Ignacio Cruz Early Childhood Center

www.paps.net

577 Students

Pre Kindergarten Pre-K - Pre-K

School Overview

The Ignacio Cruz Early Childhood Center, located at 601 Cortlandt St in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, is a dedicated educational facility serving the city’s youngest learners. As part of the Perth Amboy Public Schools district, the center focuses specifically on early childhood development, providing foundational academic and social-emotional instruction to preschool-aged children. The school is designed to create a nurturing environment that prepares students for the transition into elementary education by emphasizing play-based learning, literacy readiness, and essential cognitive skills.

The facility plays a critical role in the community by offering high-quality early intervention and educational programming in a district-wide effort to close the achievement gap before students reach kindergarten. By focusing on the unique developmental needs of early learners, the Ignacio Cruz Early Childhood Center aims to foster a love for discovery and school engagement, ensuring that children in Perth Amboy have a strong, equitable start to their academic journeys.

577

Total Students

62.0

Full-Time Teachers

9.3

Student/Teacher Ratio

76.8%

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for Ignacio Cruz Early Childhood Center
Demographic	Student Count
White	5
Hispanic	542
Black	25
Asian	3
Two or More	2

Hispanic
542 (93.9%)
Black
25 (4.3%)
White
5 (0.9%)
Asian
3 (0.5%)
Two or More
2 (0.3%)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	Pre Kindergarten
School Type:	Regular School
Charter Status:*	Public Non-Charter
Virtual Instruction:	No virtual instruction
Shared Time Status:	No
District:	Perth Amboy Public School District
Phone:	(732)376-6250
Website:	http://www.paps.net
Grade Range:	Pre-K - Pre-K
Total Students:	577
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	62.0
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	9.3
NSLP Participation:¹	Yes participating without using any Provision or the CEO
Qualified Free Lunch:	384
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	59

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Pre-Kindergarten 577