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

WAYNE, NJ — Several elementary and middle schools in the Wayne Township Public 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.

George Washington topped Wayne's middle school rankings at 100th in the state. Albert Payson Terhune Elementary was the district's highest-ranking elementary school at 76th overall.

Here's how Wayne's middle schools ranked:

• George Washington Middle School, 100th
• Anthony Wayne Middle School, 102nd
• Schuyler Colfax Middle School, 156th

The district's elementary schools received the following rankings:

• Albert Payson Terhune Elementary, 76th
• Packanack Elementary School, 517th
• James Fallon Elementary School, 519th
• Lafayette Elementary School, 671st
• Theunis Dey Elementary School, 731st
• Pines Lake Elementary School, 760th
• Randall Carter Elementary School, 839th
• John F. Kennedy Elementary School, 841st
• Ryerson Elementary School, 954th

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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