About
North Star Academy
North Star Academy has been a staple in the Newark Community for over 25 years. Since our founding in 1997, our free public schools have served Newark families with an award-winning instructional model that supports students’ academic and personal growth. Our school community is an environment where students feel loved and nurtured so they can be their best each and every day. From Kindergarten through 12th grade, North Star students engage in learning and extracurricular activities for a longer school day and a longer school year to ensure that they will be prepared to enter and succeed in college and beyond. Our teachers ensure each student is cared for by bringing a culture of joy, support, and focus on academic work to create a learning environment that supports their success.
We are driven by our core values inside and outside the classroom. By instilling a culture of caring, courage, justice, respect, and responsibility, our students are learning to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Caring: We take care of each other. We help each other. We notice when someone needs help and we lend a hand. We do not hurt each other physically or emotionally.
Courage: We have confidence in ourselves and in each other. We strive to do our best and to do what’s right even when it scares us. We encourage each other.
Justice: We act with fairness toward each other. We get involved when members of the community are in trouble and need help. We work to improve our community and the world.
Respect: We treat each person as valuable – worthy of greatness and goodness. We accept individuals for who they are. We are honest with each other.
Responsibility: We believe we are the masters of our own destinies and that we have the power to control our lives and shape our futures. We participate fully in everything we do; we do not do things halfway.
North Star Academy consists of 14 free public charter schools – 6 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, and 2 high schools. Our schools are open to all families in New Jersey and are located in the Newark neighborhoods of Clinton Hill, Downtown, Fairmount, Vailsburg, and West Side. In Elementary School, we cultivate a love for learning in every child. Our teaching is fast-paced, rigorous, and fun—with plenty of celebratory cheers built into each lesson. We build community around values like respect, hard work, and kindness, shaping the hearts as well as the minds of our students. Our goal is for students to love school from the very start. In Middle School, our students learn the academic skills they need to succeed in high school, while developing their own identities as citizens of their communities and of the world. They learn to think deeply, to debate passionately, and to engage thoughtfully with new people, places, and ideas. Our High School students make the transition to becoming the leaders of tomorrow. They build intellectual expertise through rigorous coursework and AP classes. They develop their passion and leadership through a range of enrichment and after-school activities. They graduate ready to thrive in college and beyond.
