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.[1]
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.[3]
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.[8]
Core members of the district's administration are:[21][22]
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.[23][24] A representative from Little Ferry serves on the board of education.[25]
^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."
^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."
^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."
^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.
^Board of Education, Ridgefield Park Public Schools. Accessed July 21, 2022.