Black Horse Pike School District Among The Best In The State In New Rankings

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A new ranking of the state's best school districts has been released and the Black Horse Pike Regional Public School District is ranked 121st.

Niche.com, which recently released its annual rankings of the best school districts in the country, looked at data from the U.S. Department of Education as well as test scores, college data and ratings collected from users.

The methodology for each category of ranking varied. (Click here for more information on how Niche calculates its rankings.)

Niche assigns a standardized score for each factor, which is then weighted before an overall score is calculated for each school district. The overall scores are again standardized and some districts are disqualified from receiving a final letter grade if there isn’t enough data. School districts are then ranked numerically and assigned grades.

The Black Horse Pike Regional School District, which consists of Highland, Timber Creek and Triton regional high schools, received an overall grade of B. Its highest score was an A+, for diversity and for clubs and activities. It received a C+ for academics. (You can see the full report card here.)

“Being a part of the Black Horse Pike Regional School District has instilled in me the traits of dedication and determination," one reviewer wrote. "The teachers who have helped me through my courses taught me to never give up. Upholding these standards all four years allowed for me to get involved with my school and actually feel like I am changing the school. The clubs and sports make my school district thrive. Overall my experience has been great, but this is due to my involvement. Lucky for me, this participation was easy because I played two sports and was the vice president of student council. If I could change one thing it would be for the staff to really emphasize to the students that these clubs and sports could bring you so many future opportunities. Being involved in school clubs and sports is not a priority for all kids. I feel that if more of an effort was made to emphasize to these students the importance of involvement both the students and school would benefit.”

The Gloucester Township K-8 Public School District was not included in the rankings, but received a B- from Niche.com. It received an A- for diversity, a B for health and safety and for teachers, and a C for academics. (See the full report card here).

"The elementary schools are great with exceptional teachers. The middle schools is very efficient in providing students with the necessary information to become successful, and the high school allows students to receive the guidance they need while also teaching them to become independent," one reviewer wrote.

According to Niche, these are the 25 best school districts in New Jersey:

1. Princeton Public Schools (14th in nation)
2. Millburn Township Schools (36th in nation)
3. West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District (55th in nation)
4. Livingston Public Schools (97th in nation)
5. Summit Public Schools
6. The School District of the Chathams
7. Bernards Township School District
8. Montgomery Township School District
9. Tenafly Public Schools
10. West Essex Regional School District, North Caldwell
11. East Brunswick Public Schools
12. Pascack Valley Regional High School District, Montvale
13. Moorestown Township Public School District
14. Montclair Public Schools
15. Ridgewood Public Schools
16. South Brunswick Public Schools
17. West Morris Regional High School District
18. Hopewell Valley Regional School District
19. Glen Ridge Public Schools
20. Haddonfield Public Schools
21. Fair Lawn School District
22. Mountain Lakes School District
23. Somerset Hills Regional School District, Bernardsville
24. Northern Valley Regional High School District, Demarest
25. Berkeley Heights Public Schools

Click here to see the full list.

Niche’s data for its K-12 school district rankings comes from various sources, including the U.S. Department of Education, the National Center for Education Statistics and the Civil Rights Data Collection.

The rankings also rely on data that is self-reported by Niche users and schools. (Click here to learn more about where Niche’s data comes from.)

What do you think of the rankings? Let us know in the comments below.

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