Ridgewood Schools Among Best For Grades K-8: U.S. News

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Several elementary and middle schools in Ridgewood have been ranked among the best in New Jersey, according to a brand-new ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States.

Schools are ranked at the state and district levels. The best charter schools and best magnet schools ranked as stand-alone categories.

U.S. News ranked Somerville Elementary School as the highest in the state among schools in Ridgewood, according to the new list. Somerville was ranked 22.

Here’s a look at how other schools in Ridgewood ranked compared with others in the state:

Elementary

• 22: Somerville Elementary, Ridgewood Public Schools
• 28: Ridge Elementary, Ridgewood Public Schools
• 33: Hawes Elementary, Ridgewood Public Schools
• 45: Orchard Elementary, Ridgewood Public Schools
• 124: Willard Elementary, Ridgewood Public Schools
• 172: Travell Elementary, Ridgewood Public Schools

Middle

• 44: George Washington Middle School, Ridgewood Public Schools
• 59: Benjamin Franklin Middle School, Ridgewood Public Schools

To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze two areas at each school:

• Math and reading proficiency — or how well students perform on state assessments.
• Math and reading performance — or how well they perform compared with expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings is from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.

Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.

California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.

See the complete list of 2021’s Best K-8 Schools.

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