Enrollment and Capacity Numbers of the Hoboken Public School Buildings - 2024 J-18 Table

 

Click to Enlarge

A review of enrollment and capacity data for the Hoboken District Schools, using information from the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, along with other district-level data:

The current figures show that Wallace School is operating six students under capacity, Connors School is 15 under, Brandt School is 121 over capacity, Demarest Middle School is 8 over, and Hoboken High School is 220 students under capacity. These numbers include the 160 students currently enrolled through the CHOICE program, most of whom attend Hoboken High School.

If the CHOICE program were sunsetted—allowing currently enrolled students to graduate while admitting no new students—the district would gradually recover those 160 seats at the high school level over the next four years. This would bring the high school’s available capacity to approximately 380 open seats, significantly increasing flexibility in student placement and program design at the secondary level.

The only schools currently over capacity are Brandt and Demarest. Wallace and Connors both have available space, and the closure of Calabro School in 2020, which removed 137 seats from the system, likely contributed to current crowding in some elementary schools. However, with a phased end to the CHOICE program and more strategic use of existing space, the district has sufficient capacity across its schools to manage current and near-future enrollment levels.

Given this audited data and the likely future availability of space at the high school given some administrative decisions, there appears to be no urgency for new building construction based on enrollment and capacity.

Juneteenth Celebratations in Hoboken - while NJDOE Data Shows Black Students are Left Behind Throughout the Public School District

It is wonderful to celebrate Juneteenth and the history behind June 19, 1865 as these pictures show from Hoboken High School and City Hall earlier this week. I applaud and honor all those who took part in the celebrations and ceremonies. It is also a time to reflect on the failures of the Hoboken School District in mathematics and reading instruction throughout the district concerning our African American students (see Chart 1 and Chart 2).

We must hold and embrace the complexity that this moment requires. Bringing together history and the present to make way for a future that is worthy of all the beautiful and extraordinary talent of Black students in Hoboken. We hope that reflection takes place with the humility, compassion, and courage necessary for real transformation to take root.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Chart 1- NJDOE ELA 2023-24

Chart 2- NJDOE Math 2023-24

But let’s be clear: reflection without action is performative. It’s easy to pose for pictures and quote from history; it’s much harder to confront the uncomfortable present. The truth is, Black students in Hoboken are being failed academically (see Chart 1 and Chart 2), year after year, in a system that has every advantage—small class sizes, strong funding, stable staffing. These are not the conditions of scarcity. These are the conditions where excellence should be the norm—and yet, that excellence is not being delivered equitably.

If we are serious about honoring Juneteenth, we cannot look away from the data. When only a fraction of African American students are reading and doing math at grade level, it’s not a coincidence—it’s a systemic breakdown. And it is time to name names: school boards, superintendents, administrators, and yes, classroom educators all share in the responsibility for these outcomes. Equity is not a buzzword—it’s a deliverable. And right now, it’s being underdeliveredand underprioritized.

Hollow celebrations mean nothing if they’re not backed by bold leadership and measurable progress. We don’t need more hashtags and photo ops—we need accountability, urgency, and a plan. Hoboken owes its Black students more than symbolic recognition. It owes them a future.