Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology is a comprehensive public charter elementary school / high school that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grades located in Paterson, in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school operates under the terms of a charter granted by the New Jersey Department of Education granted in 2003, with authority to open in September 2004 with up to 178 students in grades six through nine, eventually expanding by the end of its initial charter in 2007 to nearly 500 students in grades 6 to 12.Commissioner Librera Presents Charter to Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology, New Jersey Department of Education, press release dated October 1, 2003. Accessed November 26, 2014. "Commissioner of Education William L. Librera today presented New Jersey's newest charter school to the State Board of Education. Commissioner Librera and State Board of Education President Arnold Hyndman welcomed representatives from Paterson's Charter School for Science and Technology. The school's charter has been granted through June 2007." The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2014.Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 14, 2022.
The school has sparked controversy, as it has been linked to the educational network of cleric Fetullah Gulen by local media., February 15, 2017. Accessed October 5, 2024.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,664 students and 122.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.6:1. There were 1,336 students (80.3% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 202 (12.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Paterson Charter School For Science And Technology, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 279th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools".Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
Athletics The Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology LionsPaterson Charter School Science & Technology, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. With 288 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 75 to 476 students in that grade range.NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
School colors are royal blue and gold. Sports offered include softball (women), baseball (men), cross country (men and women), basketball (men and women), volleyball (women) and soccer (men and women).
The 2022 boys' basketball team won the Group I state championship, the first in program history, with a 91-67 win against Burlington City High School.Mattura, Greg. "Paterson Charter boys basketball wins state championship for the first time", The Record, March 14, 2022. Accessed September 5, 2022. "Paterson Charter finally captured the state title that it had been denied the chance to win the previous two years because of the pandemic. The Lions registered their first NJSIAA championship with a runaway victory over Burlington City, 91-67, in the Group 1 final on Sunday night at Rutgers’ Jersey Mike’s Arena." In 2020, the team was declared as North I Regional Champion, after the remainder of the playoffs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
References
External links Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology
Data for Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology, National Center for Education Statistics