New Jersey’s 1st Public Charter School
The Robert Treat Academy Charter School (RTA), a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, was founded by The North Ward Center in 1997.
Robert Treat Academy was the first public charter school to open in the state of New Jersey and has grown to be one of the most successful charter schools in the City of Newark and one of the highest performing charter schools in the state.
The school was founded on the underlying belief that urban students if given the same opportunities as their suburban counterparts, would thrive academically.
Today, there are 675 students enrolled in the K-8 program with 96% of the enrollment being black or Hispanic and 73% living at or below the poverty level. Students at Robert Treat Academy typically outperform their counterparts in other public charter schools and traditional public schools in the city.