The Garden State belongs in the upper echelon of American states when it comes to public education; according to U.S. News & World Report, New Jersey is #3 in the nation in Pre-K-12 education, and #2 in high school graduation rate.

New Jersey’s best school system is West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, comprising ten schools serving students hailing from West Windsor and Plainsboro Townships. A number of its schools have received the highest honor any public school can receive, the U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon award, including West WIndsor-Plainsboro High School North in 2006.

Tenafly Public Schools, serving Tenafly, NJ, ranks second in the state. The district’s six schools consistently exceed state and nationwide standards of achievement, and Tenafly High School was recognized as a gold medal school by U.S. News & World Report, an honor bestowed to the best public high schools in the nation.

Third in the ranking is Bernards Township School District. Several of the district’s schools have been recognized by Newsweek and other nationwide publications for their excellence. In addition, Liberty Corner School earned a Blue Ribbon award in 2015. 

Millburn Township Public Schools (#4) is another system making good on New Jersey’s reputation for excellent public schooling, with numerous honors under its belt.

Closing out New Jersey’s top five is Princeton Public Schools, a district of six schools serving youngsters from Princeton, NJ. In 2017, PPS’s Littlebrook Elementary became another New Jersey school to earn Blue Ribbon recognition.

Methodology

The following contributed to the ranking: student performance (math and reading test scores), dropout rates, school funding, and area poverty rates. Data was collected from a total of 9,577 school districts.

Did your district make the list?