Moorestown Schools Rank Among NJ's Best In New List

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown has one of the best school districts in the state, according to Niche's 2025 Best Schools and Districts rankings, released Monday.

The rankings place Moorestown Township Public Schools in 11th among New Jersey's school districts. The district received an overall grade of A-plus from Niche, a web platform that evaluates and compares schools and communities across the nation.

Niche also graded Moorestown on 11 different categories, giving the district an A-plus in terms of academics, teachers and college prep. The district's lowest grade was a C-plus for resources and facilities.

Despite high academic achievement, school officials and community members have long expressed concerns over large class sizes and aging infrastructure in the district's schools. Administrators have proposed a bond referendum, which could take place in March, to help mitigate these issues.

The district held a bond referendum in 2019, which 60 percent of voters rejected. District officials say community feedback has been vital to helping ensure a different result this time around.

The school board recently sent the New Jersey Department of Education a list of proposed projects tied to the referendum. The amount of state aid obtained will help determine the local burden on taxpayers if the referendum moves forward and passes.

Here's how Niche graded the Moorestown district:

• academics: A+
• teachers: A+
• clubs and activities: B+
• sports: A
• resources and facilities: C+
• diversity: B
• college prep: A+
• administration: A-
• food: A-

Niche said its rankings were created to provide families with valuable information — both quantitative and qualitative — on schools in their area or in a neighborhood they're not familiar with yet.

The rankings combine user input — ratings from current students, alumni and parents — with data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education.

"Choosing the right school for our children can have a real ripple effect on their lives — from career path and earning potential to how they'll contribute to society," said Niche CEO Luke Skurman. "Our annual K-12 rankings empower families to make informed decisions and help lay a strong foundation for their children's futures."

However, "best schools" rankings have their critics. James Fallows, a former U.S. News editor, even called them "meaningless" in a 2021 interview with NPR.

"The reason they (U.S. News) started doing it back in the early 1980s under the guidance of a man named Mel Elfin, was because it was a brilliant business strategy," Fallows said. "By appealing to the human desire for rankings and knowing where you stand and where somebody else stands, they were able to make a very strong part of their business, which is now basically the only part of their business."