The Bridgewater–Raritan Regional School District is a regional public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the municipalities of Bridgewater Township and Raritan Borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District 2014-15 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed January 23, 2020. "The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District is a suburban school district located in Somerset County. We serve students from the Township of Bridgewater and the Borough of Raritan. The district is comprised of eleven schools and 3 ancillary buildings, with 1200 staff members serving 9000 students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12." All of the school facilities are in Bridgewater, except for John F. Kennedy School, which is located in Raritan.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Bridgewater, N.J.; Where the Downtown Is a Shopping Mall ", The New York Times, December 29, 2002. Accessed October 5, 2014. "Among the newer residents, Mr. Cirianni said that he and his wife, Rita, were drawn by the 8,550 Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, which the township shares with the 6,000-resident borough to its south."
As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 11 schools, had an enrollment of 8,254 students and 754.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.9:1.District information for Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022. One of the largest suburban districts statewide, the district is the largest in Somerset County.About Us, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 26, 2022. "The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District is the largest district in Somerset County and one of the largest suburban school districts in the State. We have approximately 8,800 students attending seven primary (K-4) schools, two intermediate (5-6) schools, one middle school, and one high school."
History Bridgewater-Raritan High School was opened in September 1959, with students in ninth and tenth grades; those students moving into eleventh and twelfth grades remained at Somerville High School. Increasing enrollments in the early 1960s led to the construction of a second high school in 1966, which was named Bridgewater-Raritan High School East (the Minutemen), while the original high school was renamed Bridgewater-Raritan High School West (the Golden Falcons).Strauss, Robert A. Referendum, p. 21 ff. Accessed March 11, 2026. "Finally, finally, that day came in the beginning of September 1959. The doors of our not-yet-completed high had opened for business.... By 1966, the Bridgewater-Raritan High School was now overflowing, and the school district had to add another high school to its roster.... The original high school now was called High School West, and the new school was High School East." Declining enrollment led to their consolidation into a single high school during the 1990s. The former High School West was expanded and updated over a period of several years, during which all of the district's high school students attended what had been High School East. The former High School West reopened in 1992 as the new consolidated Bridgewater-Raritan High School, while the High School East became the district's middle school.Knego, Lauren. "Bridgewater-Raritan High School announces inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame class", Courier News, February 7, 2020. Accessed March 11, 2026. "Opened in 1959, Bridgewater-Raritan High School experienced an enrollment increase in the early 1960s, which led to the 1966 construction of Bridgewater-Raritan High School East, and the resultant redesignation of the original high school as Bridgewater-Raritan High School West. In 1994, all the district's high school students began attending what had been High School West, when the former High School East became the middle school."
The district had been classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "I", the second-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.District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 1, 2024.
In February 2026, the school board announced that it had rejected the possibility of a merger with another district, though the prospective partner was not specified.
Awards and recognition During the 1999–2000 school year, Bridgewater–Raritan High School received the National Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed June 27, 2013.
For the 1997-98 school year, Bridgewater–Raritan High School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.Bridgewater-Raritan High School 1997-98 entry in the Star School database, New Jersey Department of Education, backed up by the Internet Archive as of December 18, 2006. Accessed June 27, 2013.
BRHS is one of three high schools in the state to have received both awards.2015-2016 School Profile, Bridgewater-Raritan High School. Accessed November 8, 2016.
Bridgewater Middle school students qualified to participate in NJ State and National Mathcounts for 2012 and 2013.
Bridgewater Middle School students placed first in the National Science Bowl 2013 New Jersey regional competition held at Princeton Plasma Lab; Science Bowl is a science competition sponsored by United States Department of Energy, involving general, physical, life, earth and mathematics.O'Brien, Walter. "Bridgewater-Raritan places first in N.J. Science Bowl, heads to nationals", NJ.com, February 26, 2013. Accessed November 8, 2016. "A team of five middle school students who took first place in the state Science Bowl competition will now head to the national competition in the nation's capital. Rob Ambrose, an eighth-grade earth science teacher at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School, has been working with a team of students who Friday beat 15 other teams to take first place in the New Jersey Regional Science Bowl at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in Princeton."
