5 Scotch Plains Schools Among Best For Grades K-8: U.S. News

SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD, NJ — Several elementary schools in Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District 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 Howard B. Brunner Elementary School as the highest in the state among schools in Scotch Plains-Fanwood, according to the new list. Howard B. Brunner Elementary School was ranked 136.

Here’s a look at how other schools in Scotch Plains-Fanwood ranked compared with others in the state:

136: Howard B. Brunner Elementary School, Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District
217: William J. Mcginn Elementary School, Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District
325: J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School, Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District
404: Evergreen Elementary School, Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District
433: School One Elementary, Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District

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.

Schools were also ranked by district. Here’s how elementary schools in the Scotch Plains-Fanwood measured up:

1. Howard B. Brunner Elementary School
2. William J. Mcginn Elementary School
3. J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School
4. Evergreen Elementary School
5. School One Elementary, Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District

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.