Summit Schools Dominate New 'Best Schools' List

SUMMIT, NJ — In New Jersey, where there are 2,516 public schools (at all grade levels) and 1,428 private schools, being on a list of the top schools in the state would be quite an honor. And having several schools on the list would be impressive for any district.

The website Niche.com, which specializes in all different types of rankings, recently released a 2020 list of 300 great schools in New Jersey. Methodology included test scores, parent surveys, and more.

The new list that is a bit different than the usual lists the company is known for. In this one, Niche has included both public and private schools. That may not sound different than Niche's usual rankings but this list includes both private and public schools and also includes elementary, middle and high schools all in the same list. Please note that this is not a ranking, but a search list, where you can see and compare all schools grouped together, organized by Overall Grade.

Many of the schools near the top of the list are private schools or public magnet schools where kids must compete to get in.

However, Summit has a slew of both public and private schools on the list. In fact, it has quite a number of schools in the top 150, as do districts such as Millburn and Princeton.

The first three Summit schools to appear on the list are private schools. They are:

• Kent Place School, PreK-12.
• Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, Upper School, grades 7-12.
• Oratory Preparatory School, grades 7-12.

But the public schools did quite well too. Schools in the first 150 on the list are:

• Summit High School
• Lincoln-Hubbard Elementary, grades 1-5
• Washington Elementary, grades 1-5
• Franklin Elementary, grades 1-5
• LC Johnson Summit Middle School, grades 6-8
• Brayton Elementary, grades 1-5
• Jefferson Elementary, grades 1-5.

Read more about the methodology here. Read more stories about the Summit schools on Patch here.