NORTH STAR ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL OF NEWARK is one of New Jersey's very first charter public schools, and after fifteen years has also become one of its most celebrated. In a 2009 visit, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan remarked, "[North Star] has raised the bar…We need to take these islands of excellence to build more schools like this nationwide." North Star Academy now serves over 1,600 students in grades K-12 in seven schools across Newark: three elementary schools (grades K-4), three middle schools (grades 5-8), and a high school (grades 9-12).