This Bernards Twp. Elementary School Ranks Among Top 10 In NJ

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — New education rankings from U.S. News & World Report are once again showing that Bernards Township continues to rank among the best for K-8 schools in New Jersey.

Specifically, Mount Prospect Elementary School ranked number 10 among the top 10 public elementary schools in the Garden State.

The news outlet based its 2024 Best Elementary and Middle School rankings on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education, focusing on student proficiency in core subject areas.

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

• 10: Mount Prospect Elementary School
• 98: Cedar Hill School
• 107: Oak Street School
• 161: Liberty Corner School

For middle school, William Annin Middle School also ranked high in the state coming in at number 22.

Bernards Township School District has 6 schools and 4,735 students. The district’s minority enrollment is 50%. Also, 1.1% of the students are eligible to participate in the federal free and reduced-price meal program and 1.6% of students are English language learners.

Looking at teachers and staff, 99.8% of teachers are licensed, and 92.6% have three or more years of experience. The student-to-teacher ratio is lower than the state average, at 11:1. The district has 9 full-time counselors on staff.

Test scores in Bernards Township School District show that 65% of elementary students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 65% tested at or above that level for math. Also, 78% of middle school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 54% tested at or above that level for math.

The U.S. News list includes data on more than 79,000 public elementary and middle schools nationwide.

In the analysis, U.S. News looked closely at state assessments of students who were proficient or above-proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while also accounting for student backgrounds, achievement in core subjects, and how well schools are educating their students. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.

LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News, said the state and district-level rankings are intended to give parents a snapshot of their child’s school and how well it’s doing within its community.

"Easily accessible data on student-teacher ratio, district spending, and the number of school counselors available at the school can keep parents informed and involved," Jones said.

To be included in district-level rankings, at least two of the top-performing schools must rank in the top 75 percent of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for district-level recognition.

— With reporting by Michelle Rotuno-Johnson, Patch Staff