School District In The Caldwells On List Of NJ's 'Most Equitable'

CALDWELLS, NJ — A report has named the Caldwell-West Caldwell Public School District as one of the “most equitable” in New Jersey for 2021.

On Tuesday, financial information provider WalletHub released a ranked list of the state’s “Most and Least Equitable School Districts.” Researchers scored 540 districts in New Jersey on two metrics: average household income, and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.

The Caldwell-West Caldwell Public School District came in at number 17 on the list. Local metrics included:

• Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools (per pupil) - $19,014
• Income by School District - $109,524

The top-ranked districts in New Jersey were the Ogdensburg Borough School District (first), the Hazlet Township Public School District (second) and the Northvale Public School District (third).

See the full list and methodology here.

“New Jersey has the ninth least-equitable school districts in the U.S. overall, but some districts within the state are fairer than others,” WalletHub stated.

“Discrepancies between the rich and poor have been exacerbated even more this year by the COVID-19 pandemic,” researchers continued. “Low-income students have suffered the greatest ‘learning loss’ due to partial or total remote learning. One contributing factor is that people in low-income districts are less likely to have the technological resources they need.”

WalletHub added:

“States that provide equitable funding to all school districts can help prevent poor students from having lower graduation rates, lower rates of pursuing higher education and smaller future incomes than their wealthy peers. The difference is dramatic: College graduates have $524 to $1,112 higher median weekly earnings than people with a high school diploma and no college experience, depending on the degree.”

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