STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
CHANGE IN NEW JERSEY SINCE 1992
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Preparation
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Participation
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Affordability
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Completion
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Benefits
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Learning
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What do the arrows mean?
| The state has improved on more than half of the indicators in the category. |
 | The state has improved on some, but no more than half, of the indicators in the category. |
| The state has declined on most or all indicators. |
STRENGTHS
Preparation
- New Jersey 8th graders perform very well in national assessments in math and reading. New Jersey is a top-performing state on these measures.
- Large proportions of 11th and 12th graders take and score well on Advanced Placement tests and college entrance exams. The proportions scoring well on college entrance exams have increased substantially over the past 12 years.
- New Jersey is a top-performing state on the percentage of secondary school students taught by teachers with an undergraduate or graduate major in the subject they are teaching.
Participation
- New Jersey is also a top-performing state in the chance of high school students enrolling in college by age 19. The state has consistently performed very well on this measure.
Affordability
- The state is a top performer in the very high investment it makes in need-based financial aid. Nonetheless, the share of family income, even after financial aid, needed to pay for college is very large compared with other states.
Completion
- A large percentage of first-year students at community colleges return for their second year.
- New Jersey has consistently had a very high percentage of freshmen at four-year colleges and universities return for their sophomore year.
- Substantial gaps exist between whites and Hispanics, and between whites and blacks, in the proportion of students completing certificates and degrees relative to the number enrolled, even though New Jersey has narrowed these gaps over the past decade.
Benefits
- New Jersey has consistently performed very well—and is now among the leading states—in the percentage of residents who have a bachelor’s degree. The state is also a top performer on the economic benefits that accrue from having a highly educated population.
WEAKNESSES
Preparation
- Low-income 8th graders perform poorly on national assessments in math.
Participation
- A small percentage of working-age adults enroll in higher education; the state’s decline on this measure is greater than that of the nation over the past decade.
- Among young adults (ages 18-24), the gap between whites and non-whites in college participation has increased substantially over the past decade. In addition, young adults from high-income families are more than twice as likely as those from low-income families to attend college—one of the widest gaps in the nation.
Affordability
- Net college costs for low- and middle-income students to attend community colleges represent nearly 39% of their annual family income. (Net college costs equal tuition, room, and board after financial aid.) For these students at public four-year colleges and universities, net college costs represent about one-half of their annual family income. These two sectors enroll 84% of college students in the state.
Completion
- New Jersey performs poorly on international comparisons of enrolled students who complete certificate and degree programs.
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