Some sad statistics that add up to disaster for one New Jersey school district, as well as the rest of the nation (via Instapundit).

In Paterson, New Jersey only 19 kids who took the SAT’s are considered college ready. This means that they scored at least a 1500 out of 2400 on the standardized test, and this number is truly shocking considering how large the school district is.

Paterson resident Jason Williams is one of the lucky ones. He just graduated high school last year and has been enrolled in college since September, after taking the SAT’s three times determined to score over 1500. He says that the key to his success was not falling victim to the streets.

“Just last summer, my friend and teammate, he was shot and killed that summer and that really affected me,” he said.

Derrick Fritts was shot during National Night Out on the streets of Paterson and wasn’t found until the next day. Williams said most of the football players stopped paying attention to school after that, but that’s when he buckled down.

Rosie Grant, the Executive Director of the Paterson Education Fund, said that the cards are stacked against the students in Paterson.

“These kids who are now seniors have gone through seven superintendents in their tenor at Paterson public schools and with every administration change, there’s a reworking of what the schools are supposed to be doing,” she said.

However, the Paterson school district said that they no longer use SAT scores to gauge students’ success.