School History

LEAP Academy University Charter School in Camden, NJ was created in 1997 as one of 13 inaugural public charter schools in the state of New Jersey.  Originally a K–5 charter school serving 324 students, LEAP has since expanded to serve 780 students grades K–12 and also houses a 90-student preschool program. 

LEAP’s story began in 1993, when Dr. Gloria Bonilla-Santiago and the Rutgers Center for Strategic Urban Community Leadership developed the concept of an independently governed, public charter school that could improve education and opportunities for the children and families of Camden City. 

With an initial planning grant of $1.5 million from the Delaware River Port Authority, the Rutgers/LEAP Initiative was established to create a strategic development plan for the school.  Led by the CSUCL, a working group of university and community leaders and parents convened and developed a charter school application, which was filed with the New Jersey Department of Education. 

In January 1997, LEAP Academy University Charter School was officially granted its charter and in September of that year opened its doors with 324 students in grades K–5.  Each year LEAP Academy added a new grade level until reaching full enrollment of 780 students as a K–12 school in September 2004. 

First housed in temporary modular units, LEAP is now located in two state-of-the-art education facilities.  An elementary building was opened in 1999 after a $7.5 million renovation grant from the DRPA.  A high school building, meanwhile, was a combined effort, as Rutgers leased the land for the building and the DRPA provided both a $2 million grant and $8 million in tax-exempt bonds for its construction in 2005. 

In its time LEAP Academy has graduated four senior classes and every year since the first in 2005, LEAP graduates have achieved 100% college acceptance.  The school has earned praise from the state, receiving both the New Jersey Public Charter School ExemplarySchool Award and the 2002-2003 Pioneer Award from NJ Dept. of Education. 

LEAP’s model of engaged scholarship has been successful in reaching out to parents and local organizations and businesses by creating a system where the entire community has a vested interest in student success.  Through education and health services, community involvement, and new sites of learning, LEAP is literally changing the landscape of Camden and—as the Annie E. Casey Foundation named it in 2005—is a “Sign of Hope” for the children and families of the city.