
These NJ towns are left to meet Murphy’s goal of full-day, free kindergarten for all
TRENTON — Gov. Phil Murphy has vowed to make free, full-day kindergarten in all communities a priority his final year in office.
"When it comes to caring for children, we're not done yet," the democrat said, about 25 minutes into his 2025 State of the State address in Trenton.
"I'm also going to work with you all to enact a new proposal, requiring school districts to provide full-day kindergarten in the communities that still lack it," Murphy said.
He added "the vast majority" of districts already offer full day K, while there are still some "falling short."
The New Jersey School Board Association has previously said that while it believes that full-day kindergarten programs benefit students, it should not be mandated by the state unless state funds are provided to meet the need for necessary additional facilities and staff.
On Tuesday, Murphy named checked Hillsborough as one of the stragglers. The Somerset County public school district has remained among a handful of those still without the offering for young students and their families.
Last summer, the Hillsborough Board of Education approved seeking bids for a redistricting study, but opted to delay preliminary work on a full-day kindergarten program, MyCentralJersey.com previously reported.
Another Somerset County district, Bridgewater-Raritan, was among those slowly implementing plans that voters approved in recent referendums.
Bridgewater-Raritan has offered enrollment for free, full-day kindergarten in the 2025-2026 school year at two of its elementary schools.
"Full-day kindergarten will be available in all other primary schools across the district beginning in September 2026," the district announced on its website.
Haddonfield has been a hold-out on the free, full-day kindergarten scene — but is finally on the path after a recent referendum.
In a special election on Dec. 10, voters approved a referendum to start public bids this coming spring for construction to begin by summer, NJ.com reported.
Enrollment and launch of a full-day program under the current plan was still expected to take several years.
Metuchen passed a referendum in fall 2022 to add full-day kindergarten. As of this year, the program was still operating as a half-day schedule, with the intent to launch full-day in fall 2025.
Another Middlesex County district, Monroe Township, has remained on a half-day kindergarten schedule.
Last spring, Monroe school board president Chrissy Skurke testified at a state budget hearing that it would cost $15 million to create sufficient space for a full-day program, NJ.com previously reported. Skurke said Monroe voters had rejected three school construction referendums in a five-year span.
Millstone Township in Monmouth County has been another district to move slowly on researching what it would take to switch to full-day kindergarten.
"Investigate the financial impact, required staffing and necessary resources required for the district’s implementation of full day kindergarten and the potential application for preschool expansion," has been listed as a goal for the Millstone Board of Education this year.
In Burlington County, Moorestown Township Public School district has continued to offer two options for kindergarten — a half-day, morning session only and a tuition-based, extended day option via a lottery system.
Cranford has continued to offer half-day kindergarten sessions, as well as two full-day, tuition-based kindergarten classes that enroll via lottery.
A year ago, township voters passed a bond referendum as a first step to free, full-day kindergarten. Cranford has planned a second ballot question in November 2025, that would be geared toward staffing the full-day program, NJ.com previously reported.
Westfield has so far not offered free full-day kindergarten, instead running a half-day session and “Kindergarten Wrap” as a tuition-based, lottery program.
Chatham has offered a tuition-based, full-day kindergarten program by lottery since fall 2019.
For the current year, the district expanded the program by two new classes due to demand, while still charging tuition, as previously reported by TapInto.
Meanwhile, state-funded, high-quality preschool programs now exist in 293 NJ school districts – most of them created or expanded during Murphy’s time as governor.
That’s nearly half of the state's 590 operating public school districts. To be eligible for pre-k funding, districts must first offer full-day kindergarten.
These NJ school districts have full day pre-K
Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt