Total enrollment
82,808
-2,176 (-3%) vs SY 2017-18
Passaic County
New Jersey · Public K-12
Passaic County operates 155 public K-12 schools across New Jersey, with a combined student body of roughly 83,237 and a county population near 521,012. By level, that breaks down as 100 elementary, 22 middle, and 24 high schools.
7-year change in Passaic County
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
148
-8 (-5%) vs SY 2017-18
% White
23%
was 28%
% Hispanic
61%
was 56%
% Black
9%
was 11%
% Asian
5%
was 5%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
Residents
521,012
all ages · ACS 5-yr
Schools
155
31 districts
Enrollment
83,237
students · NCES CCD
Median income
$87,522
Below New Jersey avg
Free/reduced lunch
61.0%
Above New Jersey avg
Elementary
100
40,381 students
Middle
22
11,391 students
High
24
24,564 students
Combined / other
9
6,901 students
LARGEST DISTRICT
Paterson Public School District
21,372 students · 31 districts in Passaic County
County vs. school enrollment demographics
Left bar is the racial makeup of Passaic County residents (Census ACS 5-year). Right bar is the enrollment-weighted makeup of public schools in the county (NCES CCD). NCES systematically under-reports Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native American enrollment for many schools; where the resident share is meaningful but the reported school share is zero, we mark the school bar "not reported".
County residents
School enrollment
Bachelor's+
30.9%
adults 25+
Poverty rate
10.8%
ACS 5-year
Unemployment
8.0%
civilian labor
Median age
38
23.6% under 18
Test scores in Passaic County
Latest 2024-25 ELA proficiency, 131 schools ranked. New Jersey state average: 53.1%.
Top 5 schools (ELA)
Lowest 5 schools (ELA)
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton Early Learner Academies - Brighton | Clifton | Elementary | PK-PK | 327 | · |
| Lafayette Elementary School | Wayne | Elementary | KG-05 | 321 | · |
| School #9 | Clifton | Elementary | PK-05 | 306 | · |
| Maple Road Elementary School | West Milford | Elementary | PK-05 | 303 | · |
| Edward W. Kilpatrick | Paterson | Elementary | PK-03 | 295 | · |
| Sallie D. Gamble School No. 7 | Passaic | Elementary | PK-KG | 289 | · |
| School 19 | Paterson | Elementary | KG-04 | 288 | · |
| Marshall Hill Elementary School | West Milford | Elementary | PK-05 | 283 | · |
| School #15 | Clifton | Elementary | PK-05 | 282 | · |
| Norman S. Weir | Paterson | Elementary | KG-08 | 272 | · |
| Apshawa Elementary School | West Milford | Elementary | KG-05 | 266 | · |
| Thomas Jefferson Elementary School | Hawthorne | Elementary | PK-05 | 264 | · |
| High Mountain School | North Haledon | Middle | 05-08 | 259 | · |
| Rosa L. Parks School of Fine and Performing Arts | Paterson | High | 09-12 | 258 | · |
| School #3 | Clifton | Elementary | PK-05 | 257 | · |
| School #1 | Clifton | Elementary | PK-05 | 255 | · |
| Roberto Clemente | Paterson | Elementary | KG-05 | 254 | · |
| Washington Elementary School | Hawthorne | Elementary | KG-05 | 253 | · |
| Abraham Lincoln School Number 24 | Passaic | Elementary | PK-PK | 252 | · |
| Ryerson Elementary School | Wayne | Elementary | KG-05 | 250 | · |
| School 7 | Paterson | Elementary | KG-05 | 250 | · |
| Upper Greenwood Lake Elementary School | Hewitt | Elementary | KG-05 | 250 | · |
| Walter T. Bergen Middle School | Bloomingdale | Middle | 05-08 | 238 | · |
| Peter Cooper School | Ringwood | Elementary | KG-03 | 235 | · |
| Samuel R. Donald Elementary School | Bloomingdale | Elementary | 02-04 | 232 | · |
| Dale Avenue | Paterson | Elementary | PK-02 | 228 | · |
| Little Falls Township Public School # 3 | Little Falls | Elementary | 03-04 | 217 | · |
| School 1 | Paterson | Elementary | KG-05 | 217 | · |
| Eleanor G. Hewitt | Ringwood | Elementary | 04-05 | 208 | · |
| Martha B. Day Elementary School | Bloomingdale | Elementary | PK-01 | 207 | · |
| School #16 | Clifton | Elementary | KG-05 | 201 | · |
| Paradise Knoll Elementary School | Oak Ridge | Elementary | KG-05 | 196 | · |
| Paterson P-TECH High School | Paterson | High | 09-12 | 193 | · |
| Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton | Clifton | Middle | 05-08 | 185 | · |
| Preakness Early Childhood Center | Wayne | Elementary | PK-KG | 177 | · |
| Robert Erskine School | Ringwood | Elementary | KG-03 | 169 | · |
| School 3 | Paterson | Elementary | KG-08 | 167 | · |
| School #8 | Clifton | Elementary | PK-05 | 165 | · |
| Vincent Capuana School No. 15 | Passaic | Elementary | PK-KG | 147 | · |
| Prospect Park Middle School | Prospect Park | Middle | 07-08 | 143 | · |
| School #4 | Clifton | Elementary | PK-05 | 130 | · |
| School One | Woodland Park | Elementary | PK-PK | 122 | · |
| Students Transitioning and Achieving Real Success | Paterson | High | 09-12 | 112 | · |
| Newcomers High School | Paterson | High | 09-12 | 106 | · |
| Anna Iandoli Early Learning Center | Paterson | Elementary | PK-PK | 99 | · |
| Alternative High School | Paterson | High | 09-12 | 81 | · |
| Casimir Pulaski School No. 8 | Passaic | Elementary | PK-PK | 77 | · |
| Clifton Early Learner Academies - Allwood | Clifton | Elementary | PK-PK | 62 | · |
| Hope Academy | Passaic | High | 06-12 | 59 | · |
| Young Men's Academy | Paterson | Middle | 03-08 | 50 | · |
| Passaic Regional School | Totowa | Combined | 08-12 | 0 | · |
| Casimir Pulaski School No. 8 | Passaic | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| School 29 | Paterson | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| WANAQUE REGIONAL SCHOOL | Haskell | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| Westbrook Elementary School | West Milford | Combined | M-M | · | · |
Cities in Passaic County
Paterson44 schoolsPassaic21 schoolsClifton18 schoolsWayne15 schoolsPaterson6 schoolsWest Milford6 schoolsHawthorne5 schoolsLittle Falls4 schoolsPompton Lakes4 schoolsRingwood4 schoolsWoodland Park4 schoolsBloomingdale3 schoolsTotowa3 schoolsClifton2 schoolsHaledon2 schoolsNorth Haledon2 schoolsWanaque2 schoolsWayne2 schoolsHaskell1 schoolHaskell1 schoolHewitt1 schoolOak Ridge1 schoolPassaic1 schoolProspect Park1 schoolProspect Park1 schoolWoodland1 school
About Passaic County
Passaic County is a wide-reaching New Jersey county of about 521,012 residents, home to 155 public schools and roughly 83,237 students.
Zooming out, census numbers show median household income runs near $87,522, roughly 31% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate is around 11%. That income level is 15% meaningfully below the New Jersey median.
On the school-mix side, Passaic County is built around 100 elementary schools (40,381 students), 22 middle schools (11,391), 24 high schools (24,564), and 9 combined or other schools.
Paterson Public School District dominates the local landscape, accounting for roughly 21,372 students on its own.
Five-year track record. Across the same 7-year window, public-school enrollment declined 3%: 84,984 students in SY 2017-18 versus 82,808 in SY 2024-25. The school count fell from 156 to 148 across the same 7-year window. Demographically, the Hispanic share of enrollment increased from 56% to 61%.
Within the allk12 community for this area, the community for Passaic County discusses open enrollment windows, redistricting talk, and busing logistics. Members of the local community share what they see day-to-day.
Frequently asked questions
Passaic County school rankings
DATA · Census ACS 5-year · NCES Common Core of Data