List of school districts in New Jersey

See also: List of high schools in New Jersey and List of charter schools in New Jersey

The following list of school districts in New Jersey distinguishes between regional, consolidated and countywide districts and those serving single municipalities. Districts are grouped by county.

Most New Jersey school districts are Type 2 school districts, counted as independent governmental agencies by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Type 1 school districts, which include school districts dependent on municipal governments, are not counted as independent governments by the Census Bureau. New Jersey also has several county vocational school districts and special services school districts, as well as three state-operated school districts, also not counted by the Census Bureau as independent governments.[1]

In 2022, due to New Jersey law allowing for hyperlocal governance of education, the state had over 600 school districts, a high number in comparison to states which have county-based school districts. In 2022 the state passed a law encouraging merging of school districts.[2]

There are some non-operating school districts, which are those districts that never operated any school facilities and where all students have attended school in other districts as part of sending/receiving relationships.[3] 13 of those districts were abolished in 2009.[4] Other districts remained in place after political resistance, based on a desire to avoid increased taxation. The state government instead allowed tax rates in the remaining districts to increase.[3] As of 2019 16 non-operating districts remain in existence.[5]

  1. ^ "New Jersey" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. pp. 1–2. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  2. ^ "Should some N.J. school districts merge? The state is offering money to find out". NJ.com. January 23, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Greenblatt, Alan (March 24, 2010). "New Jersey's 'Non-Operating' School Districts". Governing. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  4. ^ "13 Non-Operating School Districts Eliminated" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Education. July 1, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  5. ^ "Non-operating School Districts in New Jersey for 2018-19" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Education. July 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2024.