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Hatikvah International Academy Charter School

United States, East Brunswick

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The school at a glance
Instructs in English, Hebrew
Fees Fees not listed
Ages Not listed
Pupil numbers 690
Type Co-educational
Opened 2010
Bus Service No
Academic offering
Curriculum IB (MYP)
Taught languages Hebrew, Spanish
Typical class size 11
Strengths Visual and Creative Arts, Languages, Service and Sustainability
Clubs Arts and Creative, Cultural and Language, Community and Service
Stages Kindergarten, Primary School, Middle School
Introduction

Located at 7 Lexington Avenue in East Brunswick, Hatikvah International Academy Charter School is a tuition-free public charter serving Kindergarten through 8th grade. The school combines a partial-immersion Modern Hebrew language program with International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme for grades 6–8, aligning with New Jersey standards, NGSS, and ACTFL benchmarks. By design, Hebrew instruction is conducted in Modern Hebrew, with 8th grade introducing Spanish. The campus spans 55,000 sqft and houses a Learning Commons, robotics room, science labs, art rooms, a music room, a drama classroom, and cafeteria; every classroom includes a Smartboard. The instructional model emphasizes interactive, inquiry-based learning with a Gradual Release of Responsibility and a Proficiency Approach for language. Service-Learning runs through grades 6–8, culminating in a Community Project Exhibition. Outdoor facilities include a soccer field, two playgrounds, and wooded grounds. Safety is supported by partnerships with local police and emergency management, with airflow monitors in use.

7 Lexington Avenue, East Brunswick, NJ 08816

The Essentials

Hatikvah International Academy Charter School has 690 pupils, typical class sizes of 11, instruction in English, Hebrew.

Location
7 Lexington Avenue, East Brunswick, NJ 08816. The school is housed in a 55,000-square-foot building that includes a Learning Commons, a multi-purpose room, lunchroom, robotics room, science labs, art rooms, a music room, and a drama classroom. It opened in September 2010 as a partial-immersion Modern Hebrew language public school and now serves kindergarten through 8th grade.

Stages
K-8

Type
Public charter school (tuition-free)

Additional learning support
Section 504 accommodations are provided; Gifted and Talented Education is offered.

Country affiliation
United States
Diving Deeper

Food Options
Breakfast and lunch program offered; free/reduced lunch available; online free/reduced lunch application; menus posted.

Governance and Ownership
Public charter school governed by a Board of Trustees comprising volunteers from the community, the parent body, and former parents; tuition-free public school.
Fees
Application fees

- No application fee. Enrollment is completed via a free application and an annual lottery; charter schools are free, open-enrollment public schools required by law to serve all students.

Tuition fees (by school year / term / year group)

- There are no tuition fees for any grade. Hatikvah is a tuition-free public K–8 charter school; there is no per-term or per-year tuition charge.

Billing schedule and payment terms

- Because no tuition is charged, there is no regular billing schedule or routine tuition payment deadlines for families.
- Any optional, one-off charges (for example, for optional programs or paid activities) are billed separately and will carry their own stated payment terms at the time they are offered.

Boarding fees

- Not applicable. The school serves grades K–8 and does not provide boarding or residential programs.

Other costs or fees (uniforms, meals, supplies, extracurriculars, trips)

- Parents should expect to cover routine incidental costs such as personal school supplies and any optional or extracurricular fees when those programs are offered.
- A breakfast and lunch program is available; meal program registration and free/reduced application information are provided through the school's meal application process.

Refund information

- There is no tuition to refund. Refunds for any paid optional activities, trips, or items are handled according to the school's policies and the terms provided at the time payment is requested.

Fee payment options

- No standard tuition payment methods apply because the school does not charge tuition.
- Payment methods and instructions for any optional paid items are provided at the time those items are billed.
Academics

Hatikvah International Academy Charter School teaches IB (MYP).

Curriculum
The school opened in September 2010 as a partial-immersion Modern Hebrew language public school and follows the International Baccalaureate program approach. It serves students in Kindergarten through 8th grade (K-8). Grades 6-8 are fully authorized International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. The instructional model is highly interactive, with teachers facilitating strategic, authentic disciplinary reading and gradually releasing responsibility to independent study. The building is 55,000 square feet and includes a Learning Commons, robotics room, science labs, art rooms, music room, drama classroom, and a lunchroom, with each classroom equipped with a Smartboard. Hatikvah is a tuition-free public school that serves about 690 students as of September 2025.

Exam Results
Hatikvah earned 66 out of 78 points in New Jersey's Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act (ABR) compliance process.

