Camden City School District is a public school district that serves students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade from the city of Camden, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. BurkeWhat We Do: History, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022. "In 1998, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in the Abbott v. Burke case that the State must provide 100 percent funding for all school renovation and construction projects in special-needs school districts. According to the Court, aging, unsafe and overcrowded buildings prevented children from receiving the "thorough and efficient" education required under the New Jersey Constitution.... Full funding for approved projects was authorized for the 31 special-needs districts, known as 'Abbott Districts'." which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.What We Do, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.SDA Districts, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022. In 2013, after years of requests from local officials,Goodnough, Abby. "On Politics; A Request From Camden: Take Our Schools, Please", The New York Times, March 29, 1998. Accessed July 12, 2017. "But takeovers were back in the spotlight last week, after Mayor Milton Milan of Camden beseeched Governor Whitman to seize control of the schools in his hard-luck city." New Jersey intervened in Camden City, making the school district state-run under the leadership of Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard.Steele, Alison. "How an Iranian refugee rose to lead Camden's schools", The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 6, 2017. Accessed July 12, 2017. "After Rouhanifard's family settled near Nashville, his father pumped gas until he was able to start a small business. Rouhanifard learned English, went to college, and became an educator. In 2013, Gov. Christie appointed him superintendent of Camden's state-run school district, calling on him to turn around the city's struggling schools."
As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 19 schools, had an enrollment of 7,553 students and 668.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1.District information for Camden City School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
The district is guided by its school improvement plan, Putting Students First.Putting Students First, Camden City School District. Accessed March 28, 2022.McCombs, Katrina T. "Your Turn: Camden students deserve district that puts them first", Courier-Post, October 26, 2018. Accessed March 28, 2022.
History The Board of Education of the City of Camden was established by Isaac W. Mickle, who was entrusted by The Camden Board of School Trustees to borrow money to build a schoolhouse and apply to become a board of education. Mickle would go on to become the first secretary of the board of education.
The first meeting of the Board of Education of the City of Camden was in City Hall on April 3, 1854. The first three members elected into the board were from each political ward: Joseph Kimble (North Ward), Ebenezer Nichols (Middle Ward), and Isaac Lloyd (South Ward).
The district previously followed de jure educational segregation in the United States, where it officially segregated elementary schools on the basis of race. This ended in September 1946. - CITED: p. 85.
In 1948 it had two elementary schools entirely with black students and teachers. John Greenleaf Whittier Elementary School was designated as a school for all black children, even if it wasn't in their attendance zone.
In June 2004 the school district enacted a mandatory school uniform policy for all students. 10 schools had already started their own uniform policies.Burney, Melanie. "Camden schools to require uniforms in September; A new policy aims to improve discipline among students and security in schools." (Archive). June 9, 2004. Accessed November 29, 2015. Uniform policies were enforced effective September 2004.Burney, Melanie. "On first day, students give new uniforms mixed reviews" (Archive). The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 8, 2004. Accessed November 29, 2015.
In 2011, during a review of the proposed budget for the 2011–2012 school year, it was announced that Creative Arts High School would be merging with Morgan Village Middle School. A new building was built to accommodate both high school and middle school students. The new building also housed the facilities necessary to sustain and expand the creative arts programs.
Other schools merging that year were Washington Elementary School with Veterans Middle School and Parkside Elementary School with Hatch Middle School. These changes were intended to address schools with low enrollment, specifically schools with less than 300 students.Rothschild, Barbara S. "Hearing set on budget for schools", Courier-Post, March 28, 2011. Accessed March 26, 2026, via Newspapers.com.
In 2013, the district had 15,161 students. In March 2015, the district announced that it was closing the John Greenleaf Whittier Family School at the end of the 2014–15 school year. As part of the changes, Henry L. Bonsall Family School, East Camden Middle School, Francis X. McGraw Elementary School and Rafael Cordero Molina Elementary School were all to be transferred to renaissance school operators, who were responsible for making significant renovations to the District-owned buildings.Laday, Jason. "Camden closing 1 school, transferring 4 to charters", South Jersey Times, March 27, 2015. Accessed March 26, 2026. "Camden Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard announced that the 105-year-old J.G. Whittier Family School will be permanently shuttered at the end of the academic year. Henry L. Bonsall Family School, East Camden Middle School, Francis X. McGraw Elementary School and Rafael Cordero Molina Elementary School will, in addition to receiving much-needed renovations and repairs, each be taken over by one three Camden charter organizations."
