LEAP Academy University Charter School
Address
549 Cooper Street (Upper)
639 Cooper Street (Lower)

Camden
,
Camden County
,
New Jersey
08105

United States
Coordinates39°56′45″N 75°05′39″W / 39.945904°N 75.094302°W / 39.945904; -75.094302
Information
TypeCharter school
Established1997
NCES School ID340007800487[1]
Faculty102.0 FTEs[1]
GradesK–12
Enrollment1,559 (as of 2021–22)[1]
Student to teacher ratio15.3:1[1]
Color(s)  Navy Blue[2]
Team nameLancers[2]
Websitewww.leapacademycharter.org

LEAP (Leadership, Education, and Partnership) Academy University Charter School is a charter school that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grades from Camden, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. The school operates under the terms of a charter granted by the New Jersey Department of Education. Founded in 1997, the school is split into three divisions, a K-6 lower school, a 7-12 upper school and a STEM high school for grades 9-12.[3]

As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,559 students and 102.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.3:1. There were 1,172 students (75.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 131 (8.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

History

Based on an idea by Gloria Bonilla-Santiago, the school was one of the initial group of 16 statewide granted a charter by the New Jersey Department of Education and was the only school in South Jersey to be granted a charter.[4] The school opened in September 1997 in temporary facilities with 324 students in grades K-5, who had been selected by lottery from 500 applications submitted.[5]

The school moved to its permanent location on Cooper Street in 1999 and graduated its first eighth-grade class in July 2001, by which time the school had an enrollment of 500 students in grades K-8. The school opened for grades 9-12 with a total high school enrollment of 216 students for the 2001-02 school year under the terms of a second charter.[6]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 213th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools".[7]

Athletics

The LEAP Academy Lions[2] sports programs are overseen by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[8] The school is not affiliated with a league or conference.[9] With 350 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 75 to 476 students in that grade range.[10]

Administration

Core administration are[11]

  • Early Learning Academy - Stephanie Rogers, Director
  • Lower Elementary - Shanell Hartman, Principal
  • Upper Elementary/Intermediate - Jovita Veguilla, Principal
  • High School - Dana Rivas, Principal

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 School data for LEAP Academy University Charter School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 LEAP Academy University Charter, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  3. ↑ What is LEAP Academy?, LEAP Academy University Charter School. Accessed November 20, 2014.
  4. ↑ Lucas, Judith Thomas. "A dream about to come true; Parents, educators have high hopes for South Jersey's first charter school.", Courier-Post, August 18, 1997. Accessed April 11, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Next month, they will attend South Jersey's first charter school Project LEAP Academy in Camden.... Project LEAP, an idea hatched by Rutgers-Camden professor Gloria Bonilla-Santiago back in 1994, is scheduled to open Sept. 15. It's one of only 16 state-approved charter schools, and the only one in the tri-county area."
  5. ↑ Lucas, Judith Thomas. "S. Jersey's first charter school welcomes kids", Courier-Post, September 16, 1997. Accessed April 11, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The 324 young students seemed unaware of their place in history as South Jersey's first charter school opened Monday.... The school is for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Any Camden resident could apply. About 500 students did, and 324 were chosen by lottery."
  6. ↑ Colon, Vanessa. "LEAP Academy graduates first class", Courier-Post, July 19, 2011. Accessed April 11, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The kindergarten-to-eighth-grade school has an 11-month academic year and 500 students. The city's second charter school, the LEAP University High Charter School, will open in September. It will have 216 students in the ninth-through-12th grades.... The charter school opened in September 1997 and moved to its permanent location at 7th and Cooper streets in September 1999."
  7. ↑ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  8. ↑ LEAP Academy University Charter, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed March 26, 2015.
  9. ↑ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  10. ↑ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  11. ↑ "LEAP Schools". Retrieved April 16, 2019.
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