Original Research by School Decision on Garfield High School
Garfield High School is the sole comprehensive public high school in the City of Garfield, serving ninth through twelfth grades. With an enrollment that places it among the larger high schools in Bergen County for a single-building district, it serves a student body that is majority Hispanic, with a substantial White population and smaller shares of Black and Asian students. About half of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that positions the school above the typical level of economic need seen across districts in Bergen County.
State testing data was not available for this profile, so an assessment of academic proficiency based on those measures is not possible here. Parents interested in specific subject-area performance should look into state-issued school performance reports directly from the New Jersey Department of Education. Similarly, the school’s graduation rate was not available in the data provided. This missing information represents a meaningful gap for any family evaluating this high school; the school or district should be able to supply current figures.
What is clear from the data is the demographic character of the student body. The school is majority Hispanic, and the share of students from low-income households is substantial. Without student support metrics such as special education or English learner counts, which were also absent from the data, a parent would want to ask the school directly about the resources and programs available for students who need additional academic or language support.
Garfield itself is a densely populated, mixed-use city in Bergen County with a working-class industrial heritage. It sits at the junction of the Passaic and Saddle Rivers and is a compact city of about two square miles with a grid street pattern. The city has a relatively young median age, the lowest in Bergen County according to publicly reported figures, and has seen population growth over the past decade. Its economy historically relied on a single large paper mill that closed years ago; today employment is dispersed among small businesses, light industry, and retail along commercial corridors like Passaic Avenue. Civic life is spread across neighborhood institutions rather than a single downtown: the city has a library, recreation center, YMCA, and numerous places of worship. Dahnert's Lake County Park sits at the city’s center. Transit connections include NJ Transit buses, and the city is a short distance from Route 21 and major regional roads.
Housing in Garfield is priced in a range that, for Bergen County, falls below the countywide median listing price. Rents have been rising at a pace that significantly outpaces local income growth. For a family comparing this area to other Bergen County communities, Garfield offers a more affordable entry point into the county’s housing market, but the combination of rising rents and moderate median incomes suggests affordability pressures for renters.
The district, Garfield Public School District, operates several elementary and middle schools feeding into this high school. In one notable recent recognition, Washington Irving School #4, an elementary school in the district, was named a National Blue Ribbon School. That designation indicates a sustained track record of academic quality at that school, which may be a factor for families deciding which neighborhood elementary attendance zone to prioritize.
For a family considering Garfield High School, the missing state testing and graduation data are the primary obstacles to a full academic picture. The student body is economically diverse and majority Hispanic, and the school serves a city that is dense, walkable, and more affordable than many of its Bergen County neighbors but that lacks a large single employer or a clear downtown core. A parent should follow up with the school or district to get current data on academic outcomes and student support programs before making a decision based on this high school alone.
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