As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of 14 schools, had an enrollment of 12,848 students and 858.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.0:1.[1]
The district is 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.[6]
History
The city's single public high school, Union City High School, opened September 3, 2009,[7] and was built on the site of the former Roosevelt Stadium.[8] The $178 million school, whose signature feature is an athletic field on its second-floor roof, replaced the former Emerson High School and Union Hill High School, which were then converted to middle schools.[9]
In conjunction with the Schools Development Authority, the district is constructing a new $93.7 million middle school for grades seven through nine that is expected to open for the 2025–26 school year, and will accommodate as many as 900 students in a six-story building covering {{Convert}132000|sqft}}.[10]
The district's board of education is comprised of seven members who set policy and oversee the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type I school district, the board's trustees are appointed by the mayor to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three members up for reappointment each year. Of the more than 600 school districts statewide, Union City is one of approximately 12 districts with appointed school boards. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.[40][41][42][43]
^What 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'."
^Hu, Winnie. "After 88 Years of Rivalry, the Last as Us and Them", The New York Times, November 22, 2007. Accessed July 6, 2017. "But today's so-called Turkey Game signals the end of the tradition. Next fall, the two schools will merge in a new $176 million building.... The new Union City High School will take up 4.5 acres (18,000 m2) in the center of the city, squeezed between row houses and commercial strips. It will have a football field and bleachers built on the roof so that players will no longer have to share the facilities at José Martí Middle School."
^"Union City finds solution to overcrowded classrooms: New $93.7 million middle school", The Jersey Journal / NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 12, 2023. Accessed December 2, 2024. "Shovels are in the ground and construction is underway for a new Union City middle school intended to ease overcrowded classrooms in the growing school district. The state-funded school at 518 36th St. — between Kennedy Boulevard and Bergenline Avenue — is expected to open in fall 2025, welcoming students in grades seven through nine. With room for more than 900 students, the new building will both pull in students from other city middle schools and be the new home for some ninth-graders who would otherwise have attended Union City High School, Superintendent Silvia Abbato said.... The estimated $93.7 million school is funded by the state Schools Development Authority (SDA), an agency dedicated to improving school facilities for 31 urban school districts in the state, formerly known as Abbott districts.... The school will stand six stories and be approximately 132,000 square feet, according to the SDA’s project page."
^Goldman, Jeff. "Which N.J. schools were named to national 'Blue Ribbon' list?", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 2, 2014. Accessed December 31, 2014. "Eleven New Jersey schools have been named to the annual National Blue Ribbon list, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Union City School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed December 2, 2024. "The City of Union City School District is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an education institution. The District is a Type I District located in the county of Hudson, State of New Jersey. As a Type I, the District functions independently through a Board of Education (the 'Board'). The Board is comprised of seven members appointed to three-year terms. The purpose of the District is to educate students in grades K-12." See "Roster of Officials" on page 14.
^Roll, Erin. "Montclair Parents Debate Appointed Vs. Elected School Board", Montclair Local, April 4, 2019. Accessed December 2, 2024. "Montclair is one of 11 school districts in New Jersey in which the board of education is appointed by the mayor, rather than elected.... As of 2018, Montclair was one of only 11 Type I school districts in New Jersey. The other 10 are Ventnor, Port Republic, Rockleigh, Pine Valley, East Orange, East Newark, Union City, Harrison, Trenton and Summit."
