Ridgewood HS Ranked Among Nation's Top 200 Public Schools, Report Says

Ridgewood High School was selected as the 188th best public high school in the country and 11th best in New Jersey, according to rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News and World Report.

Students at the East Ridgewood Avenue school tested 62 percent better than New Jersey peers on AP tests, and had proficiency ratings of 95 and 96 on mathematics and language, respectively.

As one might expect, Ridgewood High School Principal Tom Gorman was pleased to hear the news.

"This ranking is a direct result of the hard work and dedication put forth on a daily basis by the students and teachers," he said. "It is always nice to be recognized in such a positive light."

Superintendent Dan Fishbein said the accolades are great, but they only provide a glimpse as to what takes place at the high school. 

"While it is always nice to be recognized by outside publications and organizations, I always keep in mind that the important work takes every place in our classrooms where are teachers and staff work with our students," he said.

"This work sometimes has an outcome of accolades and that is nice. All the accolades in the world do not take the place of dedicated teachers, administrators and support staff, a committed R[idgewood] BOE and a very supportive community."

The only "traditional" public schools to best Ridgewood was West Windsor-Plainsboro, which ranked at #8 in New Jersey and #161 in the country.

The majority of the highest ranked public high schools were vocational schools that require admissions tests for entrance, like Bergen Academies and Bergen Tech.

Glen Rock was not ranked by U.S. News and World Report.