Barnegat Schools Among Best For Grades K-8: U.S. News

Barnegat , NJ — Barnegat Township’s four elementary schools and Russell O. Brackman Middle School have been ranked among the best in New Jersey, according to a brand-new ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States.

Schools are ranked at the state and district levels. The best charter schools and best magnet schools ranked as stand-alone categories.

Here's a look at how elementary schools in Barnegat Township ranked compared with others in the state:

• Cecil S. Collins School, ranked no. 952 in New Jersey
• Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School, ranked no. 915 in New Jersey
• Lillian M. Dunfee School, ranked no. 945 in New Jersey
• Robert L. Horbelt School , ranked no. 640 in New Jersey

Russell O. Brackman Middle School also landed on the list of the state’s best middle schools, ranked no. 519.

To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze two areas at each school:

• Math and reading proficiency — or how well students perform on state assessments.
• Math and reading performance — or how well they perform compared with expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings are from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.

Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.

California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.

See the complete list of 2021's Best K-8 Schools.

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