The Bridgewater Middle School Academic team won the A.T.O.M.S tournament for six of eight years, in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 20152015 A.T.O.M.S Finals , Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association. "On Thursday, April 16, 2015 the final round of A.T.O.M.S was held between Crossroads Middle School and Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School. After three rounds of play, Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School was named the champion." and 2017.
In 2015, BRMS swept all of the 30+ schools during the Music in the Parks Festival and came in first in Jazz band, wind ensemble, orchestra, and girls choir.Blumberg, Audrey. "BRMS Students Score Big at Music in Parks", TAPintotheBreeze, July 15, 2015. Accessed October 7, 2015. "The wind ensemble earned 95.30 points for the Overall Concert Band Award; the jazz ensemble earned 94.00 points for the Overall Jazz Band Award; the studio orchestra earned 97.30 points; and the select women's choir earned 95.50 points for the Overall Choir Award."
In 2013, the BRHS marching band placed the highest of any New Jersey marching band at the Bands of America national championships, and the second New Jersey band to make it to semi-finals.Staff. "Bridgewater-Raritan band places highest in history at Band of America Grand Nationals", The Messenger-Gazette, January 4, 2013. Accessed July 11, 2016. "The Bridgewater-Raritan High School marching band was recognized by the board of education Tuesday for placing higher than any other New Jersey bands in history at the recent Band of America Grand Nationals in Indianapolis."
Schools Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education StatisticsSchool Data for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.) are:Public Schools Directory 2025–2026, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed March 12, 2024.School Performance Reports for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 11, 2026.New Jersey School Directory for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
Primary schools Adamsville Primary SchoolAdamsville Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022. (532 students; in grades PreK–4) James Singagliese, principal Bradley Gardens Primary SchoolBradley Gardens Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022. (263; PreK–4) Barbara A. Binford, principal Crim Primary SchoolCrim Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022. (342; K–4) Kelliann Ten Kate, principal Hamilton Primary SchoolHamilton Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022. (477; K–4) Timothy Beaumont, principal John F. Kennedy Primary SchoolJohn F. Kennedy Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022. (427; K–4) Aldo Russo, principal Milltown Primary SchoolMilltown Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022. (402; PreK–4) Matthew J. Lembo, principal Van Holten Primary SchoolVan Holten Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022. (334; K–4) George Rauh, principal Intermediate and middle schools Eisenhower Intermediate SchoolEisenhower Intermediate School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022. (704; 5–6) Laura Bassett, principal Hillside Intermediate SchoolHillside Intermediate School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022. (574; 5–6) Tali Axelrod, principal Bridgewater–Raritan Middle SchoolBridgewater-Raritan Middle School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022. (1,384; 7–8) Megan Corliss, principal High school Bridgewater-Raritan High SchoolBridgewater-Raritan High School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022. (2,745; 9–12) Daniel Hemberger, principal
Former and converted schools From 1966 until 1991, the Bridgewater–Raritan district had two high schools, known as "East" and "West." The current unified high school is on the "West" site, and the former "East" building is now the Middle School.
Schools that have been closed since the 1970s include: Finderne School (closed 1983; now the Peoplecare Center for non-profit community services) Green Knoll School (closed 1976; now part of the Bridgewater Township Municipal Building complex) Martinsville School (closed 1978; now occupied by private offices) Valley School (closed 1984; now the Harmon V. Wade Administration Building, school district headquarters) Washington Middle School in Raritan (closed 1979; converted to Somerset County offices)
Adamsville School, now an elementary school, was a middle school until 1983. Eisenhower and Hillside Schools, now intermediate schools, were both middle schools until 1995.
District governance
Administration Core members of the district's administration are:Central Office Directory, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed March 11, 2026.New Jersey School Directory for Somerset County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024. Robert Beers, superintendent Kevin Lomski, business administrator and board secretary