Sign up for Chalkbeat Newark’s free newsletter to get the latest news about the city’s public school system delivered to your inbox.
New Jersey’s Interdistrict Public School Choice Program has remained steady over the years, offering the option to a relatively small and consistent number of students, mostly from affluent districts, rather than expanding its access on a broader scale, state data obtained by Chalkbeat shows.
The state’s choice program was created to allow students to attend public schools outside their home district, but it has been stalled for more than a decade due to a lack of funding.
Participation in the program has stayed consistent, averaging around 5,000 students annually, according to a Chalkbeat analysis of the program’s data over the last 10 years. That figure has been largely unchanged even as some school districts across the state experience declining enrollments.
There are 119 participating “choice districts” spanning counties such as Hudson, Morris, Passaic, and Burlington, but no Essex County districts, including Newark, currently participate. Traditional public school districts must opt in as choice districts and can set limits on the number of students they accept.
Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill has expressed support for expanding the program, mainly as a way to desegregate the state’s public schools. The program is currently budgeted for $62 million and in 2012-13, Gov. Chris Christie’s administration capped the program at 5% growth annually. Some participating superintendents said that left the program underfunded and incapable of meeting the demand for seats.
To operate the program, the state provides the receiving district with money to cover the cost of educating a student. But experts have warned that paying for students isn’t the same everywhere because of differences in tax levies across cities and towns.
Supporters of the program say scaling up would help desegregate schools, support districts facing enrollment declines, and give students more options to specialized programs.
In many cases, the sending and receiving districts are close neighbors, suggesting that families are choosing districts that are close to home, according to Chalkbeat’s analysis. Sending school districts must pay for up to 20 miles of a student’s transportation. After that, parents must cover the cost to send their child to school, which shapes who is able to take advantage of the program and determines where a student can go.
In 2024, Winslow Township Schools in Camden County sent 473 students to other districts, the highest of any sending district in the program, followed by Jersey City Public Schools in Hudson County and Middle Township Public Schools in Cape May County, which both sent 134.
Also in 2024, Hammonton Public Schools in Atlantic County received 224 students, the highest of any choice district in the program, followed by the Englewood Public School District in Bergen County that received 215, and the Folsom School District in Atlantic County that received 207.
The data also shows that participation is concentrated among a few communities. While some districts send or receive hundreds of students, many others see little to no movement through the program. Lawrence Township Public Schools stands out as a “choice-neutral” district because it sent and received 80 students in 2024, while several smaller districts showed a similar trend but on a much smaller scale.
Although the program has been around for more than two decades, there’s little data available about how it is currently working, which students are participating, and the financial impact on sending and receiving school districts.
Supporters of the program have signaled that an expansion into Essex County could be next. That could have implications for Newark Public Schools, where enrollment has increased by nearly 20% over the last five years. The latest state figures show Newark enrolled roughly 44,000 pre-K through 12th grade students in the 2024-25 school year, up from roughly 36,600 in 2019.
Education experts also said that expanding the choice program could strain district budgets, especially in districts like Newark, where state aid makes up 84% of its budget this school year. But in affluent districts with higher property taxes, the program has yielded positive results.
In the Glassboro Public School District in Gloucester County, former Superintendent Mark Silverstein previously told Chalkbeat that the state cap set by the Christie administration in 2012-13 prevented his district from growing the choice program. During Silverstein’s tenure, about 200 students from neighboring school districts participated. That program helped boost student achievement and strengthen academic programs, Silverstein added.
Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
