The Ridgewood Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from suburban Ridgewood, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Ridgewood Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Ridgewood Public Schools, adopted December 7, 2009. Accessed February 26, 2026. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the Ridgewood School District. Composition: The Ridgewood School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Ridgewood."
As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 10 schools, had an enrollment of 5,613 students and 432.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.0:1.District information for Ridgewood Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
The district had been classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "J", the 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.
Awards, recognition and rankings Benjamin Franklin Middle School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive, during the 1998-99 school year.Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF) , United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.
For the 1993-94 school year, George Washington Middle School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.Star School Award recipient detail, New Jersey Department of Education, Archived December 18, 2006. Accessed November 25, 2009. For the 1995-96 school year, Benjamin Franklin Middle School was named a "Star School".Star School Award recipient detail, New Jersey Department of Education, Archived December 18, 2006. Accessed November 26, 2009.
The district's high school was the 28th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014. The school had been ranked 28th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 20th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 27, 2012.
Schools Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education StatisticsSchool Data for the Ridgewood Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.) are:School Performance Reports for the Ridgewood Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 26, 2026.New Jersey School Directory for the Ridgewood Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
Pre-school Glen SchoolGlen School, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026. with 60 students in PreK and Private Day Care Center Elementary schools Henrietta Hawes Elementary SchoolHenrietta Hawes Elementary School, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026. with 593 students in grades K–5 Shauna Stovell, principalAdministration, Hawes Elementary School. Accessed February 26, 2026. Orchard Elementary SchoolOrchard Elementary School, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026. with 299 students in grades K–5 Mary K. Ferreri, principalAdministration, Orchard Elementary School. Accessed February 26, 2026. Ridge Elementary SchoolRidge Elementary School, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026. with 443 students in grades K–5 Justin Jasper, principalAdministration, Ridge Elementary School. Accessed February 26, 2026. Irwin B. Somerville Elementary SchoolIrwin B. Somerville Elementary School, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026. with 383 students in grades K–5 Lorna Oates-Santos, principalAdministration, Irwin B. Somerville Elementary School. Accessed February 26, 2026. Ira W. Travell Elementary SchoolIra W. Travell Elementary School, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026. with 377 students in grades K–5 Lauren Carr, principalAdministration, Ira W. Travell Elementary School. Accessed February 26, 2026. Willard Elementary SchoolWillard Elementary School, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026. with 461 students in grades K–5 Carolinev Hoffman, principalAdministration, Willard Elementary School. Accessed February 26, 2026. Middle schools Benjamin Franklin Middle SchoolBenjamin Franklin Middle School, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026. with 698 students in grades 6–8 Stacey Wisniewski, principalAdministration, Benjamin Franklin Middle School. Accessed February 26, 2026. George Washington Middle SchoolGeorge Washington Middle School, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026. with 666 students in grades 6–8 David Bailey, principalAdministration, George Washington Middle School. Accessed February 26, 2026. High school Ridgewood High SchoolRidgewood High School, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026. with 1,775 students in grades 9–12 Jeffrey M. Nyhuis, principalAdministration, Ridgewood High School. Accessed February 26, 2026.
Athletics Ridgewood High School's sports teams are nicknamed the Maroons. Ridgewood High School is one of 41 public and private high schools from Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties that are members of the Big North Conference.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
Administration Core members of the school district's administration include:New Jersey School Directory for Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024. Mark Schwarz, superintendentOffice of the Superintendent, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026. Richard Matthews, business administrator and board secretaryBusiness Office, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026.
Superintendent search The Ridgewood Board of Education had been searching for a new superintendent since July 1, 2006, with Paul Arilotta, previously Principal of Travell School, serving as an interim replacement during the year-long search. The Board hired Martin Brooks as superintendent, effective July 1, 2007. However, in mid-June, Brooks declined the invitation for what the board described as personal reasons, though there was community opposition to Brooks' appointment that was said to have made him "feel unwelcome". This has led to the beginning of another search, and another year of the district hiring an interim superintendent, until a permanent replacement is hired and assumes the position.Coutros, Evonne. "Ridgewood's new schools chief quits", The Record, June 13, 2007. Accessed June 18, 2007. "The district's new superintendent has backed out of the job two weeks before he was to begin work, a startling move that the school board blamed on a hostile reception by some residents to his hiring. Martin Brooks, the former superintendent of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District on Long Island, cited "personal reasons" for his withdrawal from the post. But a statement by the board on the district's Web site said he had been made to "feel unwelcome." The New York Times reported that this is the result of a dispute over the district's reform math program.Hu, Winnie. "Battle Over Math in New Jersey Drives Off a New Schools Chief", The New York Times, June 4, 2007. Accessed November 16, 2017. "Parents, some involved in a campaign against the math teaching in the highly regarded Ridgewood, N.J., school district, were to have met the new superintendent at a reception last Monday night.But the reception was abruptly canceled, leaving the school board president to explain that the superintendent, scheduled to begin on July 1 after a nine-month search costing more than $20,000, had backed out, largely because of the escalating math fight. In a statement expressing disappointment, the five-member school board said the recruit, Martin Brooks, had been made to feel unwelcome by 'anonymous phone calls, e-mail messages, blogs and Web postings by some community members' that 'questioned his integrity, ethics and educational philosophy.'"
Daniel Fishbein, a Ridgewood parent and previous superintendent of the Glen Ridge Public Schools, served as superintendent from 2008 to 2020.Stoltz, Marsha A. "Ridgewood begins search for new superintendent of schools", The Record, October 1, 2020. Accessed January 24, 2022. "The Board of Education has decided to accept the retirement resignation of its superintendent and begin a search for an interim superintendent as well as a long-term successor. Daniel Fishbein submitted his resignation Sept. 14 after 12 years with the district.... Fishbein came to the district in 2008 from Glen Ridge in Essex County, where he was superintendent for seven years."
In December 2020, Thomas Gorman, then principal of Ridgewood High school stepped in as interim superintendent. In March 2021, he was formally appointed to the position of superintendent of schools.Stoltz, Marsha A. "Ridgewood names high school Principal Thomas Gorman to superintendent post", The Record, October 4, 2021. Accessed January 24, 2022.
Board of education The district's board of education, is comprised of five elected trustees, currently President Michael Lembo, Vice President HyunJu Kwak, Sheila Brogan, Saurabh Dani, and Cristopher Kaufman. The board 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 one or two seats up for election each year held (since 2021) 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 Village of Ridgewood School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2025. Accessed February 26, 2026. "The Ridgewood 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 five 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." See "Roster of Officials" on page 14.Board of Education, Ridgewood Public Schools. Accessed February 26, 2026.