New Jersey Avenue School Bids Farewell After A Century of Legacy
The school district unveiled its design for the new administration building.
ATLANTIC CITY — On September 24, 2025, generations of educators, alumni, and community leaders gathered at the corner of New Jersey and Arctic avenues to bid farewell to the New Jersey Avenue School.
For more than a century, the landmark stood as a cornerstone of Atlantic City’s educational landscape.
Soon, it will be demolished to make way for a new, state-of-the-art administration building for the Atlantic City Public Schools District.
Honoring a Legacy
The farewell program brought together former teachers, principals, students, and city officials who reflected on the school’s profound impact.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. La’Quetta S. Small, who began her career as a student teacher at New Jersey Avenue School, called the day “special and bittersweet.”
“I’ve been connected to this school district for 26 years,” she said. “This is part of our ongoing commitment to modernize facilities and strengthen infrastructure.”
Dr. Small recalled teaching in Classroom 23 — the very room where her husband, the mayor, once sat in as a student. She thanked staff and honored the teachers and administrators who built the school’s reputation. Demolition, she noted, will be completed by November.
Music teacher Ahmad Taylor, Atlantic City High School’s band director, performed a saxophone salute to the 100-year-old school, filling the courtyard with melody one last time.
Reflections from Leaders and Alumni
Director of Operations Atiba Rose underscored the school’s deep community ties.
“The final bell has rung. The last class has been taught. The final lunch has been served,” Rose said. “By Thanksgiving the last brick will have fallen. In the spring a new brick will be planted, and by the summer of 2027, a new building erected. New Jersey Avenue School was a school for many, a safe haven for others, and a learning institution for all.”
Former principal Sylvia Stewart, who traveled from South Carolina, said, “When I first got the invitation, I told them if I am alive, I will be here. We have so many stories — too many stories.
Former vice principal Charles Wilson reflected on his career path, which began at New Jersey Avenue in 1997.
“Everything I needed to know and learn, I learned right here,” Wilson said. “Every single brick has a story. No matter what the day was like, you always found a reason to smile.”
Longtime educator Gladys G. Fowlkes, retired for 30 years, added: “You don’t do things to be rewarded, but God rewards you for what you do. This is where my history is. Home is where my heart is.”
Mayor Marty Small Sr., himself a proud alumnus, said the school was nicknamed the “school of hard knocks.”
“This is where I learned skills academically, athletically, and musically,” he said. New Jersey Avenue School made him who he is today, he said.
A Storied Past
The school’s history stretches back to 1880, when the site was first purchased. The original building opened a year later during a period of racial segregation, with separate entrances, classrooms, and play areas for white and Black students.
By 1925, the district opened a new integrated facility designed by architect Howard Ackerman Stout in the Colonial Revival style. With 23 classrooms, a gymnasium-auditorium, and even a branch of the public library, the school was hailed as “the last word in modern construction.” It served more than 900 students and doubled as a community hub, hosting conventions, concerts, and cultural programs.
The school also fostered a vibrant spirit. Its royal purple and white colors, bulldog mascot, and songs — including “To You We Sing New Jersey” (1929, by Anna Land Butler) and “The Spirit of New Jersey” (1927, by Joseph Jacobs) — became enduring symbols of pride. Alumni and faculty sang Butler's rendition as Taylor played once more at the farewell ceremony.
Looking Ahead
New Jersey Avenue School closed in 2012 when Pennsylvania Avenue School opened, and later that year Hurricane Sandy left the building severely damaged. Now, after standing vacant for more than a decade, its final chapter is being written.
As demolition begins and redevelopment looms, the site’s role in shaping Atlantic City remains clear. For nearly 100 years, New Jersey Avenue School provided education, stability, and community. Its spirit will live on, even as new bricks rise in its place.
“New Jersey Avenue School will live on forever,” said Jacqueline L. Carrington Brown, a historian and alumna. “We all have a New Jersey Avenue School story.”
Please Enjoy our photo Galleries from the event.
Click the link for Gallery 1:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/weHhrLpqWtcfzSx38
Click the link for to see video of the live stream of the event on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AtlanticCityPublicSchools/videos/1465086651462403
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