Princeton Among Top 3 School Districts In NJ, New Ranking Says

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton Public School maintained its high grade in the latest school rankings released this week, according to Niche’s 2024 Best Schools and Districts.

According to the latest ranking, PPS ranked No. 2 in New Jersey just behind Northern Valley Regional High School District.

These rankings and grades, published annually for the past nine years, compare schools and districts across the United States by combining feedback from parents and students with hard data on schools, teachers, and student performance.

Princeton Public Schools, which serves 3,759 students, has an overall "A+" grade from Niche.

Here's how they were graded on various metrics:

• Academics: A+
• Diversity: B+
• Teachers: A+
• College Prep: A+
• Clubs & Activities: A-
• Administration: A-
• Sports: B+
• Food: B-
• Resources & Facilities: C+

The lowest grade it received was in resources and facilities. The Princeton Board of Education recently voted on a resolution to place the $13 million bond referendum on the Nov. 7 ballot.

The funds will go towards improving security, technology and facilities across all six district schools. According to district officials, state aid would pay 31 percent of the debt service for the estimated $12,998,050 project costs only if voters approve the measure.

Funds from the bond referendum will go to four main areas – security, maintenance, technology, wellness and sustainability.

The district also ranked 5th in NJ for having the best teachers.

The average graduation rate in the school district is 94 percent. According to state test scores, 49 percent of students are at least proficient in math and 72 percent in reading, Niche said.

The average teacher's salary in the district is $84,399 and the student-teacher ratio is 11:1.

The rankings 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.

Parents usually use school district ranking information to find affordable homes near good schools, while ensuring they are within reasonable reach of their place of employment.

However, these school rankings have their critics. They have the power to drive segregation, according to Jack Schneider is an associate professor of education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and director of research for the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment.

"Privileged parents compete against each other in the real estate market to buy homes near “good” schools, while lower-rated schools suffer reputational harm and serve increasingly disadvantaged students," Schneider said, writing for WBUR.

"In short, there are very real risks in the rating of K-12 schools. And in light of such risks, we should adopt a very high standard with regard to the methodological quality of such ratings. As the research community would frame it, there needs to be very strong evidence of measurement validity."

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