12 Bergen County Middle Schools Topped U.S. News List For NJ

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Twelve 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.

That means that nearly a quarter of the top-ranked schools in New Jersey are located in the county.

Various organizations and media outlets rank schools, and each has its own methodology. U.S. News said their rankings are based on data from the U.S. Department of Education, including math and reading scores.

The publication ranked 23,000 public middle schools (including charter schools) across the country.

The schools that made the top five in New Jersey were:

1. Infinity Institute (Jersey City Public Schools)
2. School 28 (Paterson Public School District)
3. Upper School (Englewood Cliffs School District)
4. Princeton Charter School
5. Mendham Township Middle School (Mendham Township School District)

Besides Upper School in Englewood Cliffs, these Bergen County schools also made the top 50:

• Ho-Ho-Kus Public Middle School (Ho-Ho-Kus School District, ranked 6)
• Brookside School (Allendale Public School District, ranked 9)
• Tenafly Middle School (Tenafly Public School District, ranked 18)
• Emil A. Cavallini Middle School (Upper Saddle River School District, 20)
• Haworth Public School (Haworth Public School District, 21)
• Demarest Middle School (Demarest School District, 22)
• Tenakill Middle School (Closter Public School District, 23)
• Woodcliff Middle School (Woodcliff Lake Public School District, 26)
• Charles DeWolf Middle School (Old Tappan Public Schools, 39)
• Glen Rock Middle School (Glen Rock Public Schools, 41)
• Harrington Park School (Harrington Park Public Schools, 43)

Just Missed

Several other schools appeared in the top 60, including River Dell Middle School in River Edge, 51, Glen Ridge High School (which includes seventh and eighth grades) at 52, and Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Fair Lawn, 53.

Read more about the rankings and top schools here: These Are The Best Middle Schools In NJ: U.S. News Ranking

To see the full rankings from U.S. News & World Report, you can click here.

READ MORE: 13 Bergen County Elementary Schools Top U.S. News List

Patch Editor Sara Winnick contributed to this report.