Princeton Charter School
Encyclopedia
Princeton Charter School is a K-8 charter school
in Princeton Township
, in Mercer County
, New Jersey
, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
or the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey
which is not operated by the Princeton Regional Schools
district.
The school is one of over fifty schools opened under charter
s granted since 1997 by the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education
. These schools operate independently of local Boards of Education
, being funded on a per student basis by locally-raised tax revenues. It is accredited by the American Academy for Liberal Education
.
During the 2004-05 school year, Princeton Charter School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence
by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive.
Admission is determined by lottery open to all students. The school has had two headmasters. The founding Head was Charles Marsee. After eleven years, he was followed by Dr. Broderick Boxley. After the end of the 2009-2010 school year, Dr. Boxley left the school. Lawrence Patton is the head of school, Dr Alexander Mui manages 5–8, Gail Wilber leads k-4.
, while others go to private preparatory schools, such as The Lawrenceville School. There have been students from PCS admitted to the School of American Ballet
, The Peddie School, Phillips Andover Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy
, and several other private high schools. The school is a Blue Ribbon school and has been rated one of the best charter schools and public schools in the nation. Normally, the school is ahead of the regional school district in their curriculum by one or two years. Every year the students take 2 standardized tests, the NJ ASK (used in public schools) and the Educational Records Bureau
CTP's (used in independent schools). During the 2007-2008 school year, its 8th grade was ranked 1st in the state for the science curriculum.
Students taking either Advanced French or Beginner French may participate in "Le Grand Concours", a French knowledge contest, every year. They usually compete in the top ten in state and national with 1 or 2 national winners. As of 2009, students taking Spanish take the National Spanish Exam. The foreign language programs, especially Advanced French, are normally a year or two ahead of the regional schools.
The sixth graders go on a trip to Camp Ralph S. Mason
. and the eighth graders go to Washington D.C.
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
in Princeton Township
Princeton Township, New Jersey
Also Princeton Borough is an independent municipality completely surrounded by the township.Princeton North is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Princeton Township....
, in Mercer County
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
History
The school is the only public school in either Princeton Township, New JerseyPrinceton Township, New Jersey
Also Princeton Borough is an independent municipality completely surrounded by the township.Princeton North is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Princeton Township....
or the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey
Borough of Princeton, New Jersey
The Borough of Princeton is a borough and is one of the two municipalities making up Princeton, New Jersey. It lies in Mercer County, New Jersey, and is completely surrounded by Princeton Township, from which it was formed in 1894...
which is not operated by the Princeton Regional Schools
Princeton Regional Schools
Princeton Regional Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, New Jersey, United States. Students from Cranbury Township attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship...
district.
The school is one of over fifty schools opened under charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
s granted since 1997 by the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
. These schools operate independently of local Boards of Education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
, being funded on a per student basis by locally-raised tax revenues. It is accredited by the American Academy for Liberal Education
American Academy for Liberal Education
The American Academy for Liberal Education is a United States educational accreditation organization.- Accreditation :AALE provides two types of accreditation for higher education institutions that offer general education programs in the liberal arts...
.
During the 2004-05 school year, Princeton Charter School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive.
Admission is determined by lottery open to all students. The school has had two headmasters. The founding Head was Charles Marsee. After eleven years, he was followed by Dr. Broderick Boxley. After the end of the 2009-2010 school year, Dr. Boxley left the school. Lawrence Patton is the head of school, Dr Alexander Mui manages 5–8, Gail Wilber leads k-4.
Overview highlights
Students are separated into two buildings. Grades K-4 are in the lower and newer building. which was rebuilt and completed in 2004 after it burned down during construction. In the future PCS plans on doubling the size of grades K-4 and splitting them into sections; A and B. (This has already been done for grades 3 and 4.)Grades 5-8 are in the upper building, each grade having 2 sections; A and B. The library is located in the lower building. An addition to the 5-8 building including an auditorium, a gym, an art room, a music room, and a classroom, was recently completed in early 2010. The school has approximately 340 students, although the "waiting list" is significant.Curriculum Highlights
Academics is very important to the school. Approximately 70-80% of the 8th grade graduating class moves on to Princeton High SchoolPrinceton High School (New Jersey)
Princeton High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Princeton Regional Schools district, which serves all public school students in the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township...
, while others go to private preparatory schools, such as The Lawrenceville School. There have been students from PCS admitted to the School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
, The Peddie School, Phillips Andover Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
, and several other private high schools. The school is a Blue Ribbon school and has been rated one of the best charter schools and public schools in the nation. Normally, the school is ahead of the regional school district in their curriculum by one or two years. Every year the students take 2 standardized tests, the NJ ASK (used in public schools) and the Educational Records Bureau
Educational Records Bureau
Educational Records Bureau is the only not-for-profit educational services organization offering assessments for both admission and achievement for independent and selective public schools for Pre K-grade 12....
CTP's (used in independent schools). During the 2007-2008 school year, its 8th grade was ranked 1st in the state for the science curriculum.
Students taking either Advanced French or Beginner French may participate in "Le Grand Concours", a French knowledge contest, every year. They usually compete in the top ten in state and national with 1 or 2 national winners. As of 2009, students taking Spanish take the National Spanish Exam. The foreign language programs, especially Advanced French, are normally a year or two ahead of the regional schools.
The sixth graders go on a trip to Camp Ralph S. Mason
Camp Ralph S. Mason
Camp Ralph S. Mason is a YMCA summer camp located in Hardwick, New Jersey. The 650 acre site is located next to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area...
. and the eighth graders go to Washington D.C.
Athletics
Mark Papp, the athletic director, started work at PCS in the fall of 2000. Fall athletics are soccer (co-ed), field hockey (Primarily girls, although one boy played for the team in 2009), and cross country (co-ed). Winter sports are limited to basketball (boys and girls - separated), and spring sports are limited to lacrosse (boys and girls - separated), although a co-ed softball team may be opened in the future with enough student body support. The school colors are red and black, used for numerous school-related activities, including "Field Day," and the school mascot is a hawk.External links
- Princeton Charter School Main Website or
- Princeton Charter School Alternative Website
- 2003-04 School Report for Princeton Charter School
- National Center for Education Statistics data for Princeton Charter School. 2004-2005 enrollment was 280 students, from Kindergarten through Grade Eight. Demographic breakdown was 190 white (67.8%), 51 Asian (18%), 24 Black (8%) and 15 Hispanic (5%).