In March 2013, at Woodrow Wilson High School, when Governor Chris Christie announced that the state of New Jersey would be taking over administration of the public schools in the city of Camden. The Department of Education had done an investigation that found in 2012, graduation rates fell to 49.27%, down from 56.89% the year before. From 2011 to 2012, only 2% of Camden students scored above a 1550 out of a possible 2400 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), compared with 43% students nationally. Only 19% and 30.4% of third-through eighth-grade students tested proficient in language arts and in math, respectively, which were far below the state average. Christie said, "I can't be a guarantor of results, none of us can, but just because we can't guarantee a positive result or because there have been some mixed results in the past, should not be used as an excuse for inaction."Ly, Laura. "State of New Jersey stepping in to run Camden’s troubled schools", CNN, March 25, 2013. Accessed March 26, 2026. "The state of New Jersey is taking over administration of the troubled public schools in the city of Camden, Gov. Chris Christie announced Monday. A recent Department of Education investigation found Camden city schools are among the lowest-performing in the state, Christie said at a news conference at Woodrow Wilson High School in the city.... 'I can’t be a guarantor of results, none of us can,' Christie said. 'But just because we can’t guarantee a positive result or because there have been some mixed results in the past, should not be used as an excuse for inaction.'"
The district had been classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "A", the lowest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 1, 2024.
In 2015, a new, $41 million, school opened on Broadway, and in 2017 two additional brand new renaissance school buildings opened, one in the Cramer Hill neighborhood and the other in Haddon Avenue in Whitman Park. Working in partnership with the school district, today renaissance schools serve about 4,200 students and boast rising test results.
In 2016, three years after the State of New Jersey takeover, former superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard noted the changes made within the district that contributed to a 64% graduation rate (up from 49%) and 15% decrease in the drop out rate within the Camden City School District:
the creation of new staff positions that specialize in helping students with discipline and learning the implementation of a required SAT/ACT test-taking day for all high school students the creation of a program for absentee students in which officials visit families to address the causes of the absences
In 2016, the district partnered with Camden's six charter school operators to introduce a city-wide enrollment system to create a simple, equitable way for families to choose to attend any district, charter, or renaissance school. Since then, all but one of Camden's publicly funded schools participate in Camden Enrollment.
In 2016, the state committed $133 million to renovate Camden High School. The graduation rate had gone up by 17 percentage points in five years, while the dropout rate had been cut in half. The District-led pre-school program has become a highlight.
In 2016, Cooper B. Hatch Family School and MetEast High School were consolidated into the building that had been occupied by the Hatch School, providing access to a gymnasium and auditorium for students in the high school program; the combined school, serving grades 6–12, has since been renamed as the Camden Big Picture Learning Academy.Steele, Allison. "Camden plans changes to 3 schools", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 14, 2016. Accessed December 12, 2017. "Camden officials are making changes to three schools in the city's Parkside neighborhood next fall, including moving students at MetEast High School into the building that houses Cooper B. Hatch Family School.... In the coming years, the schools will operate under one name - Hatch-MetEast - and serve students in grades six through 12. Meanwhile, Parkside's Forest Hill Elementary, which now serves kindergarten through eighth grade, will next year serve students through fifth grade only."
In the wake of declining enrollment, poor performance and a deteriorating facility constructed in 1926, Charles Sumner Elementary School was closed at the end of the 2016–17 school year.Trethan, Phaedra. "District: Camden elementary school to close", Courier-Post, March 24, 2017. Accessed December 12, 2017. "Charles Sumner Elementary School will close at the end of the 2016-17 school year, Camden School District officials confirmed in a memo to faculty and staff. The memo, obtained by the Courier-Post, was sent to Sumner staff Thursday morning. In it, schools Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard said the "difficult decision" was made based on the school building's condition, its enrollment and its performance."