Abbott district

They were created in 1985 as a result of the first ruling of Abbott v. Burke, a case filed by the Education Law Center.

The ruling asserted that public primary and secondary education in poor communities throughout the state was unconstitutionally substandard.

The Head Start and NAACP were represented by Maxim Thorne as amici curiae in the case.

[11] The Abbott designation was formally eliminated in the School Funding Reform Act of 2008, but the designation and special aid were restored in 2011 when the NJ Supreme Court blocked the Christie administration from making any aid cuts to the Abbott districts while allowing cuts to other districts.

[12] There is limited evidence that the legal actions have improved student learning outcomes in the Abbott districts.

[13] Instead, despite 40 years of increased funding, the gaps between Abbott Schools and the suburban counterparts has widened significantly.

Despite "more than adequate" funding, the achievement gap between economically advantaged and disadvantaged students persists or has widened.

[6] When measuring college readiness, Abbott districts fare poorly relative to other areas despite higher than average spending per pupil.

[15] Dr. Peter Woolley, Executive Director of the PublicMind Poll, explained the results by stating, "voters don't know the details but they agree with the principles.