The Riverdale School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Riverdale, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Riverdale Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Riverdale School District. Accessed August 3, 2026. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through Eight in the Riverdale School District. Composition: The Riverdale School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Riverdale."School Performance Reports for the Riverdale School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed August 1, 2026.New Jersey School Directory for the Riverdale School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 274 students and 32.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.6:1.District information for Riverdale School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Pompton Lakes High School in Pompton Lakes, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Pompton Lakes School District.Welcome, Pompton Lakes School District. Accessed August 3, 2026. "The Pompton Lakes schools serve over 1700 students in grades K-12. We have two elementary schools, a middle and a high school. Pompton Lakes enjoys a sending-receiving relationship with the borough of Riverdale; these students attend Pompton Lakes High School." As of the 2024–25 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 610 students and 52.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7:1.School data for Pompton Lakes High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
History With the planned opening of Kinnelon High School, the Riverdale School District obtained state approval in August 1960 to shift its students out of Butler High School to attend school in Kinnelon for grades 7-12."Board Seeks State Okay To Transfer HS Pupils", The News, August 30, 1960. Accessed August 5, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "The Board of Education by unanimous vote has asked the N.J. Commissioner of Education, Dr. Franklin Raubinger for permission to transfer its high school students from Butler to Kinnelon, in 1962.... At a special meeting last week. the Kinnelon Board of Education approved Riverdale's request leading to sending-receiving arrangement between the two boards which would Include grade seven to 12."
Riverdale began their efforts to end their sending/receiving relationship with the Kinnelon Public Schools as early as 1975,"Residents favor Riverdale plan to shift students", The Star-Ledger, November 11, 1975. Accessed August 5, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "The Riverdale Board of Education last night announced that residents answering questionnaires on a plan to send pupils in grades seven through 12 to Pompton Lakes rather than Kinnelon are reacting affirmatively to the proposal." and formally ended it in 1991, when they started sending their high school students to Pompton Lakes High School for financial reasons and proximity.Branch, Linda. "School Districts Review Sender-Receiver Pacts", The Star-Ledger, December 13, 1995. Accessed August 5, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "Prior to 1991, Riverdale had a sender-receiver relationship with Kinnelon that was broken primarily for financial reasons."Branch, Linda. "Riverdale Reconsiders High School Sender-Pact", The Star-Ledger, June 11, 1995. Accessed August 5, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "The return of Riverdale's high school students to Kinnelon High School could be a possibility if a sender-receiver contract between Riverdale and Pompton Lakes is not renewed, according to officials. 'It's a business negotiation, and it makes good sense to identify all your options,' said Riverdale Superintendent Irene Benfatti, whose district has 114 students attending Pompton Lakes High School.... The K-8 school district pays Pompton Lakes approximately $3,000 per student to send its students on to Pompton Lakes High School. When Riverdale left the Kinnelon fold, officials were paying that district $12,500 per pupil.... Approximately 19 percent of the 560 students at Pompton Lakes high are Riverdale students.""Riverdale Students to Go to Pompton Lakes High", The Star-Ledger, June 29, 1988, p. 13. Accessed August 5, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "In noting reasons some of the reasons it is seeking a sending-receiving student contract with Pompton Lakes, Board President John Lucente cited the closer proximity of Pompton Lakes High and what Riverdale felt were 'excessive' rates being charged by Kinnelon. The distance between Riverdale and Kinnelon High is seven miles compared to two miles from Riverdale to Pompton Lakes High."
The district had been classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth-highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 9, 2014.
School Riverdale Public School had an enrollment of 273 students in grades PreK–8 as of the 2024–25 school year.School Data for the Riverdale Public School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2026. Mark Sernatinger, principalPrincipal's Message, Riverdale Public School. Accessed August 3, 2026.
Administration Core members of the district's administration are:Administration, Riverdale Public School. Accessed August 3, 2026.New Jersey School Directory for Morris County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024. Jayson Gutierrez, superintendent of schoolsSuperintendent's Office, Riverdale Public School. Accessed August 3, 2026. Scott Bisig, business administrator and board secretaryBusiness Office, Riverdale Public School. Accessed August 3, 2026.
Board of education The district's board of education, comprised of seven members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats up for election each year held (since 2017) as part of the November general election. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.New Jersey Boards of Education by District Election Types - 2018 School Election, New Jersey Department of Education, updated February 16, 2018. Accessed January 26, 2020.Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Riverdale School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2025. Accessed August 3, 2026. "The Riverdale Board of Education (the 'Board' or the 'District') is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an education institution. The Board consists of seven elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District. A Superintendent of Schools is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District. A School Business Administrator/Board Secretary is also appointed by the Board and oversees the business functions of the District. Under existing statutes, the Board's duties and powers include, but are not limited to, the development and adoption of a school program; the establishment, organization and operation of schools; and the acquisition, maintenance and disposition of school property. The Board currently operates a Pre-Kindergarten through grade eight (8) school district." See "Roster of Officials" on page 14.Board of Education, Riverdale School District. Accessed August 3, 2026.
References
External links Riverdale Public School
School Data for the Riverdale School District, National Center for Education Statistics