These Are The 25 Best Elementary Schools in NJ: U.S. News

NEW JERSEY— School 28 in Paterson is the best public elementary school in New Jersey, according to a new ranking Tuesday from U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News researchers based the 2027 ranking of the nation’s best public elementary schools on the latest publicly available data from state education agencies by RTI International, alongside data from the U.S. Department of Education. In the past, the state reports weren’t part of the methodology.

The data from the state agencies provides a more comprehensive assessment of student performance in reading and mathematics across all proficiency levels while continuing to account for student background and absolute performance on state assessments.

“By incorporating direct state data across all proficiency levels, the 2027 rankings offer a richer, more complete picture of how elementary and middle schools are driving student growth,” Eric Brooks, U.S. News director of education data analysis, said in a news release.

Elementary schools are those offering either pre-K-5 or pre-K-6 education. For schools that have a wider grade span, only tests through fifth grade were considered. The report includes 46,000 public elementary schools ranked at the state and district levels. Charter schools are a stand-alone category.

The top 25 public elementary schools in New Jersey are:

1. School 28 - Paterson
2. Milton Avenue School - Chatham
3. Glenwood School - Short Hills
4. Cornelia F. Bradford School - Jersey City
5. Thomas Edison Energysmart Charter School - Somerset
6. Princeton Charter School - Princeton
7. Harrison Elementary School - Livingston
8. H W Mountz Elementary School - Spring Lake
9. Alexander Hamilton School - Glen Rock
10. Orchard Elementary School - Ridgewood
11. Sara M. Gilmore Academy - Union City
12. Forrestdale School - Rumson
13. Hilldale School - Pine Brook
14. Hatikvah International Academy Charter School - East Brunswick
15. Salt Brook School - New Providence
16. Mount Prospect Elementary School - Basking Ridge
17. South Mountain School - Millburn
18. Radburn Elementary School - Fair Lawn
19. Franklin Elementary School - Summit
20. Somerville Elementary School - Ridgewood
21. Mount Pleasant Elementary School - Livingston
22. Milltown Primary School - Bridgewater
23. Wyoming School - Millburn
24. Central School - Haddonfield
25. Berkeley Elementary - Westwood