Fair Lawn, Saddle Brook Schools Among Best For K-8: U.S. News

FAIR LAWN, NJ — Several elementary and middle schools in Fair Lawn and Saddle Brook 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 Henry B. Milnes Elementary School as the highest in the state among schools in Fair Lawn and Saddle Brook, according to the new list. Henry B. Milnes Elementary School was ranked 25.

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

Fair Lawn Middle Schools

• 82: Thomas Jefferson Middle School
• 209: Memorial Middle School

Saddle Brook Middle Schools

• 316: Saddle Brook Middle/High School

Fair Lawn Elementary Schools

• 25: Henry B. Milnes Elementary School
• 71: Radburn Elementary School
• 72: Lyncrest Elementary School
• 115: Westmoreland Elementary School
• 373: Warren Point Elementary School
• 897: John A. Forrest Elementary School

Saddle Brook Elementary Schools

• 865: Salome H. Long Memorial School
• (The Franklin School and Helen I. Smith School both ranked in the range of 1028-1370, according to the report.)

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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