Parents & Students

Check Out Our Student & Parent Portal

The Paterson Public Schools Student & Parent Portal is a secure website that provides parents, guardians and students with real-time access to information to better understand and participate in the education of Paterson students. You can access it by clicking on the top button in the left column. Here are instructions on how to setup the Parent Portal and detailed instructions for Parents on how to use it.

High School Choice Fair

Eight graders, the time has come to choose from our 12 thematic high schools the one that you would like to attend next fall. All your questions about this important process can be found by reading this informational pamphlet
Frequently Asked Questions: English   Spanish

Information about each school, and the curriculum it offers, can be found in our High School Choice Brochure:

English   Spanish   Arabic   Bengali.

Paterson Public Schools Energy Program

Paterson Public Schools has partnered with Energy Systems Group (ESG), a leading energy services provider, to implement a $14.5 million Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP) that will include comprehensive energy efficiency and infrastructure improvements for 17 schools. The project, which will begin in March 2018, is anticipated to result in savings of over $20 million over the 18-year term of the contract and will measurably improve the learning environment and reduce the District’s carbon footprint.

The ESIP is entirely paid for by energy savings, thereby not requiring additional budget dollars from the District. This project, which marks the first phase of a two-phase ESIP, includes energy and infrastructure upgrades at the elementary and middle schools while the next phase, currently in the early stages of Requests for Proposals, will include the high schools. By the end of 2019, all schools in the district will have received energy efficient upgrades. You can read more about this program here.

School 21 Student Immigration Stories Published

More than 80 Paterson middle school students’ stories of immigrating to the United States have been published and are being released to local public libraries. The students’ stories were originally written as an assignment given in June 2017 by Jason Velante, an ESL teacher at Public School 21. Velante gave his students a simple writing prompt: Why I immigrated to America. His students responded with stories of hardship and triumph. Some wrote stories about surviving Hurricane Maria. Others gave accounts of traveling by boat or by air.
The stories have been published and bound in a hard cover edition that includes a dedication to “students who come to school every day.” The stories are available to read at the Wanaque Public Library and will soon be available at branches of the Paterson Free Public Library. A second edition of stories is expected to be released later this fall.

The students from Public School 21 took a field trip to the Paterson Free Public Library (Danforth Memorial Library) where their immigration stories were unveiled as a published volume. The stories will be available to the public through the Paterson Free Public Library.

Paterson Unites for Literacy

School 28 Recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School

Public School 28 has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education today winning distinction as an “Exemplary High Performing” school. It is the first time a Paterson school has won a Blue Ribbon award in the 36 years the U.S. Department of Education was held the program.
“This is an amazing first for Paterson Public Schools and wonderful recognition of the dedicated work our educators are doing every day on behalf of our students at Public School 28,” said Paterson Schools Superintendent Eileen F. Shafer. “As principal, Nancy Castro has worked with the administrators and teachers to create a true culture of learning. I congratulate everyone at School 28 for earning this tremendous honor.”
“Principal Castro and her team at School 28 have been working tirelessly to teach according to the diverse needs within their student population,” said Paterson Board of Education President Oshin Castillo. “It’s not easy to maintain high expectations of your students as well as yourself. But the educators at School 28 somehow get it done. That is why I am so proud of them for winning this national honor.”

2 New Public Safety Programs Announced

Superintendent Eileen F. Shafer, Mayor Andre Sayegh, and Police Chief Troy Oswald gathered at the New Roberto Clemente School to announce pilot programs of two new initiatives aimed at keeping young people off drugs and inspiring them to consider careers in police work.

“These programs offer excellent drug prevention education, and expose our young people to police work, but what I like are the ancillary benefits,” said Paterson Schools Superintendent Eileen F. Shafer. “They open a young person’s eyes to look beyond the present and see the possibilities of his or her own future. And they build positive relationships between our police and our young people in neighborhoods throughout our city.”  

“We are thrilled to partner with the School District on the LEAD and the Paterson Police Explorers program, both of which will address the scourge of drugs while positively engaging our teens about the impact of police in their own community,” said Police Chief Troy Oswald. “We want more youth from Paterson to join the police force and become leaders in our community, and we expect these programs to lead to that outcome.”

Paterson Public Schools District Graduation Data

Paterson Public Schools 2018 graduates received a total of over 13 million dollars in grants and scholarships and over 900 of our new graduates will be attending college in the fall! Click here for a breakdown of the graduation data.

Information from Superintendent Shafer's Community Forums

Please review these three PowerPoint presentations for information relevant to all Paterson Public School parents, guardians, and students:

 2 Year Transitional Plan to Local Control

 Elementary Summer School and Promotion Guidelines

  Standard Based Report Cards

Paterson Public Schools Learning Table

Improving Reading Skills

Safety & Security of Paterson Public Schools

 PARCC Testing and Information Tips

 Using the New Infinite Campus Parent and Student Portals

 Student Reading Program

2018-2019 In-District Preschool Registration

The 2018-2019 Preschool Brochure: English    Spanish   Arabic    Bengali

List of locations: English   Spanish    Arabic   Bengali

District E-mail

Click here to receive the latest information about all that’s happening in Paterson Public Schools by joining our district e-mail list.

Get Connected with Paterson Public Schools

Be sure to download the New and Improved Paterson Public Schools App to your phone or other smart device! This is the best way to stay in contact with your school or schools, as well as the district itself. Timely, important school and district information of every kind will be at your fingertips. Visit your provider’s app store today (Play Store for Android, iTunes or App Store for Apple devices) and search: “Paterson Public Schools.” It’s easy, quick and free! After you install the app, go to setup and select your school or schools, along with the school district and you’re done. View our App flyer here.

For up-to-date information about district events join the official Paterson Public Schools Facebook page.

Project Child Find - Help Is Available

If a Paterson Public Schools’ student is having problems in their physical, social, communication, cognitive or sensory development, parents may contact the Department of Special Services at 973-321-0431 to obtain further information regarding help for students with potential disabilities.

Transportation Questions

If you have any questions regarding transportation, please contact 973-321-0830 or 973-321-0686.