Best School Districts In NJ: Princeton Among Top 3 In Niche Ranking

PRINCETON, NJ — Twenty-four New Jersey school systems earned an A-plus in the education platform Niche’s 2023 Best Schools and Districts rankings released earlier this week. Princeton Public Schools was ranked No. 3 in the state, behind Millburn and Demarest.

Another Mercer County school district made it to the Top 5. West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District was ranked No. 4 in the state.

Niche ranked 11,820 school districts nationwide. The rankings differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that it also includes input from students, alumni and parents, as well as quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities, according to the platform.

Here are New Jersey's highest-ranking districts:

1. Millburn Township School District
2. Northern Valley Regional High School District (Demarest)
3. Princeton Public Schools
4. West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
5. Ridgewood Public School District
6. Tenafly Public School District
7. Livingston Board of Education School District
8. Summit Public School District
9. Pascack Valley Regional High School District (Montvale)
10. Mountain Lakes School District
11. Moorestown Township Public School District
12. South Brunswick School District
13. Bernards Township School District
14. West Essex Regional School District (North Caldwell)
15. Haddonfield Public Schools
16. Holmdel Township School District
17. Westfield Public School District
18. New Providence School District
19. Mahwah Township Public School District
20. Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District (Oakland)
21. The School District of the Chathams
22. Edison Township School District
23. Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District
24. River Dell Regional School District (River Edge)
25. Glen Rock Board of Education

Niche gave them all A-plus grades, except for Glen Rock, which received an A.

Niche also ranked 92,743 public schools and 30,112 private schools in the 2023 report. Princeton High School also ranked 12th in the state among the best public high schools list released by Niche, followed by West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South (13th). More: NJ's 'Best' High Schools: New Rankings Released

But high school rankings have their critics. In 2013, journalist and former professor and The Atlantic writer John Tierney argued that high school rankings are "nonsense."

"Parents might be able to use that information to find an affordable residence near good schools, while still leaving themselves within reasonable reach of their place of employment," Tierney wrote. "It's harder to fathom the logic for ranking high schools nationwide. Few are the families who will move out of state or across the country on the basis of claims about school quality."

Princeton Gets An A+

The school district received an overall grade of A+. It received an A+ for academics, teacher and college prep; A- for club activities and diversity; A for administration; B+ for sports and B- for food, resource and facilities.

The platform said its rankings were created to provide families with valuable information — both quantitative and qualitative — on schools in their area or in a neighborhood they’re not familiar with yet.

"We strive to put as much power in their hands as possible so they can make informed decisions with confidence," Skurman said in a statement. "Our 2023 rankings surface key insights and data points for parents everywhere to use in their school search. We’re honored that millions of families consider us a reliable resource during such a pivotal moment in their lives."

Private Schools Top In State

Niche also released a list of the best private high schools in the state and five Princeton schools were featured on the list. Princeton International School of Math and Science topped the list. Princeton Day School came in at No. 9 and Stuart Day School at No. 14. The Wilberforce School and The Hun School of Princeton were ranked 16th and 17th respectively.

These are New Jersey's best private high schools, per Niche:

1. Princeton International School of Math and Science
2. The Lawrenceville School
3. The Pingry School
4. Newark Academy
5. Delbarton School
6. The Peddie School
7. Dwight-Englewood School
8. Kent Place School
9. Princeton Day School
10. Rutgers Preparatory School
11. Blair Academy
12. Montclair Kimberley Academy
13. The Wardlaw + Hartridge School
14. Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart
15. The Pennington School
16. The Wilberforce School
17. The Hun School of Princeton
18. Golda Och Academy
19. Ranney School
20. Morristown-Beard School
21. Pioneer Academy
22. Moorestown Friends School
23. Primoris Academy
24. Mount Saint Mary Academy
25. Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child - Upper School

School ratings have the power to drive segregation, contends Jack Schneider, an associate professor of education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

"There’s evidence that this is already happening via websites like GreatSchools.org and Niche.com," Schneider wrote last October for WBUR.

Find out more about the rankings and methodology here.

(With reporting from Josh Bakan, Patch Staff)

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