This Mendham Elementary School Is One Of NJ's Best: New Ranking

MENDHAM, NJ — One public elementary school in Mendham is among the top 30 best in New Jersey, according to new education rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

The news outlet based its 2024 Best Elementary and Middle School Rankings on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education, focusing on student proficiency in core subject areas.

Families can use the annual rankings to compare schools at the national, state and local levels on factors such as academic performance and student-teacher ratio, among other things, according to a news release

According to the rankings, Mendham Township Elementary School came in at number 25 in all of New Jersey. The next on the list was Hilltop School in Mendham Borough, which ranked at number 46.

Looking at some of the numbers, the student population of Mendham Township Elementary School is 454 and the school serves grades PK-4.

At Mendham Township Elementary School, 67 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 72 percent scored at or above that level for reading. The school’s minority student enrollment is 16 percent, and the student-teacher ratio is 12:1, which is worse than that of the district.

In comparison, Hilltop's student population is 249, and the school serves grades PK–4. At Hilltop School, 62 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 72 percent scored at or above that level for reading.

The school’s minority student enrollment is 16 percent, and the student-teacher ratio is 9:1, which is the same as that of the district.

The U.S. News list includes data on more than 79,000 public elementary and middle schools nationwide.

In the analysis, U.S. News looked closely at state assessments of students who were proficient or above-proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while also accounting for student backgrounds, achievement in core subjects, and how well schools are educating their students. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.

LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News, said the state and district-level rankings are intended to give parents a snapshot of their child’s school and how well it’s doing within its community.

“Easily accessible data on student-teacher ratio, district spending, and the number of school counselors available at the school can keep parents informed and involved,” Jones said.

To be included in district-level rankings, at least two of the top-performing schools must rank in the top 75 percent of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for district-level recognition.