New Jersey · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best Public Schools in New Jersey

Top 50 schools ranked by resource quality score, based on student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

Compiled from official source data by .
81/100
Top score
A-
Top grade
73/100
Avg score (top 50)
50
Schools ranked

The ranking in one line

Somerset County Vocational Technical High School in Bridgewater is New Jersey's top-resourced public school, scoring 81/100 on the NCES resource index.

81/100
top score (grade A-)
1
schools graded A- or better
73/100
average across the top 50
# School GradeScore
1 Somerset County Vocational Technical High School Bridgewater A- 81
2 Berkeley Elementary WESTWOOD B+ 77
3 Avon Elementary School AVON B+ 77
4 Franklin Township School WASHINGTON B+ 76
5 W.C.K. Walls Elementary Pitman B+ 76
6 Montville Township High School MONTVILLE B+ 75
7 Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro Teterboro B+ 75
8 Lincoln Elementary School HARRISON B+ 75
9 Lafayette Township School LAFAYETTE B+ 75
10 Academy for Mathematics Science and Engineering ROCKAWAY B+ 75
11 Valleyview Middle School DENVILLE B 74
12 Eleanor G. Hewitt RINGWOOD B 74
13 Cape May City Elementary School CAPE MAY B 74
14 Hope Township School HOPE B 74
15 Bergen County Academies Hackensack B 73
16 Glen Rock High School GLEN ROCK B 73
17 New Providence High School NEW PROVIDENCE B 73
18 Bayview Elementary School BELFORD B 73
19 Biotechnology High School FREEHOLD B 73
20 South Mountain School MILLBURN B 73
21 River Plaza Elementary School RED BANK B 73
22 Walter Hill School SWEDESBORO B 73
23 Franklin D Roosevelt Elementary School North Arlington B 73
24 Robert R Lazar Middle School MONTVILLE B 72
25 Glen Rock Middle School GLEN ROCK B 72
26 New Milford High School NEW MILFORD B 72
27 Forrestdale School RUMSON B 72
28 Readington Middle School WHITEHOUSE STATION B 72
29 Union School RUTHERFORD B 72
30 Rockaway Valley School BOONTON TOWNSHIP B 72
31 Franklin Avenue Middle School Franklin Lakes B 72
32 Johnstone Elementary School VINELAND B 72
33 Black River Middle School Chester B 72
34 Central Elementary School EAST BRUNSWICK B 72
35 Maple Road Elementary School WEST MILFORD B 72
36 Spring Lake Heights Elementary School SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS B 72
37 High Technology High School LINCROFT B 72
38 Marine Academy of Science and Technology Highlands B 72
39 School #16 CLIFTON B 72
40 West Amwell Township School Lambertville B 72
41 Academy for Performing Arts Rockaway B 72
42 Livingston High School LIVINGSTON B 71
43 General Charles G. Harker School WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP B 71
44 Thomas Jefferson Middle School TEANECK B 71
45 John Y Dater Elementary School RAMSEY B 71
46 Monmouth County Academy of Allied Health and Science NEPTUNE B 71
47 Number 10 Linden B 71
48 Communications High School WALL B 71
49 Leonardo Elementary School LEONARDO B 71
50 Apshawa Elementary School WEST MILFORD B 71

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best public schools in New Jersey? ▼

The top-rated school in New Jersey is Somerset County Vocational Technical High School in Bridgewater with a quality score of 81/100 (grade A-). Rankings are based on student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted programs, and attendance rates from NCES data.

How are school quality scores calculated? ▼

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data across 4 metrics: student-teacher ratio (lower is better, national avg ~16:1), counselor availability (ASCA recommends 250:1), gifted program availability, and chronic absenteeism rate (lower is better). This measures school resources, not test scores.

Explore More for New Jersey

All Schools → Largest Schools → Absenteeism Data → Highest Spending → National Ranking →

Methodology

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Schools must have at least 50 students and data for one or more metrics. This measures resource quality, not test scores. Higher scores indicate smaller class sizes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.