Chaplain Charles Watters School

ps24.jcboe.org

697 Students

Elementary School Pre-K - 8th

School Overview

The Chaplain Charles Watters School (PS 24) is a public elementary school located in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood of Jersey City, New Jersey. Serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, the school is part of the Jersey City Public Schools district. It is named in honor of Chaplain Charles J. Watters, a Jersey City native and U.S. Army chaplain who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War.

The school operates with a focus on fostering a supportive academic environment that emphasizes core curriculum standards while promoting social and emotional development. As a neighborhood school, PS 24 plays a significant role in the local community, striving to provide its diverse student body with foundational learning experiences, extracurricular engagement, and resources designed to prepare them for middle school success.

697

Total Students

45.0

Full-Time Teachers

15.5

Student/Teacher Ratio

70.4%

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for Chaplain Charles Watters School
Demographic	Student Count
White	104
Hispanic	221
Black	285
Asian	64
Two or More	15
American Indian	2
Pacific Islander	6

Black
285 (40.9 %)
Hispanic
221 (31.7 %)
White
104 (14.9 %)
Asian
64 (9.2 %)
Two or More
15 (2.2 %)
Pacific Islander
6 (0.9 %)
American Indian
2 (0.3 %)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	Elementary School
School Type:	Regular School
Charter Status:*	Public Non-Charter
Virtual Instruction:	No virtual instruction
Shared Time Status:	No
District:	Jersey City Public Schools
Phone:	(201)915-6510
Website:	http://ps24.jcboe.org
Grade Range:	Pre-K - 8th
Total Students:	697
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	45.0
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	15.5
NSLP Participation:¹	Yes under Community Eligibility Option (CEO)
Qualified Free Lunch:	480
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	11

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Pre-Kindergarten 69

Kindergarten 48

Grade 1 56

Grade 2 54

Grade 3 41

Grade 4 60

Grade 5 81

Grade 6 97

Grade 7 83

Grade 8 93

Ungraded 15