As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 115 students and 16.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.0:1.[1] In the 2016–17 school year, Saddle River was tied for the 28th-smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 150 students.[5]
The district was classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "J", the-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.[6]
Public school students from Saddle River attend the Ramsey Public School District's middle school and then have the option of attending either Ramsey High School or Northern Highlands Regional High School as part of sending/receiving relationships with each of the respective districts.[7][8][9][10][11][12] As of the 2018–19 school year, Northern Highlands High School had an enrollment of 1,377 students and 110.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1.[13] while Ramsey High School had an enrollment of 870 students and 80.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1.[14] One of under ten districts with a dual send-receive relationship, three quarters of Saddle River's high school students attend Northern Highlands and about a quarter attend Ramsey High School.[15]
Schools
Wandell School served 162 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as of the 2018–19 school year.[16]
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:[17]
Tom Duane, board secretary and business administrator
Board of education
The district's board of education, comprised of five members, sets policy and oversees 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 either one or two 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.[19][20][21]
As of 2012, school elections were shifted from April to the November general election as part of an effort to reduce the costs of a standalone April vote.[22]
^Guion, Payton. "These 43 N.J. school districts have fewer than 200 students", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 2017. Accessed January 30, 2020. "Based on data from the state Department of Education from the last school year and the Census Bureau, NJ Advance Media made a list of the smallest of the small school districts in the state, excluding charter schools and specialty institutions.... 28. Saddle River Borough (tie); Enrollment: 150; Grades: Pre-K-5; County: Bergen; Town population: 3,152"
^Staff. "Tuition to rise $219 under new contract", Town Journal, November 19, 2009, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 4, 2016. Accessed November 14, 2017. "With no high school in the borough, Saddle River students have the option of enrolling in either Ramsey High School or Northern Highlands. The new deal replaces the previous agreement that covered 1998 to 2008."
^Welcome, Ramsey School District. Accessed January 21, 2020. "Welcome to the Ramsey Public School District. Our district is comprised of three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school where approximately 3400 students are educated. We have a send-receive relationship with the students of Saddle River for middle school and high school."
^Ramsey Public Schools 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed November 14, 2017. "Ramsey’s 2900 students are educated in two K-3 primary schools, one 4-5 upper elementary school, a middle school for grades 6-8 and a 9-12 comprehensive high school. In addition to serving the residents of Ramsey, the District educates the students of Saddle River in grades 6-12 through a send-receive relationship."
^Ramsey Schools Overview, Saddle River School District. Accessed November 14, 2017. "Following graduation from Fifth grade, students enter Eric Smith Middle School in Ramsey, New Jersey. Upon graduation from Eighth grade students may attend Ramsey High School."
^Northern Highlands High School Overview, Saddle River School District. Accessed November 14, 2017. "Northern Highlands High School is located in Allendale New Jersey and is one of the two high schools Saddle River students may elect to attend."
^Obernauer, Eric. "Montague to poll parents on school preference", New Jersey Herald, June 27, 2015. Accessed November 14, 2017. "Among them is the Saddle River School District, an affluent K-5 district in Bergen County that formerly sent its students in grades 6-8 to Ramsey Middle School and its students in grades 9-12 to Ramsey High School. About 15 years ago, Saddle River formed dual send-receive relationships allowing students in grades 9-12 to choose between Ramsey and Northern Highlands high schools, both upscale districts as well. Fred Palumbo, the school business administrator in Saddle River, told the New Jersey Herald in a phone conversation about it last year that the arrangement has worked well, with an estimated 70-75 percent of students choosing Northern Highlands and the remaining 25-30 percent opting to remain in Ramsey."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Saddle River School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2018. Accessed April 17, 2020. "The Saddle River Board of Education (the 'Board' or the 'District') is an instnunentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an education institution. The Board consists of five elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the district."
^Kleimann, Karen; Clyde, John. "Districts moving school elections", Town Journal, February 15, 2012. Accessed November 30, 2014. "The Allendale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Northern Highlands, Saddle River and Upper Saddle River boards of education voted to move their respective school elections to November for at least the next four annual elections. The five districts, along with a majority of school boards across the state, are moving their elections from April to November in hopes of sparing taxpayers the expense of a separate election, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association."
