These Are The Best School Districts In New Jersey, New Ranking Says

One of the most important considerations of New Jersey parents when choosing a place to live is the quality of the school district.

According to the 2026 Best School Districts in America list recently released by the education ranking service Niche, the best school district in New Jersey is the Northern Valley Regional High School District.

In Niche’s review, the district has been ranked as the best place to teach in New Jersey, best school district in New Jersey and ranked second in Niche’s ranking of districts with the best teachers in New Jersey.

In Niche’s report card, the Northern Valley Regional High School District earned:

• Academics (A+)
• Teachers (A+)
• College Prep (A+)
• Administration (A+)
• Sports (A+)
• Food (A+)
• Clubs & Activities (A)
• Resources & Facilities (B+)
• Diversity (B)

Other school districts in the New Jersey area that got an “A-” or better grade, in the order ranked, are:

• West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District (A+)
• Tenafly Public School District (A+)
• Ridgewood Public School District (A+)
• Mountain Lakes School District (A+)
• Princeton Public Schools (A+)
• Summit Public School District (A+)
• The School District of the Chathams (A+)
• Livingston Board of Education School District (A+)
• Millburn Township School District (A+)
• New Providence School District (A+)
• Bernards Township School District (A+)
• Haddonfield Public Schools (A+)
• South Brunswick School District (A+)
• Morris Hills Regional School District (A+)
• Moorestown Township Public School District (A+)
• West Morris Regional High School District (A+)
• Westfield Public School District (A+)
• West Essex Regional School District (A+)
• Pascack Valley Regional High School District (A+)

• River Dell Regional School District (A)
• Rutherford School District (A)
• Metuchen Public School District (A)
• Glen Ridge Public School District (A)
• Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District (A)
• Holmdel Township School District (A)
• Somerset Hills Regional School District (A)
• Montgomery Township School District (A)
• Montville Township Public Schools (A)
• East Brunswick Public Schools (A)
• Robbinsville Public Schools (A)
• Ramsey School District (A)
• Hillsborough Township Public School District (A)
• Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District (A)
• Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School District (A)
• Park Ridge School District (A)
• North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District (A)
• Ocean City School District (A)
• Freehold Regional High School District (A)
• Fair Lawn School District (A)
• Hopewell Valley Regional School District (A)
• Parsippany-Troy Hills Township School District (A)
• Leonia Public School District (A)
• Point Pleasant Beach School District (A)
• Edison Township School District (A)
• Manasquan School District (A)
• Montclair Public Schools (A)
• Paramus Public School District (A)
• Madison Public School District (A)
• Monroe Township School District (A)
• Kinnelon School District (A)
• Wayne Township Public School District (A)
• Glen Rock Board of Education (A)
• Hanover Park Regional High School District (A)
• Cranford Public School District (A)
• Randolph Township School District (A)
• Mahwah Township Public School District (A)
• Cresskill Public School District (A)
• Piscataway Township School District (A)
• Sparta Township Public School District (A)
• Westwood Regional School District (A)

• Secaucus School District (A-)
• Fort Lee School District (A-)
• Hoboken Public School District (A-)
• Midland Park School District (A-)
• Lenape Regional High School District (A-)
• Dumont Public School District (A-)
• Bergenfield Borough School District (A-)
• Old Bridge Township School District (A-)
• South Orange-Maplewood School District (A-)
• Emerson Public School District (A-)
• Berkeley Heights Public School District (A-)
• Highland Park School District (A-)
• Upper Freehold Regional School District (A-)
• Morris School District (A-)
• Middletown Township Public School District (A-)
• Hasbrouck Heights School District (A-)
• Caldwell-West Caldwell School District (A-)
• Egg Harbor Township School District (A-)
• Mount Olive Township School District (A-)
• Weehawken Public School District (A-)
• Pompton Lakes School District (A-)
• Northern Burlington County Regional School District (A-)
• Cherry Hill School District (A-)
• Greater Egg Harbor Regional School District (A-)
• Wall Township Public School District (A-)
• West Orange Public Schools (A-)
• Nutley Public School District (A-)
• Waldwick School District (A-)
• Point Pleasant Borough School District (A-)
• Clearview Regional High School District (A-)
• South Plainfield School District (A-)
• Sayreville School District (A-)
• Lodi School District (A-)

Niche also released its best public high schools rankings. In New Jersey, the Academy for Mathematics, Science & Engineering in Morris County was ranked as the state's best public high school.

• Learn More: These Are The Best Public High Schools In NJ, New Ranking Says

Niche said its rankings, now in the 11th year, differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that it also includes input from students, alumni and parents, as well as quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities.