West Ridge Elementary School, Park Ridge NJ

Original Research by School Decision on West Ridge Elementary School

West Ridge Elementary School serves the children of Park Ridge from preschool through sixth grade. It is one of three schools in the Park Ridge School District, sitting alongside East Brook Elementary and Park Ridge High School, which serves grades seven through twelve. Park Ridge is a predominantly residential borough of a modest size in the Pascack Valley region of Bergen County. It has an affluent character and a population that has been growing. The community is built around single-family homes and a walkable node near the train station, which provides rail service to Hoboken and connections into New York City. The departure of major corporate tenants like Hertz and Sony in recent years has shifted the local economic texture, but the borough remains primarily a bedroom community where the school district and municipal government are among the key employers.

The school itself is a regular public school with a small enrollment, a size that is typical for an elementary building in a borough of this scale. Its student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population and an Asian population each making up a notable share, and a very small number of Black students and students identifying as two or more races. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that reflects the borough’s high median household income.

On the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, the school’s performance is strong. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above rises across the grade levels, reaching a high point in sixth grade. In mathematics, proficiency rates are solid across grades three through six, with fifth grade standing out as the strongest. Scores in math are consistent with a school where most students are meeting state benchmarks. In science, which is tested in fifth grade, the proficiency rate is lower than in math and English language arts. A parent considering this school will want to understand that science results are a softer spot, though the school’s overall pattern across subjects shows a student body that is performing well relative to state expectations. When compared with other districts in Bergen County, West Ridge’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile. That is a strong position.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism was not available. Information on special education identification rates and English learner populations was also missing from the data provided. A parent interested in support structures for students with individualized education plans or for English learners may want to follow up with the school directly. There were no public records of recent district-level changes such as referendums, budget shifts, or curriculum updates that would affect a family’s decision. The district appears stable, with no major parent-relevant developments flagged in the available search results.

For a family considering Park Ridge, West Ridge is the elementary school for a community that values a small-town suburban setting with strong academic performance and a commuter-friendly train connection to the city. The borough’s housing market is expensive, consistent with the well-resourced character of the district. The school itself sits within the residential fabric rather than on a separate campus. Parents should expect a student body where economic diversity is limited and where the academic profile is consistently high across most grade levels and subjects.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 380%

School 80% · District 76% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 62% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 582%

School 82% · District 75% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 674%

School 74% · District 70% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 69% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 19 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 76% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 584%

School 84% · District 85% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 686%

School 86% · District 84% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 51% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

This schoolPark Ridge School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.