Central Named Among Best Public High Schools in N.J.

By Jason Koestenblatt and Tom Davis

Being ranked as one of the best will never get old.

Another list and another high ranking for West Morris Central, which has been listed as the number 47 public high school in New Jersey by niche.com. Central was in good company, as it joined five other Morris County schools in the top 50 and a total of 10 in the top 100.

The number crunchers and survey takers at Niche.com have compiled new 2016 lists for schools across the country on a variety of metrics, including Best Academics, Best Administration, Best Extracurriculars, Best Facilities,Best Food, Best High School Sports, Best Teachers and lots more.

Here’s Niche’s list of the 100 best public high schools in New Jersey. These rankings are based on state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, student and parent reviews, and more.

According to Niche.com, a high overall ranking includes the following criteria:

• Students are very happy with their experience in all aspects including academics, teachers, health, safety, resources, facilities, extracurriculars, sports, and fitness;
• District schools are exceptional academic institutions in terms of teachers, students, resources for learning, and student outcomes;
• District schools are made up of a diverse population and fosters an accepting, positive school culture;
• Students are actively involved in a variety of extracurriculars and sports the district offers.

For a more detailed look at Niche.com’s methods, click here.

Here is the New Jersey list (with each school’s national ranking is indicated in parenthesis, if they were within the top 100 in the U.S.A.):

1. High Technology High School, Lincroft (2nd nationally)
2. Bergen County Academies, Hackensack (11th nationally)
3. High Tech High School, North Bergen Township (12th nationally)
4. Academy for Information Technology, Scotch Plains (14th nationally)
5. Academy for Allied Health Science, Scotch Plains Township (18th nationally)
6. Technical School - Teterboro (20th nationally)
7. Biotechnology High School, East Freehold (28th nationally)
8. Princeton High School, Princeton (37th nationally)
9. Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School, Jersey City (43rd nationally)
10. Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics, & Engineering Technologies, Edison (53rd nationally)
11. OCVTS - Marine Academy of Technology & Environmental Science (MATES), Manahawkin, Stafford Township (56th nationally)
12. Millburn Senior High School, Millburn (59th nationally)
13. Communications High School, Wall (63rd nationally)
14. Academy of Allied Health & Science, Neptune (81st nationally)
15. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, West Windsor (95th nationally)
16. Montgomery High School, Montgomery Township
17. Union County Magnet High School, Scotch Plains
18. Pascack Hills High School, Montvale
19. Northern Highlands Regional High School, Allendale
20. Chatham High School, Chatham
21. Marine Academy of Science & Technology, Middletown
22. Summit Senior High School, Summit
23. New Providence High School, New Providence
24. Livingston Senior High School, Livingston
25. Science Park High School, Newark
26. East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick
27. Ridge High School, Bernards
28. Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood
29. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, Plainsboro Township
30. Mountain Lakes High School, Mountain Lakes
31. Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Raritan
32. Union County Vocational-Technical High School, Scotch Plains
33. Tenafly High School, Tenafly
34. J.P. Stevens High School, Edison
35. South Brunswick High School, South Brunswick
36. Pascack Valley High School, Hillsdale
37. Moorestown High School, Moorestown
38. Haddonfield Memorial High School, Haddonfield
39. West Morris Mendham High School, Mendham
40. Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School, Rumson
41. Hopewell Valley Central High School, Hopewell Township
42. Cresskill High School, Cresskill
43. Glen Rock High School, Glen Rock
44. Hillsborough High School, Hillsborough
45. Voorhees High School, Lebanon
46. Morris County School of Technology, Denville
47. West Morris Central High School, Washington Township
48. Bernards High School, Bernardsville
49. Randolph High School, Randolph
50. Cranford High School, Cranford
51. Seneca High School, Tabernacle
52. Holmdel High School, Holmdel
53. Watchung Hills Regional High School, Warren
54. Ramapo High School, Franklin Lakes
55. Northern Valley Regional High School Demarest, Demarest
56. Red Bank Regional High School, Little Silver
57. Lenape High School, Medford
58. Robbinsville High School, Robbinsville
59. Westfield Senior High School, Westfield
60. Cherry Hill High School East, Springdale
61. North Hunterdon High School, Clinton Township
62. West Essex High School, North Caldwell
63. Southern Regional High School, Manahawkin, Stafford Township
64. Morristown High School, Morristown
65. Metuchen High School, Metuchen
66. County Prep High School, Jersey City
67. River Dell Regional High School, Oradell
68. Glen Ridge High School, Glen Ridge
69. Highland Park High School, Highland Park
70. Hanover Park High School, East Hanover
71. Northern Valley Regional High School - Old Tappan, Old Tappan
72. Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health & Biomedical Sciences, Woodbridge
73. Colts Neck High School, Colts Neck Township
74. Cherokee High School, Evesham Township
75. Eastern Regional High School, Voorhees
76. Montclair High School, Montclair
77. Madison High School, Madison
78. Cedar Creek High School, Egg Harbor City
79. Fair Lawn High School, Fair Lawn
80. Paramus High School, Paramus
81. Mainland Regional High School, Linwood
82. Infinity Institute, Jersey City
83. Morris Hills High School, Rockaway
84. Bridgewater-Raritan High School, Bridgewater
85. Hasbrouck Heights High School, Hasbrouck Heights
86. Monroe Township High School, Monroe
87. Columbia High School, Maplewood
88. Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, Scotch Plains
89. Somerville High School, Somerville
90. Gloucester County Institute of Technology, Deptford
91. Governor Livingston High School, Berkeley Heights
92. Parsippany Hills High School, Parsippany-Troy Hills
93. Cinnaminson High School, Cinnaminson
94. Point Pleasant Beach High School, Point Pleasant Beach
95. Wayne Valley High School, Wayne
96. Parsippany High School, Parsippany-Troy Hills
97. Mahwah High School, Mahwah Township
98. Ramsey High School, Ramsey
99. Marlboro High School, Marlboro

100. Washington Township High School, Washington Township