Caldwell Officials: 'Best High Schools' List Is Incomplete

The Caldwell-West Caldwell district became the second Essex County school system to question Newsweek’s recent list, “America’s Top High Schools for 2015.

Parents of students in the Caldwell-West Caldwell district may have been surprised to see that James Caldwell High didn’t place on Newsweek’s list of the 500 “best” high schools in the nation, although West Essex Regional High School placed 274th on the list.

• See related article: West Essex Regional High School In North Caldwell Ranks 274th In America

But according to CWC school administrators, there’s a reason why James Caldwell High got left off the list… Newsweek never reached out to them for the data.

On Thursday, CWC school administrators published the following statement online:

“Caldwell-West Caldwell Public Schools is disappointed that Newsweek did not have the appropriate data from James Caldwell High School to include JCHS in their annual listing of America’s Top High Schools. Unfortunately we have no record of receiving the request for data that Newsweek indicates was sent to the district. We are sorry we weren’t included in the research. We are confident our data would have placed us well among the top high schools in New Jersey and nation.”

The message was similar to one sent out by Livingston school administrators, who also claimed that they never received a data request from Newsweek.

• See related article: Livingston Officials Respond: ‘Best High Schools’ List Is Incomplete

Recently, James Caldwell High ranked among “America’s Most Challenging High Schools” alongside West Essex Regional High in a Washington Post list.

• See related article: Two Caldwell Area High Schools Rank Among the Nation’s ‘Most Challenging’

However, James Caldwell High has been absent from Newsweek’s annual ”Best High Schools” list in previous years.

• See related article: West Essex High School Ranks 944 in Nation, Says Newsweek