Bernards Township Among Best School Districts In NJ, New Ranking Says

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — The Bernards Township School District has once again topped the list of best school districts in the state and was ranked among the top 15 school districts in New Jersey, according to Niche’s 2026 Best School Districts in America.

The rankings released this week place the Bernards Township School District at 12th best in the New Jersey and 194 out of 10,394 in America.

Locally, Bernards Township ranks as the best school district in Somerset County.

The district also ranks as the 7th best school district for athletes in NJ, the 52nd best district with the best teachers in NJ, and the 54th best district for places to teach in NJ.

Ridge High School also ranked as the 30th best high school in New Jersey.

Bernards Township has 4,760 students with a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1. According to state test scores, 72 percent of students are at least proficient in math and 78 percent in reading.

Niche gave the Bernards Township School District a letter grade of A+. Grades in specific categories were:

• Academics: A+
• Teachers: A
• Clubs and activities: B+
• Sports: A+
• Resources and facilities: C+
• Diversity: B
• College prep: A+
• Administration: B+
• Food: A

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.

Click here to see the full list of New Jersey's highest-ranking districts.

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