Montclair Public Schools

The Montclair Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from the Township of Montclair, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district consists of seven elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school.

As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprising 11 schools, had an enrollment of 6,441 students and 574.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.2:1.

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.

Each school has a magnet theme, which becomes the focus of the school's teaching style. Students have "freedom of choice" as to which school they want to attend. School selection is not dictated based on location of residence within Montclair. When registering in the district, parents rank their school preferences from highest to lowest, with preferences given for siblings of existing students and special needs. School preferences are accommodated as long as space is available.

History
In 1948, schools were racially integrated. One teacher was black.

Awards and recognition
In both the 1989–90 and 1993-94 school years, Watchung School was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve. Hillside School was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School for the 1987-88 school year.

The district was awarded the New Jersey Governor's Award for Performance Excellence – Silver in 2005, was commended by the United States Department of Education as one of six exemplary magnet school programs in the nation, was recognized by The Wall Street Journal for its public schools, and was certified by the New Jersey Department of Education during the 2004-05 school year.

Montclair Public Schools was cited for its magnet school program, as one of six school districts nationwide selected as the focus of Innovations in Education: Creating Successful Magnet School Programs, describing those schools whose "successful magnet programs offer a range of contexts, experiences, and perspectives".

Nishuane School was named as a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve, in the 1993-94 school year. Watchung School was also named a Star School for 1993-94.

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


 * Elementary schools
 * Bradford Elementary School (389 students; in grades PreK-5, Magnet Theme: The University Magnet)
 * Frances Aboushi, principal
 * Charles H. Bullock Elementary School (434; K-5, Environmental Science)
 * Nami Kuwabara, principal
 * Edgemont Montessori School (237; K-5, Montessori)
 * Briony Carr-Clemente, principal
 * Hillside Elementary School (489; 3-5, Gifted and Talented)
 * Samantha Anglin, principal
 * Nishuane Elementary School (428; PreK-2, Gifted and Talented)
 * Frank Sedita, principal
 * Northeast Elementary School (390; K-5, Global Studies)
 * Terrence Sommerville, principal
 * Watchung Elementary School (400; K-5, Science and Technology)
 * Patrick Krenn, principal


 * Middle schools
 * Buzz Aldrin Middle School (662; 6-8, The STEM Magnet)
 * Major Jennings, principal
 * Glenfield Middle School (665; 6-8, Visual and Performing Arts)
 * Lisa Rollins, principal
 * Renaissance Middle School at the Rand Building (243; 6-8, Liberal Arts)
 * Maria Francisco Jr., principal


 * High school
 * Montclair High School (2,034; 9-12)
 * Jeffrey A. Freeman, principal

Former schools

 * Grove Street Elementary School
 * Southwest Elementary School
 * George Inness Middle School

Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:
 * Jonathan C. Ponds, superintendent of schools
 * Christina Hunt, board secretary and school business administrator

Board of education
The district's board of education, composed of nine 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 three seats up for election each year held (since 2022) 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. As a Type I school district until 2021, the board had had seven trustees who had been appointed by the mayor to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three members up for reappointment each year. Of the more than 600 school districts statewide, Montclair was one of 15 districts with appointed school boards.

In 2009, voters rejected a referendum proposal that would have switched the district from a Type I (appointed) to a Type II (elected) board. In a 2020 referendum, after five separate times when voters supported retaining the Type I / mayoral appointment system, voters approved the switch to a Type II / elected board by a more than two-to-one margin. The change to an elected board meant that the size of the board increased to nine seats. In a March 2022 special election, voters elected two candidates to fill those added seats that will expire in December 2023, with three seats up for election each November as part of the general election, starting in 2022.