Brick Schools In Top Half Of NJ Districts In Rankings

BRICK, NJ — The Brick Township School District has received an overall B- grade from data compiler Niche, which looked at school districts across the country leading into the 2019-2020 school year.

Brick ranked 174th out of 377 school districts rated on the website, according to rankings released Monday as part of the website's 2020 K-12 rankings.

Each New Jersey district received a letter grade in the following categories: Academics; Diversity; Teachers; College Prep; Clubs & Activities; Health & Safety; Administration; Sports; Food; and Resources & Facilities.

To arrive at the rankings, Niche looked at data from the U.S. Department of Education as well as test scores, college data, and ratings collected from Niche users. (You can read more about the methodology here.)

The top-ranked school district in New Jersey is Princeton. Niche gave Princeton an A or an A+ in all categories except for diversity (B+), sports and food (B). Last year, Millburn was number 1.

Here are the grades Brick received:

1. Academics B
2. Diversity B
3. Teachers B-
4. College Prep B
5. Clubs & Activities B+
6. Health & Safety C+
7. Administration C+
8. Sports A
9. Food C-
10. Resources & Facilities C+

Students who weighed in with reviews had a range of comments:

"In all of the Brick Township public schools, the teachers really care for their students," one listed as a sophomore wrote. "The high schools have a wide variety of different classes you can take, including Honors, Advanced Placement courses, and unique electives. The sports teams may not be the most outstanding, but there is a strong sense of school pride within the district. If I could change something about the schools, it would be to update the bathrooms, which are small, messy, and outdated."

"The school budget is poor, clubs mostly depend on themselves for funding through personal donations," another student, also a sophomore, wrote. "Teachers use most of their own money for school supplies because their budget is not enough for all the necessary materials that students need. The hygiene in the school is horrible in the building with old spiders, and rats invading classroom being an experience every student has at least (once)."

"The classes being taught in this district are interesting in their own rights, the teachers are engaging, and they tend to tie in their own experiences with the lesson they are currently teaching, allowing it to make the harder topics seem easier," a senior wrote. "The district also prepares you very well for college, the administration are strict, but they also have their soft side to them. The district involves the parents all the time, mainly by letting them check their child's grades in an easy, organized manner."

The full listing on Brick schools can be explored on the Niche website.

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