District Serving North Caldwell Ranks High On 'Best Schools' List

CALDWELLS, NJ — A new ranking of the “Best School Districts in New Jersey” includes West Essex Regional near the top of the charts. The district serves students from North Caldwell, Essex Fells, Fairfield and Roseland.

On Monday, education information website Niche.com released its 2022 Best Schools and Districts rankings. Now in its eighth year, the K-12 school rankings include updated data for 94,491 public schools, 2,489 private schools and 11,846 school districts nationwide.

Here’s how researchers reached their conclusions, Niche.com said:

“While traditional rankings rely almost exclusively on metrics like test scores and academic performance, Niche’s rankings provide a more personal view of a school. They combine user input — ratings from current students, alumni and parents — with quantitative data from sources like the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities, extracurricular activity opportunities and more.”

Among New Jersey school districts, West Essex Regional emerged near the top of the list, ranking as the 14th-best in the state. According to Niche.com, it scored an “A+” in academics, teachers, clubs/activities, college prep and health/safety. Its only “C” score was in “diversity.”

Niche.com says of the district:

"West Essex Regional School District is a top rated, public school district ... It has 1,683 students in grades 7-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 11 to 1. According to state test scores, 64% of students are at least proficient in math and 79% in reading."

For the 2022 state list, the top-rated school district in New Jersey was also in Essex County: the Millburn Public School District.

See the full national ranking list and read about its methodology here.

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