Editing Perth Amboy, New Jersey (section)

==Education==

[[File:Perth Amboy High School, Convery Boulevard, NJ - 2024.jpg|thumb|[[Perth Amboy High School]]]]
Public schools in Perth Amboy are operated by [[Perth Amboy Public Schools]], serving students in [[pre-kindergarten]] through [[twelfth grade]].<ref>[https://www.straussesmay.com/seportal/public/DistrictPolicy.aspx?policyid=0110&id=350315a8bc724468890cdb7e6cc07c6f Perth Amboy Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 29, 2022. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the Perth Amboy School District. Composition: The Perth Amboy School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Perth Amboy."</ref> 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 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 12 schools, had an enrollment of 10,786 students and 898.7 classroom teachers (on an [[full-time equivalent|FTE]] basis), for a [[student–teacher ratio]] of 12.0:1.<ref name=NCES>[https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&details=1&ID2=3412930&DistrictID=3412930 District information for Perth Amboy Public School District], [[National Center for Education Statistics]]. Accessed February 15, 2022.</ref> Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the [[National Center for Education Statistics]]<ref>[https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3412930 School Data for the Perth Amboy Public Schools], [[National Center for Education Statistics]]. Accessed February 15, 2022.</ref>) are 
Ignacio Cruz Early Childhood Center<ref>[https://www.paps.net/cruz Ignacio Cruz Early Childhood Center], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (with 667 students in Pre-K), 
Edmund Hmieleski Jr. Early Childhood Center<ref>[https://www.paps.net/hmieleski Edmund Hmieleski Jr. Early Childhood Center], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (362; Pre-K), 
School #7 Early Childhood Center<ref>[https://www.paps.net/Domain/2466 School #7 Early Childhood Center], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (NA; Pre-K), 
Anthony V. Ceres Elementary School<ref>[https://www.paps.net/ceres Anthony V. Ceres Elementary School], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (581; K–4), 
James J. Flynn Elementary School<ref>[https://www.paps.net/flynn James J. Flynn Elementary School], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (550; K–4), 
Rose M. Lopez Elementary School<ref>[https://www.paps.net/lopez Rose M. Lopez Elementary School], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (812; K–3), 
Edward J. Patten Elementary Elementary School<ref>[https://www.paps.net/patten Edward J. Patten Elementary Elementary School], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (660; K–4), 
Dr. Herbert N. Richardson 21st Century Elementary School<ref>[https://www.paps.net/richardson Dr. Herbert N. Richardson 21st Century Elementary School], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (491; K–4), 
Robert N. Wilentz Elementary School<ref>[https://www.paps.net/wilentz Robert N. Wilentz Elementary School], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (637; K–4), 
Dual Language School<ref>[https://www.paps.net/dls Dual Language School], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (397; 4–8), 
William C. McGinnis Middle School<ref>[https://www.paps.net/mcginnis William C. McGinnis Middle School], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (1,398; 5–8), 
Samuel E. Shull Middle School<ref>[https://www.paps.net/shull Samuel E. Shull Middle School], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (1,410; 5–8) and 
[[Perth Amboy High School]]<ref>[https://www.paps.net/pahs Perth Amboy High School], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref> (2,547; 9–12).<ref>[https://www.paps.net/Page/16147 Our Schools], Perth Amboy Public Schools. Accessed March 30, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://rc.doe.state.nj.us/selectreport/2022-2023/23/4090 School Performance Reports for the Perth Amboy Public School District], [[New Jersey Department of Education]]. Accessed April 1, 2024.</ref><ref>[https://homeroom6.doe.state.nj.us/directory/school/districtid/4090 New Jersey School Directory for Perth Amboy Public Schools], [[New Jersey Department of Education]]. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref>

Based on data from the 2013–2017 [[American Community Survey]], 14.5% of adults over the age of 25 in Perth Amboy have a bachelor's degree or higher, a percentage significantly below the state average of 38.9% and the 42.7% of those in Middlesex County.<ref>[https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/perthamboycitynewjersey,middlesexcountynewjersey,NJ/PST045219 QuickFacts for Perth Amboy city, New Jersey; Middlesex County, New Jersey; New Jersey from Population estimates, July 1, 2019, (V2019)], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed May 21, 2020.</ref>

The [[Academy for Urban Leadership Charter High School]] is a public high school serving grades 7–12 open since September 2010, operating independently of the Perth Amboy Public Schools under the terms of a charter granted by the [[New Jersey Department of Education]]. The school opened with one hundred 9th graders, with plans to add a class of 100 students each year until it reached its goal of 400 students in grades 9–12 by the 2013–2014 school year and has since added grades 7 and 8.<ref>[https://www.aulcs.org/domain/6 Our School], [[Academy for Urban Leadership Charter High School]]. Accessed December 19, 2019. "The Academy for Urban Leadership Charter School is a public school that operates under a charter granted by the State Commissioner of Education on September 8, 2010. As of September 2016, AUL will be serving 500 students in grades 8-12, one hundred students per grade. In September 2017, AUL will be serving an additional one hundred students in grade 7."</ref> As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 414 students and 39.0 classroom teachers (on an [[full-time equivalent|FTE]] basis), for a [[student–teacher ratio]] of 10.6:1.<ref>[https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&details=1&ID2=3400741&DistrictID=3400741 District information for Academy For Urban Leadership Charter School], [[National Center for Education Statistics]]. Accessed December 1, 2022.</ref>

