The Ethical Community Charter School (TECCS) is located at 95 Broadway (JC). The school serves about 400 students from K through 8th grade.
“The Ethical Community Charter School is a safe and caring community where ethics, service, and social justice are the principles that inform every aspect of school life; where teachers lead and collaborate with students in a culture of rigorous academics and mutual respect; where analytical thinking and creativity are prized over rote learning; where children become individuals of integrity, insight, autonomy—and socially productive citizens, workers, leaders.”
Admissions
A lottery is held in January of each year to determine the students selected for the following school year. Siblings of current students are given preference. Applications must be completed by the end of the preceding year in order to be eligible in the lottery.
Curriculum
TECCS values creative and analytical thinking over traditional rote learning. Students are encouraged to develop character, mutual respect, and autonomy. TECCS differs from Jersey City Public Schools because real-life practices are integrated into subject matter. See below for examples from the math, science and ELA programs.
Math: Students are challenged with independent investigations, many group discussions, math essays, and the use of technology. For example, students are assigned projects such as creating a budget based on a given salary or altering recipes from a cookbook. These exercises ensure that students learn the concept behind their math assignments. TECCS currently has an accelerated math class available in grades 6 – 8th, e.g., 8th graders may take Algebra, which accommodates students with advanced math skills.
Science: In science classes, students behave like scientists and engineers. The rooms are equipped with high-quality technology and materials. Teachers use models, help students analyze and interpret data, and allow students to design solutions through hands-on activities. Students are given projects that allow them to explore topics they find interesting.
English Language Arts: Specifically for younger students who might have trouble following along, TECCS English teachers use different methods to help students who do not understand the concept being discussed in class.
Lunch
All students are eligible for the free or reduced program, subject to filling out a lunch application. TECCS offers both vegetarian and non-vegetarian hot meals.
Transportation and Busing
Bus service at TECCS is not run or managed by the school, but by parent volunteers. Service costs $1000 per child per year for one-way service and $2000 per child per year for round-trip service.
What do parents like about this school?
Parents of Middle school students
Parents of 8th grade students appreciate the high school portfolio planning, test preparation (PSAT, ACT, ISEE and more), and help with high school applications. Public Schools generally do not offer this help and it’s up to students to apply to high schools and brand themselves to the school. But TECCS helps 8th grade students take care of the preparation for high school and the application process.
Parents can also join the Parent Portal, which is a feature that Public Schools do not offer. It is difficult to get in touch with most Jersey City Public Schools teachers, which leads to parents having little access to receiving information from Public Schools teachers via email. TECCS has a goal “to increase the lines of communication with parents.” The Parent Portal allows guardians to…
– View report cards
– View progress reports
– View students’ lunch balance
– Obtain student attendance information (daily)
– Change parent contact information such as phone numbers & email addresses
On top of this, the school day for students is from 8:30 am – 4 pm, which could be helpful to certain parents. There is also an after-care program and the daily rate is
$15.00 (class) + $12.00 (bridge) per student. According to the TECCS website,
“The aftercare bridge program is additional childcare from 5:00pm-5:45pm where students will have the opportunity to draw, play board games, read, work on homework, watch movies, or socialize quietly.”
Are you a parent of a TECCS student? Please share your perspective with us.
TECCS NJSLA scores
You can access TECCS NJ School Performance Report here.
Additional Links
- TECCS family handbook
- TECCS hosts weekly open house tours from October-February. Click here to sign up.
Contact Information
Phone: (201) 984-4151
Web: www.teccsjc.org
Facebook: @teccsjc
Jersey City Ed 