The Best Schools In New Jersey: 2025 Rankings 🏆

At the moment, New Jersey is home to roughly 2,500 to 2,600 public schools serving kindergarten through 12th grade, including elementary, middle, and high schools operated by local districts statewide. In addition, there are approximately 1,000 private schools, such as religious institutions, independent schools, and other non-public options that families may choose.

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New Jersey is often talked about as one of the strongest states in the country when it comes to public education. In a lot of national rankings, it usually shows up near the top when all 50 states are compared on things like test results, graduation rates, how ready students are for college, class sizes, and overall school quality.

In a recent Patch article, "According to U.S. News, New Jersey boasts several of the best high schools, middle schools and elementary schools. Some schools, such as High Technology High School in Lincroft, and not only the best in the state but also rank highly nationally as well."

I went through K-12 here in the Garden State and received a good education. I may not have been an academic hero, lol, but I survived and went on to college and a fantastic career in broadcasting, so I agree with the notion that New Jersey has a great education system.

What Are The Top-Ranked New Jersey Schools?

New Jersey Elementary Schools (US News) :

1. School 28 (Paterson Public School District)
2. Cornelia F. Bradford School (Jersey City Public Schools)
3. Princeton Charter School
4. Washington Elementary School (Westfield Public School District)
5. Forrestdale School (Rumson Borough School District)
6. Wyoming School (Millburn Township School District)
7. Deerfield School (Millburn Township School District)
8. Alexander Hamilton School (Glen Rock Public School District)
9. Sara M. Gilmore Academy (Union City School District)
10. Wildwood Elementary School (Mountain Lakes Public School District)

New Jersey Middle Schools (US News) :

1. Infinity Institute (Jersey City Public Schools)
2. School 28 (Paterson Public School District)
3. Upper School (Englewood Cliffs School District)
4. Princeton Charter School
5. Mendham Township Middle School (Mendham Township School District)
6. Ho-Ho-Kus Public School (Ho-Ho-Kus School District)
7. Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School
8. Hatikvah International Academy Charter School
9. Brookside School (Allendale Public School District)
10. Forrestdale School (Rumson Borough School District)

New Jersey High Schools (US News) :

1. High Technology High School, Lincroft (Monmouth County Vocational School District)
2. Bergen County Academies,  Hackensack (Bergen County Vocational Technical School District)
3. Edison Academy Magnet School, Edison, (Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District)
4. Dr. Ronald E McNair High School, Jersey City, (Jersey City Public Schools)
5. Union County Magnet High School, Scotch Plains, (Union County Vocational-Technical School District)
6. Biotechnology High School, Freehold, (Monmouth County Vocational School District)
7. Bergen County Technical High School – Teterboro, Teterboro (Bergen County Vocational Technical School District)
8. Woodbridge Academy Magnet School, Woodbridge, (Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District)
9. Academy for Information Technology, Scotch Plains, (Union County Vocational-Technical School District)
10. Academy for Allied Health Sciences, Scotch Plains (Union County Vocational-Technical School District)