Glenwood School in Short Hills placed No. 3 among New Jersey public elementary schools in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 rankings, released Oct. 20.
The Millburn district school followed School 28 in Paterson and Milton Avenue School in Chatham, according to NJ Family’s account of the rankings.
Two other Millburn schools made the state’s top 25: South Mountain at No. 17 and Wyoming at No. 23. In neighboring Livingston, Harrison Elementary ranked No. 7 and Mount Pleasant Elementary placed No. 21.
How U.S. News evaluates schools
U.S. News said it ranked about 46,000 public elementary schools for this edition. The rankings compare schools within states and districts; they do not provide a national elementary-school ranking.
The publisher updated its methodology for 2027 to incorporate more detailed assessment information collected from state education agencies by RTI International, alongside U.S. Department of Education data. It considers achievement across reported proficiency levels, rather than only the share of students meeting a proficiency threshold, and evaluates performance in the context of student demographics. Student-teacher ratios break ties.
The methodology change also means a change in rank should not automatically be read as an equivalent change in academic performance. These rankings are separate from Niche ratings and state school report cards.
Photo: Jim.henderson / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 public-domain dedication. Photograph taken May 16, 2010.
