Chatham Ranks Among 15 Best School Districts In NJ, New Report Says

CHATHAM, NJ — The School District of the Chathams has once again topped the list of best school districts in the state and was ranked among the top 15 school districts in New Jersey, according to Niche’s 2024 Best Schools and Districts.

The rankings released this week place the School District of the Chathams at 13th best in the state and 237 out of 10,932 in America.

Locally, Chatham ranks as the second-best school district in Morris County, beaten only by Mountain Lakes School District.

Chatham has 3,765 students and a 14:1 student-teacher ratio, according to Niche.com. According to state test scores, 59 percent of students are at least proficient in math and 73 percent in reading.

Niche gave the School District of the Chathams a letter grade of A+. Grades in specific categories were:

• Academics: A+
• Teachers: A
• Clubs and activities: A-
• Sports: A
• Resources and facilities: C+
• Diversity: C+
• College prep: A+
• Administration: A
• Food: A-

The Niche.com rankings, which have been out for the past nine years, compare K–12 schools and districts across the United States. The website combines input from current students, alumni and parents with hard data from sources including the U.S. Department of Education.

Niche also ranked 94,058 public schools and 30,809 private schools. The platform said its rankings were created to provide families with valuable information—both quantitative and qualitative—on schools in their area or in a neighborhood they’re not familiar with yet.

It also includes a list of the best high schools by state, which Patch highlighted on Tuesday.

The rankings differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that they also include input from students, alumni and parents, as well as quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities.

Click here to see the full list of New Jersey's highest-ranking districts.

With reporting from Michelle Rotuno-Johnson, Patch Staff.