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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Demarest Public Schools

The Demarest Public Schools is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Demarest in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprising three schools, had an enrollment of 714 students and 71.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.0:1.

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "I", the second-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.

Students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest in Demarest, together with students from Closter and Haworth. The high school is part of the Northern Valley Regional High School District, which also serves students from Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan. During the 1994-96 school years, Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education. As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 974 students and 91.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.7:1.

The district participates in special education programs offered by Region III, one of seven such regional programs in Bergen County. Region III coordinates and develops special education programs for the 1,000 students with learning disabilities in the region, which also includes the Alpine, Closter, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan districts, as well as the Northern Valley Regional High School District.

Awards and recognition

In 2023, Luther Lee Emerson School was one of nine schools in New Jersey that was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education.

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:

Elementary schools
  • County Road School with 168 students in pre-kindergarten through first grade
    • Frank J. Mazzini, principal
  • Luther Lee Emerson Schools with 217 students in grades 2 - 4
    • Frank J. Mazzini, principal
Middle school
  • Demarest Middle School with 320 students in grades 5 through 8
    • Jonathon Regan, principal

The district's PTO provides enrichment for students and afternoon school-age care from school closing to 6 PM; no before-school care is available.

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:

  • Michael Fox, superintendent of schools
  • Antoinette Kelly, business administrator and board secretary

Board of education

The district's board of education, comprised of seven 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 two or 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.