Gifted and Talented
Gifted and Talented education is embedded in every classroom across all grades, with differentiated instruction and challenging tasks. In grades 6–8, all students participate in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, with depth of understanding and open-ended, conceptual assignments. In grades K–5, teachers design differentiated tasks in core subjects—including mathematics, language arts, science, social studies, and Modern Hebrew—to promote higher-order thinking and provide enrichment.
Wellbeing

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
Service learning is woven throughout the curriculum to develop awareness, empathy, and a sense of responsibility as global citizens. Integrated into core subjects, these projects address real-world issues and require students to take meaningful action. Elementary teachers follow Lions Club International school service curriculum topics that promote citizenship, social-emotional skills, and discourage drugs, alcohol, and violence. In grades 6-8, the IB Middle Years Programme provides discipline-specific rubrics and culminates in an eighth-grade, student-driven community project, reinforcing inquiry, collaboration, and student agency. The program aligns with New Jersey standards and includes partial Modern Hebrew language immersion and interdisciplinary learning to support social-emotional development.

Special Educational Needs (SEN)
The school does not have a separate Gifted and Talented program. The school differentiates instruction to meet the needs of all students, including those who have mastered topics, by modifying assignments, offering small-group instruction, co-teaching, and in-class resource settings. In many classrooms, teachers differentiate and pre-test in reading and mathematics to tailor work and pace, with higher-ability students able to access higher levels or different groupings. Multiple assessments guide decisions about grouping, acceleration, and instructional adjustments.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)
Hebrew is taught in K-8 through the Proficiency Approach, with Hebrew classes conducted exclusively in Modern Hebrew. In 8th grade, Spanish is taught using the Proficiency Approach as part of the language program. English Language Learners receive differentiated instruction under the Gradual Release of Responsibility framework to support language development. Language instruction is integrated with core subjects and aligned with New Jersey Student Learning Standards and ACTFL proficiency standards.

Mental Wellbeing
Social-emotional learning is embedded in the curriculum, supporting students' well-being through service learning and citizenship education. The Lions Club International service curriculum in elementary classrooms fosters social-emotional skills and good citizenship. The school maintains an anti-bullying policy and assigns an anti-bullying specialist to address harassment, intimidation, and bullying and to provide reporting and support avenues. The policy upholds Title IX protections and designates a Title IX Officer, and coordinates Section 504 compliance with a designated coordinator.

Safeguarding
The school prohibits harassment, intimidation, or bullying to maintain a safe learning environment. An online incident reporting form and direct contact with the anti-bullying specialist are provided for reporting HIB. Title IX protections are in place with a designated Officer, and 504 compliance is coordinated by designated staff. The NJ Department of Education School Climate Coordinator can be contacted if concerns about HIB persist.
Parent Experience

Community
The school emphasizes intercultural understanding and respect as part of its mission, and Modern Hebrew is studied within an International Baccalaureate framework. The campus is a 55,000‑square‑foot K‑8 facility with a Learning Commons, science labs, art and drama spaces, two playgrounds, and a full soccer field, with safety and security priorities supported in partnership with the East Brunswick Police Department and East Brunswick Emergency Management. The school serves 690 students from 31 resident districts and maintains a student‑to‑faculty ratio of 11:1, with 25 world languages spoken in students' homes. The Board of Trustees is composed of volunteers from the community at large, the parent body, and former parents and grandparents of HIACS students, and board meetings are scheduled for 2026–2027 with Zoom access for attendees.
Facilities

Facilities Overview
The school has a 55,000 square-foot building that includes a Learning Commons, multi-purpose room, lunchroom, robotics room, science labs, art rooms, a music room, and a drama classroom. Each classroom has a Smartboard. Outdoors, there are wooded grounds, two playgrounds, and a full soccer field. Safety and security are priorities, with partnerships with the East Brunswick Police Department and East Brunswick Emergency Management. The building features newer HVAC systems and real-time airflow monitors.

Sports Facilities
Outdoor facilities include a full soccer field and two playgrounds.

Academic Facilities
The school has spaces to support its IB and Hebrew-language programs, including a Learning Commons, robotics room, science labs, art rooms, a music room, and a drama classroom; every classroom is equipped with a Smartboard. The program combines partial-immersion Modern Hebrew language instruction with the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme for grades 6–8, and aligns to New Jersey Student Learning Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and ACTFL Proficiency Standards. The school opened in September 2010 as a partial-immersion Modern Hebrew language public school incorporating the IB approach, and now serves K–8 with grades 6–8 fully authorized for the MYP. The curriculum also reflects language and standards aligned to ACTFL and NGSS.