Eighth grade students from all of Middlesex County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the [[Middlesex County Magnet Schools]], a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at its schools in [[East Brunswick Magnet School|East Brunswick]], [[Edison Academy Magnet School|Edison]], [[Perth Amboy Magnet School|Perth Amboy]], [[Piscataway Magnet School|Piscataway]] and [[Woodbridge Academy Magnet School|Woodbridge Township]], with no tuition charged to students for attendance.<ref>Heyboer, Kelly. [https://www.nj.com/news/g66l-2019/02/1b0ab48c995308/how-to-get-your-kid-a-seat-in-one-of-njs-hardesttogetinto-high-schools.html "How to get your kid a seat in one of N.J.'s hardest-to-get-into high schools"], NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], February 23, 2019. Accessed February 8, 2025. "Middlesex County has two stand-alone career academies for high-achieving students: the Academy for Science, Math and Engineering Technology, located on the campus of Middlesex County College in Edison, and the Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences in Woodbridge. How to apply: Students must attend a mandatory information session and submit an application by November of their 8th grade year."</ref><ref>[https://www.mcmsnj.net/about About Our Schools], [[Middlesex County Magnet Schools]]. Accessed February 8, 2025. "These high schools are free public schools that offer hands-on, integrated learning opportunities for students in grades 9-12 interested in all types of careers as well as higher education. Any student who resides anywhere in Middlesex County's 25 municipalities student may apply to the school district. If accepted, the home school district will permit the student to attend and will organize daily transportation at no cost to the student's family."</ref>

Assumption Catholic School (Pre-K–8)<ref>[https://assumptioncatholicschool.net/about-us/our-faculty-and-staff/ About Us], Assumption Catholic School. Accessed December 19, 2019.</ref> and Perth Amboy Catholic Primary School / Upper School (Pre-K–8)<ref>[http://www.pacatholicschool.org/pacs/ About Us], Perth Amboy Catholic School. Accessed December 19, 2019. "Since its inception in 1987, PACS has had the privilege of educating children from Perth Amboy and the surrounding area, as we live out our Mission Statement"</ref> operate under the supervision of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen]].<ref>[https://diometuchen.org/assets/Uploads/Documents/Schools/ListofSchools2018.pdf Schools in the Diocese of Metuchen Listed by County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204202806/https://diometuchen.org/assets/Uploads/Documents/Schools/ListofSchools2018.pdf |date=December 4, 2019 }}, [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen]]. Accessed December 19, 2019.</ref>

In 1903, the [[Perth Amboy Public Library]] became the first [[List of Carnegie libraries in New Jersey|Carnegie library]] in the state, made possible through a grant of $20,000 from [[Andrew Carnegie]] Foundation and donations from local philanthropists, which were supplemented in 1914 by an additional $30,000 in Carnegie grants to pay for two additional reading rooms.<ref name=LibraryMission>[https://www.perthamboynj.org/library/the_library/our_story Our Story], Perth Amboy Free Public Library. Accessed December 20, 2019. "Our Library was built on its present site on Jefferson Street, in 1901, on land donated by J. C. Mc Coy, of the Raritan Copper Works and constructed with the aid of a $20,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, a $1,000 donation from Adolph Lewisohn to purchase new books, and an agreement by the City to provide for the Library's upkeep. On December 9, 1903, the building, the first in New Jersey to be the beneficiary of Mr. Carnegie's generosity, was opened to the Public. The growth of the Library from that time was so marked, that in 1914, the Carnegie Corporation donated an additional $30,000 for the creation of two reading rooms."</ref><ref name=NYT1901/> The library reopened in 2015 after a $2 million renovation project that kept the library closed for more than two years.<ref name=CN2015>Russell, Suzanne. [https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/middlesex-county/2015/10/19/renovations-perth-amboy-library/74017364/ "Renovations completed at Perth Amboy Public Library"], ''[[Courier News]]'', October 19, 2015. Accessed December 19, 2019. "More than two years after the Perth Amboy Public Library closed its doors in 2013 for a much-needed $2 million renovation, residents will be welcomed back to the Jefferson Street building Saturday, Oct. 24, to tour the restored 112-year-old structure and sign up for library cards.... 'We're still making repairs. The majority of the work has been done, but it's still a work in progress,' said Diaz, noting a stair tower, to provide handicap accessibility, has yet to be completed on the structure which opened in 1903 with funding from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation."</ref><ref>Hazard, Sharon. [http://njmonthly.com/articles/lifestyle/a-gift-that-keeps-on-giving.html "A Gift That Keeps on Giving: NJ's Carnegie Libraries - Industrialist Andrew Carnegie built 36 libraries in New Jersey — each an architectural gem. Thanks to preservation efforts and creative reuse, most still serve their communities."], ''[[New Jersey Monthly]]'', April 8, 2013. Accessed December 19, 2019. "Perth Amboy’s library, dedicated in 1903, is in the process of being enlarged to meet the growing needs of its community while maintaining its architectural integrity."</ref>