Bernards Schools Get High Scores on 'New' Report Card

Bernards Township schools outranked the state's other schools and also so-called comparable "peer" schools in the state's latest performance report that covers the 2011-12 school year, although Schools Superintendent Nick Markarian on Tuesday said the school officials are still trying to figure out a report completely revamped from previous school years'.

Ridge High School was deemed to rank high when compared with "peer" schools and very high when compared against other high schools around the state, according to the online version of the state's school performance report for the 2011-12 school year.

The report said Ridge was in the top 71 percentile when compared with peer high schools and in the top 84 percent of high schools in New Jersey in academic achievement.

In the area of college and career readiness, Ridge scored in the top 70 percent against peer schools and ranked in the top 83 percent against high schools statewide, the report said.

The grades 6 to 8 William Annin Middle School ranked "very high" across the board in academic achievement when compared to both "peer" schools and all state middle schools across New Jersey, according to the DOE's online report on that school. The state's online figures put Annin students in the top 87 percent when compared against peer schools, and 98 percent statewide, and also credited the school with meeting 100 percent of its targets.

Bernards' four elementary schools also scored highly.

According to the online figures, students at the Cedar Hill Elementary School scored in the top 71 percent when compared against peer schools and 91 percent against all statewide schools when it came to academic performance.

Liberty Corner Elementary School stacked up as in the top 70 percentile when measured against peer schools and 91 percent statewide, the online report said.

The Mount Prospect Elementary School scored the highest of all rankings within the school district, achieving a top 94 percentile ranking against peer schools and ranking within the top 98 percent of all elementary schools statewide, the online report said.

The Oak Street Elementary School also near the top of the list, reaching a ranking of the top 90 percent when compared against peer schools and in the top 97 percent statewide, the online report said.

Markarian said he has yet to "drill down" on the details of the state's new performance report for schools, a complete change from previous years' state school report cards.

For example, he said he hasn't really looked close enough yet to determine how the "peer" schools against which the Bernards schools are being ranked really compare against township schools.