The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District is a regional public school district serving students from two communities in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, who come from the Township of Scotch Plains and the Borough of Fanwood. The district has five elementary schools (PreK-Grade 4), two middle schools (Grades 5-8) and a comprehensive high school (Grades 9-12).

As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising eight schools, had an enrollment of 5,649 students and 438.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.9:1.

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.

Awards and recognition

In 2022, the United States Department of Education announced that William J. McGinn School was named as a National Blue Ribbon School, along with eight other schools in the state and 297 schools nationwide.

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:

Elementary schools

• Howard B. Brunner Elementary School with 414 students in grades PreK-4
  • Scott Bortnick, principal
• J. Ackerman Coles School with 552 students in grades PreK-4
  • Sandra Burghgraef-Fehte, principal
• Evergreen School with 402 students in grades PreK-4
  • Erin Mullman, principal
• William J. McGinn School with 512 students in grades K-4
  • Sasha Slocum, principal
• School One with 412 students in grades PreK-4
  • Justin Fiory, principal

Middle schools

• Malcolm E. Nettingham Middle School with 909 students in grades 5-8. The school, formerly known as Park Middle School, was renamed in 2021 to honor Nettingham, who had served with the Tuskegee Airmen.
  • Jocelyn Dumaresq, principal
• Terrill Middle School with 811 students in grades 5-8
  • Kevin Holloway, principal

High school

• Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School with 1,574 students in grades 9-12
  • David Heisey, principal

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:

• Joan Mast, superintendent of schools
• Christopher Jones, business administrator and board secretary

Board of education

The district's board of education is composed of nine members, who set policy and oversee 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 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. Seats on the board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent districts, with seven seats assigned to Scotch Plains and two to Fanwood.