Good News About NJ Public Schools
New Jersey’s public schools continue to be among the best in the nation in almost every indicator, from PreK through college and career readiness. New Jersey invests in great public schools, and that investment continues to pay off.
US News and World Report rates New Jersey as one of the top 2 states in PreK-12 education
According to US News and World Report, New Jersey has been named the best in the nation for education. New Jersey won this distinction by placing in the top 5 in every preK-12 category and winning the top spot for the SAT/ACT passing rate and preschool enrollment.
According to the Anne E. Casey Foundation, New Jersey is the 2nd best state for education in their 2024 rankings [Anne E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count Data Book, 2024, pg. 27]
In their state-by-state ranking for education, New Jersey ranks 2nd in 2024.
According to a study published by Teach Simple in February of 2024, an educational resource site, New Jersey has the 2nd best school system in the nation. [My Central Jersey, 2/15/24]
“New data reveals New Jersey has the second-best school system in the country.
According to Teach Simple, an educational resource site, New Jersey is second only to Massachusetts when it comes to academics and other important scholastic details, such as strong student-to-teacher ratios to high ACT scores.”
Pre-School
New Jersey ranks among the best in the nation in preschool enrollment.
According to the Opportunity Index published by the Forum for Youth Investment and Child Trends, New Jersey ranks 4th in the country in 2023 for preschool enrollment. [Opportunity Index, State Rankings, Pre-school Enrollment]
Math
According to the US Department Education’s Nation’s Report Card, New Jersey is a top ten state for 4th grade mathematics
In 2024, New Jersey was the 10th highest rated state in 4th Grade Math Scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests, with an average score 7 points higher than the national average. [Nation’s Report Card, 2024, 4th Grade Math]
According to the US Department Education’s Nation’s Report Card, New Jersey is a top five state for 8th grade mathematics
In 2024, New Jersey was the 5th highest rated state in 8th Grade Math Scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests, with an average score 10 points higher than the national average. [Nation’s Report Card, 2024, 8th Grade Math]
Reading
According to the US Department Education’s Nation’s Report Card, New Jersey is a top two state for 8th grade reading
In 2024, New Jersey was the 2nd highest rated state in 8th Grade Reading Scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests, with an average score 10 points higher than the national average. [Nation’s Report Card, 2024, 8th Grade Reading]
According to the US Department Education’s Nation’s Report Card, New Jersey is a top five state for 4th grade reading.
In 2024, New Jersey was the 3rd highest rated state in 4th Grade Reading Scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests, with an average score 8 points higher than the national average. [Nation’s Report Card, 2024, 4th Grade Reading]
Graduation Rates
According to the New Jersey Department of Health, New Jersey’s high school graduation rate in 2023 was 90.7%, which is higher than the national average, and among the highest in the nation. [New Jersey State Health Assessment Data, 2010-2023]
New Jersey has the lowest dropout rate in the nation. [Scholaroo, 2023 State Education Ratings, Best-To-Worst]
In fact, according to data from the State of New Jersey and the National Center for Education Statistics, New Jersey’s dropout rate is around 1%, which is 80% less than the national dropout rate of around 5%. [whyy.org, 1/24/23]
College Readiness
According to data from the College Board, the number of students taking Advanced Placement exams in New Jersey have increased by more than two-thirds since 2014
According to the data from the College Board, the number of students taking AP exams in New Jersey have increased from 99,601 in 2014 to 167,570 in 2024, an increase of 68.2% [College Board, AP Performance Data]
New Jersey ranks 3rd among all 50 states and the District of Columbia in college readiness.
According to the US News and World Report, New Jersey ranks 3rd in college readiness. [US News and World Report, Best States - College Readiness]
Educational Opportunity
New Jersey is the 4th best state for educational opportunity, according to the Opportunity Index
According to the Opportunity Index published by the Forum for Youth Investment and Child Trends, New Jersey ranks 4th in the country in 2023 for educational opportunity. [Opportunity Index, State Rankings, Overall Education Score]
New Jersey has 11 National Blue Ribbon Schools in 2023-24
New Jersey has 11 schools recognized by the US Department of Education as National Blue Ribbon schools. [https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners]