The Ridgefield Park Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the Village of Ridgefield Park, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 2,178 students and 180.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1.District information for Ridgefield Park Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "DE", the fifth-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 December 9, 2014.
Students from Little Ferry attend the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Little Ferry Public Schools that has been in place since 1953.About Us, Little Ferry Public Schools. Accessed February 1, 2020. "The Little Ferry School District is a New Jersey Public School District located in Bergen County, New Jersey. Our Prek-8 district serves approximately 950 students in two schools located across the street from each other in the town of Little Ferry, New Jersey.... Little Ferry’s 9–12 students attend Ridgefield Park High School in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey."James, George. "School Districts' Battle On Tuition Goes to Court", The New York Times, December 16, 1989. Accessed August 19, 2013. "School officials in the borough, Little Ferry, which sends 202 students to the 546-student high school, say a partial audit several years ago raised suspicions that Ridgefield Park has overcharged them by hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years.... Little Ferry, a borough of 1.5 square miles and 9,900 people, has sent its high school students to this neighboring 1.92-square mile village of 12,000 people, since 1953."
Awards and recognition Grant School was recognized by the United States Department of Education's National Blue Ribbon Schools Program for the 2009-10 school year, "the most prestigious designation in education". While 49% of students had failed the Elementary School Proficiency Assessment in 2001, by 2010 all of the school's students were deemed proficient by the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK).DeCicco, Robin. "Grant School merits praise", The Record, September 24, 2010. Accessed March 28, 2011. "Grant Elementary School was recently named a Blue Ribbon School, the most prestigious designation in education, by the New Jersey Department of Education, said John Richardson, superintendent of Ridgefield Park School District." The school was one of 10 in New Jersey to be recognized that year.2010 Blue Ribbon Schools: All Public and Private, United States Department of Education. Accessed July 12, 2011.
For the 2005-06 school year, Ridgefield Park High School was one of 22 schools statewide selected as Governor's School of Excellence Winners, an award given to schools that have demonstrated significant academic improvement over the previous two academic years.22 Governor's Schools of Excellence Winners Recognized, New Jersey Department of Education, November 22, 2005. Accessed July 21, 2016.
Schools Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education StatisticsSchool Data for the Ridgefield Park Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.) are:Our Schools, Ridgefield Park Public Schools. Accessed December 2, 2022. "They include Grant School, Lincoln School and Roosevelt School, our three Pre-K - 6 elementary schools, and Ridgefield Park Jr./Sr. High School which contains grades 7-12. Our PK - 8th grade students students come from Ridgefield Park while our high school includes students from both The Village of Ridgefield Park and the borough of Little Ferry."School Performance Reports for the Ridgefield Park Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.New Jersey School Directory for the Ridgefield Park Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024. Elementary schools Grant Elementary SchoolGrant Elementary School, Ridgefield Park Public Schools. Accessed December 2, 2022. with 244 students in grades K-6 Natasha Hernandez, PrincipalPrincipal, Grant Elementary School. Accessed December 2, 2022. Lincoln Elementary SchoolLincoln Elementary School, Ridgefield Park Public Schools. Accessed December 2, 2022. with 374 students in grades PreK-6 Stephen Ferraro, PrincipalPrincipal, Lincoln Elementary School. Accessed December 2, 2022. Roosevelt Elementary SchoolRoosevelt Elementary School, Ridgefield Park Public Schools. Accessed December 2, 2022. with 339 students in grades PreK-6 Jason Cata, PrincipalPrincipal, Roosevelt Elementary School. Accessed December 2, 2022. High school Ridgefield Park High SchoolRidgefield Park High School, Ridgefield Park Public Schools. Accessed December 2, 2022. with 1,189 students in grades 7-12 Melissa M. Cavins, Principal (9-12)High School Principal, Ridgefield Park Public Schools. Accessed December 2, 2022. Dyan Thiemann, Principal (7-8)
Administration Core members of the district's administration are:Central Office, Ridgefield Park Public Schools. Accessed April 17, 2023.New Jersey School Directory for Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024. Angela Bender, superintendent of schools Carrie Grapstein, business administrator and board secretary
Board of education The district's board of education is comprised of nine members who set policy and oversee 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 three seats up for election each year held (since 2012) 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 Ridgefield Park School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed May 10, 2024. "The Ridgefield Park 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 nine elected officials and a representative from Little Ferry Board of Education 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. U" See "Roster of Officials" on page 13. A representative from Little Ferry serves on the board of education.Board of Education, Ridgefield Park Public Schools. Accessed July 21, 2022.
References
External links Ridgefield Park Public Schools
School Data for the Ridgefield Park Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics