Upon request, the New Jersey Department of Education has made available to Teach Coalition updated enrollment data for New Jersey nonpublic schools. This data reflects enrollment taken in Octover 2025 for the 2025-2026 school year.
1. Overall Nonpublic Enrollment.
New Jersey nonpublic school enrollment reached 159,343 students in 2025–26, a 0.7% increase over the prior year and the fifth consecutive year of growth. After peaking in 2010 and declining steadily to a low point in 2020, enrollment has rebounded by more than 12,000 students, reversing much of the prior decade’s losses.
Importantly, growth has remained consistent even after the initial post pandemic surge in 2021, distinguishing the current trend from earlier periods of temporary stabilization. Together, these patterns indicate that New Jersey’s nonpublic school sector has entered a phase of renewed stability and sustained, incremental growth.
2. Enrollment Trends by Religious Affiliation.
In 2025-26 Jewish and Catholic schools grew while enrollment in other schools declined. Excluding students listed as “ungraded”:
• Jewish Schools grew by 2,254 students – an increase of 3.3% over the prior year.
• Catholic Schools grew by 270 students – an increase of 0.5% over the prior year.
• Other Schools shrunk by 1,416 students – a decrease of -3.5% over the prior year
As of 2025-26, Jewish schools had the most K-12 student of any group with 69,755 students (43.8% of the total), following by Catholic schools with 50,297 students (31.6% of the total), and Other Schools with 39,291 students (24.7% of the total). This reflect a plateau in New Jersey Catholic school enrollment after a 15-year period of decline.
3. Enrollment Trends in Jewish Schools.
Overall enrollment in Jewish Schools grew by 2,254 students – a +3.3% increase over the prior year.
Growth in Jewish schools was concentrated in Lakewood (+2,143, +4.2%). Significant growth was also seen in Englewood, Fairlawn, and Teaneck (+416, +6.8%); and Other Areas (+228, +73.8%). Moderate growth was seen in Bayonne, Jersey City (+43, +22.1%); Elizabeth and Hillside (+35, +4.1%); and Livingston, West Orange (+9, +0.8%).
Enrollment declined in Jewish schools in Edison, Highland Park (-52, -4.2%); Cherry Hill and Voorhees (-83, -16.3%); Clifton and Passaic (-238, -6.0%); and Deal and Long Branch (-247, -10.9%).
4. Enrollment Trends by Jewish Category.
Yeshivish Schools – defined as Orthodox schools where students are gender-segregated – saw reasonable enrollment growth with an additional enrollment of 877 students (+1.6%).
Chassidic Schools saw major enrollment growth with an addition of 1,200 students (+20.0%).
Modern Orthodox Schools – defined as Orthodox schools that are coed – saw a substantial increase of 171 students (+2.7%).
Non-Orthodox Schools saw some growth with an additional 19 students (+1.5%).