NJ Public Charter Schools Association Awards $1.25M To Jersey City's New Kindle Education Charter School

The New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association (NJPCSA) has announced plans to provide $4.25 million to three public charter schools from the Association’s Charter School Program (CSP) grant from the US Department of Education. After a rigorous review process that included charter school experts from across the country, Achievers Early College Prep Charter School and Paul Robeson Charter School in Trenton will each receive $1.5 million and Kindle Education, a new public charter school set to open in 2023 in Jersey City, will receive $1.25 million.  The school will be located in Journal Square.

“The Association is proud to award these high-performing charter schools with these grants to increase the number of high quality educational seats in the State and expand opportunities for all students, particularly traditionally underserved students, to attend public charter schools,” said Harry Lee, President of NJPCSA. “With these grants, we are unequivocally demonstrating our confidence in these schools to deliver on their promise to students, families, and their communities.”

This investment in charter schools in Jersey City follows the NJ Department of Education’s late December release of statewide student achievement data that verified that public charter schools are best positioned to improve student learning, particularly for low-income students of color. The data shows Black and Latino public charter school students are twice as likely to be at grade level.  Kindle Education Public Charter School was already approved this past fall by the Department of Education to open a new public charter school in Jersey City.

Kindle Education will open in the fall of 2023 with grades 6 and 7 and plans to grow each year until the school serves grades 6-12. “We are thrilled to serve the diverse families of Jersey City,” said DJ Hartigan and Katie Hahn, co-founders of Kindle Education Public Charter School. “This CSP funding, in addition to the general support of the NJPCSA, will go a long way towards ensuring that we meet the needs of every student who walks through our doors.” “Families can’t wait any longer and we must continue to invest in what works. Our charter leaders and teachers remain committed to meeting the immense challenges of this moment so that more students can recover socially, emotionally and academically,” concluded Lee.

For more information about charter schools in New Jersey, visit www.njcharters.org.