13 Bergen County Elementary Schools Make Top 50 In U.S. News Ranking

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Thirteen public elementary schools in Bergen County made the top 50 in New Jersey in U.S. News and World Report's 2026 rankings, released this week.

[How Many People In Bergen County Get SNAP Food Benefits, And Where Can You Get Food Locally? Find Out]

That means that more than a quarter of the top 50 schools are located in the county.

The publication said their rankings are based on data from the U.S. Department of Education, including math and reading scores.

The schools that made the top 10 in New Jersey overall are:

1. School 28 (Paterson Public School District)
2. Cornelia F. Bradford School (Jersey City Public Schools)
3. Princeton Charter School
4. Washington Elementary School (Westfield Public School District)
5. Forrestdale School (Rumson Borough School District)
6. Wyoming School (Millburn Township School District)
7. Deerfield School (Millburn Township School District)
8. Alexander Hamilton School (Glen Rock Public School District)
9. Sara M. Gilmore Academy (Union City School District)
10. Wildwood Elementary School (Mountain Lakes Public School District)

In Bergen County, these schools appeared in the top 50, with their rankings:

• Alexander Hamilton School, Glen Rock Public School District, 8
• Orchard Elementary School, Ridgewood Public School District, 20
• Brookside School, Allendale Public School District, 24
• Hillside Elementary School, Allendale, 27
• Willard Elementary School, Ridgewood, 30
• Upper School, Englewood Cliffs, 31
• Somerville Elementary School, Ridgewood, 32
• Cherry Hill School, River Edge, 33
• Walter Stillman School, Tenafly, 37
• Betsy Ross Elementary, Mahwah, 41
• Richard E. Byrd School, Glen Rock, 42
• Ralph S. Maugham School, Tenafly, 44
• Haworth Public School, Haworth, 49

Just Missed

Schools that just missed the top 50, but were in the top 60, included Edith A. Bogert Elementary in Upper Saddle River, School 1 in Fort Lee, Malcolm S. McKay School in Tenafly, and Ridge Elementary School in Ridgewood.

Several more Bergen County schools appeared in the top 100.

U.S. News is only one organization that ranks schools, and each has a different methodology.

The assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while accounting for student background and achievement in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties.

The report includes about 47,000 public elementary schools.

[How Many People In Bergen County Get SNAP Food Benefits, And Where Can You Get Food Locally? Find Out]

See the rest of the New Jersey list here.

Read more about the statewide rankings here.

Patch Editor Sara Winnick contributed to this report.