Northern New Jersey Huaxia Chinese School (founded in February 1995) is the birthplace of the Huaxia Chinese School system and its very first branch. Starting with just 50 students, the school has grown over three decades to offer over a dozen classes, once serving more than 200 students. More importantly, like a seed of Chinese education, it has spread across regions of New Jersey—and even into Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Upstate New York—nurturing the growth of Chinese language learning in local communities.

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Throughout its 30-year journey, the school has flourished under the leadership of multiple principals, including Wu Xiaoying, Cai Feifei, the late Shao Dugang, Gu Songqiao, Chen Xiaoqing, Zhang Shihong, Cai Bin, Meng Fanchen, Zhu Qing, Zhu Weidong, Guan Xiaoyang, and Dong Xiumin. Their dedication laid a solid foundation for the school’s development.

 

Originally offering only basic Chinese classes, the school has since expanded its curriculum to include bilingual instruction, the Ma Liping textbook program, parent-child classes, and adult courses. Additionally, it provides a rich array of cultural classes such as karate, traditional dance, calligraphy, painting, violin, electronic keyboard, chess, tennis, crafts, and adult Tai Chi. Annual events like the Spring Festival Gala and family picnics immerse students in the beauty of Chinese culture.

 

In recent years, however, enrollment has declined to fewer than 100 students due to the pandemic and the rise of online Chinese education. Facing these challenges, the school’s teachers quickly adapted to virtual instruction, ensuring uninterrupted learning. Cultural courses like chess, dance, painting, and violin continued online, allowing students to engage with Chinese traditions despite the disruptions. Though in-person classes have now fully resumed, student numbers have yet to fully recover. Nevertheless, the faculty remains deeply committed to delivering high-quality lessons, inspiring students’ passion for Chinese language and culture, and nurturing future ambassadors of cultural exchange.

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Despite its modest size, Northern Huaxia Chinese School has consistently produced outstanding academic results within the Huaxia system. For example, in 2018, student Lin Ting achieved the highest score in the Huaxia-wide HSK graduation exam, while in 2021, Dong Mengqi earned second place. Moreover, AP Chinese students from the school have consistently scored 4s and 5s. Graduates have been admitted to top universities worldwide, including MIT, Northwestern, the University of Michigan, Brown, UPenn, UC Berkeley, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, and Boston University. Today, they excel in diverse fields, with some even returning as volunteers to teach and inspire younger students—passing on their love for Chinese learning.

 

Through three decades of challenges, Northern Huaxia Chinese School has remained steadfast in its mission: “Staying true to our roots, we are unwavering in promoting Chinese education and cultural heritage.” The school prioritizes faculty development, encouraging teachers to participate in domestic and international training programs, broaden their perspectives, and exchange ideas with peers. Only through continuous innovation can we provide the best education for our students. Moving forward, the school will persist in its efforts to cultivate exceptional Chinese language talent.

 

Currently, the school offers Chinese classes from pre-K to 10th grade (including AP Chinese), with both bilingual and immersion tracks, alongside cultural courses such as children’s chess, drawing, Chinese painting, calligraphy, violin, electronic keyboard (improvisation), and adult Tai Chi.