Jersey City Board Of Education

Jersey City Board of Education, operating as Jersey City Public Schools, is a large urban school district serving approximately 26,000 students across 39 schools in Jersey City, New Jersey. The district has been registered as a federal award recipient since 2006 and primarily receives federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support student mental health, safety, and academic achievement initiatives. As a U.S. local government entity and school district, Jersey City Public Schools delivers comprehensive educational and mental health support services to a diverse student population, with 78% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and representation across multiple racial and ethnic groups including 38% Latinx, 27% Black, 18% Asian, and 14% White students.

Jersey City Public Schools has demonstrated substantial federal grant activity focused primarily on school-based mental health infrastructure and student wellness initiatives. The district currently manages four major prime federal grants totaling approximately $4.67 million, including the STARR program ($3.75 million) for school psychologist training and recruitment, the APPLE project ($925,315) for mental health professional development, Project Resilience ($1+ million) for trauma-informed multi-tiered systems of support, and the Bridges to Resilience Project for sustainable mental health infrastructure grounded in trauma-informed practices. These grants, funded through the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services, support the delivery of social-emotional learning, trauma-focused evidence-based interventions, culturally responsive mental health services, and comprehensive training for educators in trauma-informed classroom practices. Additionally, Jersey City Public Schools receives federal sub-grant awards from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture for school nutrition programs, fresh fruit and vegetable initiatives, and summer food programs, and from the New Jersey Department of Education for Title I funding to support academic achievement and student support services. The district's work demonstrates a strategic focus on building sustainable mental health service systems that address the specific needs of minoritized youth, LGBTQ+ students, and youth at risk for suicide through partnerships with community agencies, family engagement initiatives, and collaborative relationships with behavioral health providers.