US News & World Report ranked School 28 in Paterson the best elementary and middle school in New Jersey in 2024.
Editor's note: Paterson school district officials allowed students to be interviewed on the condition that their full names not be published.
PATERSON -- The entrance exam for the Gifted and Talented academy was longer and harder than any other test the children had ever taken.
"It was like 20 pages," said Jonas, a third grader.
"I wasn't sure I was going to get in," said Emily, a fifth grader.
But Jonas, Emily and their classmates knew that getting accepted to the gifted program at School 28 would be something special.
"I really wanted to go to the best school in Paterson," said Kayleen, another fifth grader.
Now Kayleen's school is more than just the best in Paterson. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked Paterson's School 28 the top elementary and the top middle school in New Jersey, a remarkable achievement for a district where overall student test scores remain among the lowest in the state.
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Children talked with pride and excitement about their school's achievement during a recent visit.
"It made me happy for the whole school," said Kiara, an eighth grader who is student council president at School 28. "It's very exciting to be part of the community that's number one in the state."
In the most recent state standardized tests, every student at School 28 passed the language arts section and more than 95% did so in math -- numbers that played a big role in the top ranking in New Jersey.
Gifted program launched in 2012, surpassed expectations
Parents, teachers and school administrators said the gifted program, which was launched in 2012, has met and surpassed all expectations.
The Paterson district started its gifted program with hopes of giving the brightest children in the city an educational haven where they could flourish, a place where classes would be taught on a higher level, and a school where children's academic excellence would be admired by their fellow students rather than make them targets for derision.
One current fifth grader in the program recalled being scorned as "Miss Know it All" by classmates in the school she used to attend. That's because the teacher often called on her to give the correct answers no one else knew, she said.
"Here, it's normal for everybody to know the answers," she said.
Kiara, the student council president, said she experienced something similar at her previous school. At School 28, everyone is striving to learn, she said.
"It's like constant competition, but not in a bad way," Kiara said. "It makes me want to work harder and be better."
Educators get extra training to guide gifted students
Educators at School 28 go through extra training on how to address the gifted students' needs. Christine Sarno, who teaches third grade, and Christina Lakind, who teaches fifth grade math and science classes, have been at the gifted program since it started.
"They have a passion and desire to learn," Lakind said of her students. "They're hungry for it. They're eager and they're excited."
Sarno taught at School 28 for eight years before the gifted program began. "This is a pretty happy place to be," Sarno said. "Our kids are great. We have a community of lifelong learners."
The two teachers said they don't pay much attention to school rankings.
"I'm focused on what I'm doing here, teaching my students," Lakind said. "All that other stuff is not important to me."
Sarno said she hadn't told her classes about the top state ranking until Tuesday, to explain to students why members of the news media would be visiting their class. "I don't stress the numbers," she said. "I don't want the 'number one school' thing to be a distraction for them."
School 28 runs its pre-K and kindergarten like an old-fashioned neighborhood school, taking students from the nearby sections of Paterson's 1st Ward. Its first grade is for students with special needs. The gifted program starts in second grade, with one class for 20 students, said Principal Nancy Castro.
In third and fourth grades, the program expands to two classes of 20 students, and in fifth through eighth grades there are two classes with 25 students in them, Castro said.
Entrance exam one of several criteria to be accepted
Applicants must take the entrance test, which is one of several criteria the selection committee of teachers uses to identify which children belong in the gifted program. The educators also evaluate the children's grades in their previous schools, their scores on standardized tests and teacher recommendations, Castro said.
Every year, the gifted program gets many more applications than it has openings. In some years, two-thirds of the applicants have been rejected. But the school's founders had a simple explanation: Either you're gifted or you're not.
Superintendent Laurie Newell said the success of School 28 represents "the brilliance across our district." Newell said she is looking for ways to replicate the gifted program at other Paterson schools, possibly with advanced classes.
Emily, the fifth grader who had doubts about whether she would get accepted to the gifted program after taking the test, said she cried with happiness after learning that her application was approved.
Jamais, one of her classmates, said he was so excited about his acceptance that he ran all around his house. Another classmate, Kayleen, said she was shocked.
Children in the gifted program expressed similar sentiments about learning of the school's top ranking.
"I was surprised and happy," said Danya, a third grader. "I didn't even know they did rankings."