Best Public Schools in Upper Montclair, NJ

Summary:

The city of Upper Montclair, New Jersey is home to 3 schools - 2 elementary schools (Bradford Elementary School and Northeast Elementary School) and 1 middle school (Buzz Aldrin Middle School) - all part of the Montclair Public School District. The data reveals that Buzz Aldrin Middle School and Bradford Elementary School are the standout performers, consistently ranking among the top schools in New Jersey and earning 4-star ratings from SchoolDigger.

Buzz Aldrin Middle School stands out with its strong academic performance, particularly in Algebra I where 100% of 7th graders and over 50% of 8th graders scored proficient or better. The school also boasts a low chronic absenteeism rate of 14.9%, below the district average. Bradford Elementary School also impresses with excellent performance in 3rd-5th grade English Language Arts and Mathematics, as well as strong 5th grade science scores. Both schools outperform the state and district averages in key metrics.

In contrast, Northeast Elementary School lags behind the other schools, with lower test scores and a higher percentage of free/reduced lunch students. The high chronic absenteeism rates across all 3 schools is an area of concern that warrants further investigation. The variation in per-student spending and student-teacher ratios may also be an interesting factor to explore in relation to the schools' academic outcomes.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NJSLA-S Science (2025)		NJSLA English Language Arts (2025)						NJSLA Mathematics (2025)						NJSLA Algebra I (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NJSLA-S Science 5th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 8th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 4th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 5th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 6th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 7th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 8th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 7th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bradford Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	87 Mt Hebron Rd	Upper Montclair	07042	Essex County	Montclair Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 509-4155	388	41	9.5	8.2%	209 (53.9%)	39 (10.1%)	51 (13.1%)	24 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (16.8%)	82.6	239^th of 1347 public elementary schools	82.3%		83.8	224^th of 1338 public elementary schools	83.3%	15	62.9		75.8	66.7	53.7				82.3	70.0	68.6							$13,293	$53	$13,240
Buzz Aldrin Middle School	Public	6-8	173 Bellevue Ave	Upper Montclair	07042	Essex County	Montclair Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 509-4220	618	63	9.7	17.2%	317 (51.3%)	90 (14.6%)	91 (14.7%)	45 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	72 (11.7%)	70.5	196^th of 752 public middle schools	73.9%		71.4	185^th of 743 public middle schools	75.1%	11		24.0				75.7	69.6	72.5				62.9	59.3	7.1	100.0	52.1	57.6	$11,896	$170	$11,726
Northeast Elementary School	Public	K-5	603 Grove St	Upper Montclair	07042	Essex County	Montclair Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 509-4242	391	36	10.8	19.2%	205 (52.4%)	41 (10.5%)	87 (22.3%)	20 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (9.7%)	61.5	518^th of 1347 public elementary schools	61.5%		65	480^th of 1338 public elementary schools	64.1%	38	35.3		41.9	61.9	56.9				56.3	63.1	53.0							$11,807	$55	$11,752

Cities Near Upper Montclair

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Montclair	0.96 mi	8	129^th
Bloomfield	1.16 mi	11	290^th
Cedar Grove	1.29 mi	4	106^th
Clifton	1.41 mi	20	410^th
Glen Ridge	1.52 mi	5	23^rd

See the top NJ New Jersey cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Jersey Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.