Northern New Jersey Shines: More Than a Quarter of NJ’s Elite Elementary Schools are in Bergen County
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Glen Rock NJ, Bergen County has cemented its reputation as a powerhouse for education, with an astonishing 13 public elementary schools cracking the top 50 in the highly anticipated U.S. News and World Report’s 2026 rankings. This means over 25% of New Jersey’s top-tier elementary schools are located right here in Bergen County!
The rankings, which assessed nearly 47,000 public elementary schools nationwide, provide a valuable look at student performance across the state. The methodology focuses heavily on math and reading proficiency scores from the U.S. Department of Education data, while also factoring in student-teacher ratios to break ties.
Bergen County Schools in the Top 50 of New Jersey
Multiple districts celebrated a strong showing, highlighting regional excellence. Glen Rock and Ridgewood both had multiple schools secure spots in the top 50, showcasing the high quality of education across these districts.
| Rank (NJ) | School Name | District | Town |
| 8 | Alexander Hamilton School | Glen Rock Public School District | Glen Rock |
| 20 | Orchard Elementary School | Ridgewood Public School District | Ridgewood |
| 24 | Brookside School | Allendale Public School District | Allendale |
| 27 | Hillside Elementary School | Allendale Public School District | Allendale |
| 30 | Willard Elementary School | Ridgewood Public School District | Ridgewood |
| 31 | Upper School | Englewood Cliffs Public School District | Englewood Cliffs |
| 32 | Somerville Elementary School | Ridgewood Public School District | Ridgewood |
| 33 | Cherry Hill School | River Edge Public School District | River Edge |
| 37 | Walter Stillman School | Tenafly Public School District | Tenafly |
| 41 | Betsy Ross Elementary | Mahwah Public School District | Mahwah |
| 42 | Richard E. Byrd School | Glen Rock Public School District | Glen Rock |
| 44 | Ralph S. Maugham School | Tenafly Public School District | Tenafly |
| 49 | Haworth Public School | Haworth Public School District | Haworth |
The Best of the Best in New Jersey (Top 10)
While Bergen County boasted a fantastic showing, here’s a look at the schools that achieved the top 10 rankings across the entire state:
- School 28 (Paterson Public School District)
- Cornelia F. Bradford School (Jersey City Public Schools)
- Princeton Charter School
- Washington Elementary School (Westfield Public School District)
- Forrestdale School (Rumson Borough School District)
- Wyoming School (Millburn Township School District)
- Deerfield School (Millburn Township School District)
- Alexander Hamilton School (Glen Rock Public School District)
- Sara M. Gilmore Academy (Union City School District)
- Wildwood Elementary School (Mountain Lakes Public School District)
A Strong Showing Just Outside the Top 50
The excellence in Bergen County continued just outside the top 50, with several schools landing in the top 60, including Edith A. Bogert Elementary (Upper Saddle River), School 1 (Fort Lee), Malcolm S. McKay School (Tenafly), and Ridge Elementary School (Ridgewood). Even more Bergen County schools were recognized in the top 100, underscoring the regional commitment to high academic standards.
Congratulations to all the students, teachers, administrators, and parents who contributed to these outstanding results!
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Yawn. My kids went to Willard. And we moved here from another state so i’ve seen both sides. This is a wealth bias. Willard is average.
typical reply from a new arrival
perhaps your kids are just ‘average’
schools can’t fix a deficient gene pool
Vote for jack , Mikey Sherrill will turn boys into girls and girls into boys. She make millions more from defense stocks. she won’t declare a state of emergency on shit. She’s got nothing in the bag. Just a typical nj democrat sellout working for the international banking cartel zionists in Philadelphia lol
Willard used to be good. Current principal has brought it down to average by hiring friends as teachers.
That’s the direction of the district- bring “equity” to the schools . Equity across district for equity purposes across the state.