Extra Curricular Facilities
Service-Learning is integrated into the Middle Years Programme for grades 6–8, with Grade 6 focusing on self-exploration, Grade 7 on local communities, and Grade 8 on global communities, culminating in a Community Project Exhibition. Grade 6 projects include Recycled Gift, Egg Drop and Game Design; Grade 7 projects include Video Game Design, Catapult, and Building Bridges; Grade 8 projects include Environmental Impact and Design a Bottle Insulator. Design courses for grades 6–8 use a four-step design process (Inquiring and Analyzing, Developing Ideas, Creating the Solution, Evaluating). Drama is taught within Visual and Performing Arts, with seventh-grade drama units described in the curriculum. Language acquisition includes Modern Hebrew and Spanish as part of the IB MYP.
Extra-Curricular Activities

Academic & Intellectual
The school uses Gradual Release of Responsibility and a Proficiency Approach for Hebrew and Spanish instruction. Hebrew classes are conducted exclusively in Modern Hebrew, and 8th grade introduces Spanish. The Proficiency Approach strengthens reading, speaking, writing, and listening in the target language with robust, ACTFL-aligned assessments. Grades 6–8 implement the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme with criterion-based rubrics and alignment to New Jersey standards and Next Generation Science Standards.

Arts & Creative
Visual Art, Music, Drama, and Health and Physical Education are offered as daily specials from Kindergarten onward. In middle school, Visual Art and Theater are taught, with Sixth Grade Theater included in the program. The Visual and Performing Arts units emphasize inquiry-driven creation and reflection, connecting art to history and culture.

Cultural & Language
Hebrew and Spanish language instruction follows the Proficiency Approach. Hebrew classes are conducted exclusively in Modern Hebrew, with partial Hebrew immersion, and Spanish is taught in 8th grade.

Social & Hobbies
Health education is integrated across grades, including mental health and emotional wellness, nutrition, safety, first aid, stress management, and topics such as tolerance and relationships. Students participate in group discussions and debates on health topics to practice decision-making and collaboration. The Lions Club International school service curriculum is used to promote citizenship and social-emotional skills.

Community & Service
Service Learning is woven throughout the curriculum, empowering students to develop awareness, empathy, and responsibility as global citizens. Beginning in Grade 6, the Service-Learning sequence progresses through Self Exploration (Grade 6), Local Communities (Grade 7), and Global Communities (Grade 8). The eighth-grade Community Project is completed independently and presented at the Service Exhibition.

Leadership & Professional
IB MYP in grades 6–8 provides criterion-based rubrics to guide learning and assessment. The eighth-grade Community Project is student-driven, demonstrating leadership and agency. Design in Grades 6–8 uses a four-step design process with projects such as Recycled Gift, Egg Drop, and Game Design.

Lifestyle & Wellbeing
The health curriculum covers mental health and emotional wellness, first aid, nutrition, stress management, safety, and related topics. Units address tolerance, gender orientation, dating relationships, contraception, and pregnancy. Physical Education and Health are included as part of the school's integrated health and wellness program.
Languages

Language Provision
Hebrew is taught through a partial-immersion program at the K–8 charter school.

Bilingual Teaching
The school has a partial-immersion Modern Hebrew language program for kindergarten through 8th grade, with Grades 6–8 fully authorized International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme.

Immersion Programs
Partial-immersion Modern Hebrew language program for K–8; Grades 6–8 participate in the fully authorized IB Middle Years Programme.
Admissions

Admissions
1) Hatikvah International Academy Charter School is a tuition-free public school. It accepts students of all backgrounds. The school offers kindergarten through eighth grade in East Brunswick, New Jersey. As a public charter, it operates with open enrollment. 2) The 2027-2028 School Year Lottery will take place on Zoom at 3:30 PM on March 10, 2027. A link to watch the lottery is provided via Zoom. Enrollment for the admission process is available through ENROLL NOW, which directs applicants to a Google Form. 3) The lottery waiting lists will change; as siblings and East Brunswick residents apply, they will be moved to the top of the list due to state-approved priority. Charter Schools are free, open-enrollment public schools that are required by law to serve all students. The lottery is open to all students on a space-available basis. 4) Charter schools shall be open to all students on a space-available basis and shall not discriminate in their admission policies or practices on the basis of intellectual or athletic ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, special needs, proficiency in the English language, or any other basis illegal if used by a school district. 5) Applications are available in Hindi, Hebrew, and Spanish. The Hindi Application is provided; the Hebrew enrollment form is provided; the Spanish version is Aplicación en Español. The languages provide access for multilingual families.

Waitlist
Waiting lists are updated as new applications are received and priorities are applied. Sibling and East Brunswick resident priority is state-approved and moves those applicants to the top of the list. Space-available enrollment means not all applicants may be admitted immediately. Charter schools are free and open-enrollment public schools that serve all students.
School Events
The school has not added events
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