The Best Elementary Schools In NJ: See New U.S. News Rankings

NEW JERSEY — School 28 in Paterson is the best public elementary school in New Jersey, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News researchers based the 2025 ranking of the nation’s best public elementary schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. Elementary schools are considered K-6 in the analysis.

The top 10 public elementary schools in New Jersey are:

1. School 28, Paterson Public School District
2. Princeton Charter School
3. Washington Elementary School, Westfield Public School District
4. Milton Avenue School, School District of the Chathams
5. Cornelia F. Bradford School, Jersey City Public Schools
6. Forrestdale School, Rumson Borough School District
7. Lincoln-Hubbard Elementary School, Summit Public School District
8. Orchard Elementary School, Ridgewood Public School District
9. Hatikvah International Academy Charter School, East Brunswick
10. Wildwood Elementary School, Mountain Lakes

You can see the full rankings for New Jersey schools here.

The methodology for the rankings focused on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in math and reading/language arts, while also accounting for students’ background and their achievements in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios were applied to break ties.

The rankings are intended as an evaluation tool to inform parents on how well schools are doing at providing high-equality education and providing students for a successful future, said LaMont Jones, managing editor for Education at U.S. News, in a news release.

In total, U.S. News evaluated 47,573 elementary schools across the nation for their 2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools Rankings.