Here's How Morristown K-8 Schools Rank: U.S. News

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Morristown's elementary schoolers do better than the middle schoolers, according to the latest 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.

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.

Here are the individual school rankings, out of 2,294 elementary schools and 1,385 middle schools.

• Normandy Park School: 261
• Thomas Jefferson School: 291
• Frelinghuysen Middle School: 304
• Sussex Avenue School: 356
• Alexander Hamilton: 488
• Alfred Vail School: Unranked
• Hillcrest School: Unranked
• Woodland School: Unranked

The Morris School District contains 10 schools and 5,512 students. The student body at the schools served by Morris School District is 43.8 percent White, 6.7 percent Black, 3.4 percent Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander, 43.3 percent Hispanic/Latino and 2.6 percent of students are two or more races.

In Morris School District, 50 percent of elementary students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 30 percent tested at or above that level for math. Also, 53 percent of middle school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 18 percent tested at or above that level for math.

The Morris School District spends $21,656 per student each year. It has an annual revenue of $135,710, according to U.S. News & World Report. Overall, the district spends $12,103.6 million on instruction, $9,103.2 million on support services and $528.2 million on other expenses.