf/2012/07/sen_menendez_visits_union_city.html "Sen. Menendez visits Union City daycare with women officials to underline his commitment to improving women's lives"], ''[[The Jersey Journal]]'', July 17, 2012. Accessed July 6, 2017.</ref>