In 2008, Civic Builders expanded its services into the Newark, New Jersey charter school market with the launch of a new development for North Star Academy College Preparatory High School, a member of the Uncommon Schools network of charter schools.
In order to increase North Star's capacity to serve its growing student population, Civic will transform the lot behind 10 Washington Place, currently a parking lot and turf field, into a 50,000 square foot facility that, in concert with the school's two existing buildings, will ultimately serve 900 students. This new building will be the third facility for North Star's Downtown Campus, which includes a middle school and the current high school facility, and will connect to the two existing buildings via elevated walkways. While still in the design stages, the new facility is expected to include over two dozen classrooms, several science labs, a high school regulation basketball court with 200 bleacher seats and an auxiliary gymnasium.
Construction on this project, which marks Civic's second initiative with the Uncommon Schools network, is slated to launch in the fall of 2009.
North Star Leads the Way
North Star Academy Charter School of Newark, co-founded by James Verrilli and Norman Atkins in 1997, has become a nationally recognized model for academic success, and has grown to include two middle schools, a high school and an elementary school. The North Star schools are members of the Uncommon Schools network. Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit organization that starts and manages outstanding urban charter public schools that close the achievement gap and prepare low-income students to graduate from college.
Of North Star's 760 students enrolled across four campuses, over 75% qualify for free or reduced price lunch and 99% are students of color. The North Star schools consistently outperform their neighboring district schools and rank among the top schools in Newark and New Jersey. North Star plans to build additional schools in Newark, ultimately serving 2,500 students in grades K-12.
Statistics:
North Star Academy College Preparatory High School
10 Washington Place, Newark, NJ
Total Square Footage: 50,000
Students at Scale: 485
Grades: 9-12
Project Status: In Development
Architects: KSS Architects
North Star - Before