What's Next For Ridgewood's 5,553 Public School Students? Superintendent Tells All

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Ridgewood Superintendent of Schools Mark Schwarz recently held his "State of the Schools Address," revealing enrollment statistics, achievements, and future goals for the public school district.

5,553 students are enrolled in the district, with a 13:1 student/teacher ratio, according to the presentation. There are 11 school buildings in the district.

Schwartz and Interim Assistant Superintendent Rich Freedman laid out goals for the district pertaining to academics (including math and language arts), inclusivity, finances, facilities, communication with stakeholders, and more.

Regarding inclusivity, the first goal is, "By auditing the current state of inclusive practices and resources, the district hopes to continue to

ensure positive outcomes for all students and to promote a diverse and inclusive student body. The employment of a qualified consultant may be necessary to appropriately address this goal, budget permitting."

Regarding academics, school officials hope to "Reevaluate ELA and Math curricula, scope and sequences, resources, and practices with consideration of peer-reviewed research and emerging instructional trends."

The presentation noted that the district is part of statewide factor group "J," the category for the lowest enrollment of economically disadvantaged students in the state. The DFG is sometimes used to compare test scores and other metrics with schools that serve a similar socioeconomic demographic. Only 2 percent of kids in the Ridgewood district are considered "economically disadvantaged," according to a chart.

The district noted these enrollments, by grade level:

The presentation and slides are here.

Do you have important news about the Ridgewood schools to share? Send it to Patch here. Got a press release about an award, achievement, or event? Post it yourself using these instructions. (It works for any Patch town.) And want to get a free daily roundup of Patch news about Ridgewood and the surrounding towns, in your email at 6 a.m.? Just put your email address here.