As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 3,594 students and 335.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.7:1.[1]
History
With a growing population, Paramus officials were notified that students could no longer be accommodated at Hackensack High School or Ridgewood High School. In a 1956 referendum, more than 95% of residents approved the construction of a high school that opened on Spring Valley Road in September 1957 with 900 students in grades 6–10.[3]
The district had been classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "GH", the third-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.[4]
Awards and recognition
Three of the district's schools have been formally designated as National Blue Ribbon Schools, the highest honor that an American school can achieve:[5][6] Paramus High School in 1988-89, Parkway Elementary School in 1987-88 and Ridge Ranch Elementary School in 1998-99.[7][8]
For the 1995-96 school year, Ridge Ranch Elementary School was named as a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.[9]
The district was selected as one of the top "100 Best Communities for Music Education in America 2005" by the American Music Conference,[10] and was selected again for this honor in 2006.[11]
The NAMM Foundation named the district in its 2008 survey of the "Best Communities for Music Education", which included 110 school districts nationwide.[12] The district was also named in the foundation's 2009 survey of the "Best Communities for Music Education", which included 124 school districts nationwide.[13]
In late May 2007, The Record reported that officials of the Paramus Public Schools had knowingly failed to report the presence of the banned pesticides aldrin, dieldrin and chlordane on the campus of West Brook, a middle school in the system.[27] Responding to local outrage, the superintendent, Janice Dime, assured in a letter addressed to the public that the chemicals were not hazardous, however, borough mayor, Jim Tedesco, described Dime's statement as being either misinformed or deliberately misleading.[28] Because of public pressure, on June 6, 2007, the district's board of education placed Janice Dime on an extended leave[29] and shut down West Brook Middle School for decontamination and testing. On June 13, test results done by a borough-contracted firm revealed that two of the 30 tested areas on campus had levels of chlordane that exceeded state safety standards.[30] After the incident more soil tests were conducted around the area and in other parts of Paramus, with some yielding positive for excessive presence of pesticide.[31] West Brook was decontaminated and reopened to students, while Janice Dime resigned from her position as superintendent in August 2007.[32]
In May 2018, a 51-year-old teacher, Jennifer Williamson, and a ten-year-old student at East Brook Middle School, Miranda Faith Vargas, were killed and dozens of students were injured when a dump truck slammed into their school bus on Interstate 80 while travelling on a field trip to Waterloo Village.[33] The 77-year-old driver, who had had his driver's license suspended 14 times before the accident, was charged with vehicular homicide, which could lead to a sentence of ten years in jail upon conviction.[34] Days after the crash, Cong. Josh Gottheimer pushed for a federal law requiring school buses to have seat belts to prevent deaths in similar types of crashes.[35]
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:[19][36]
Sean Adams, superintendent
Brooke Bartley, business administrator and board secretary
Board of education
The district's board of education, comprised 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 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.[37][38][39][40]
↑ The Making of a Classic, 2008. Accessed July 9, 2025. "Its school population grew enormously and soon Ridgewood and Hackensack gave notice that they could no longer accommodate Paramus high school age students. In a grand display of cooperation, Paramus residents on January 10, 1956 voted by a margin of 20:1 to fund the building of a high school.... The opening of Paramus High School in September of 1957 created a new sense of community for many of the residents of Paramus.... That first year PHS housed 900 students in grades 6-10, and 50 faculty members, and the overall population of Paramus was 7,000."
↑ "CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department", Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
↑ "Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test" The Washington Post, September 29, 2005. "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
↑ Glovin, David. "Two Bergen Schools Pocket National Awards", The Record, May 22, 1999. Accessed October 24, 2014. "The Cherry Hill School in River Edge and the Ridge Ranch School in Paramus were among the 266 public and private elementary schools that were named 1998-99 Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Education Department."
↑ Kelley, Tina. "Paramus: Superintendent Resigns", The New York Times, August 29, 2007. Accessed July 8, 2025. "The superintendent of the Paramus schools resigned Monday night, following criticism of her actions after the discovery of contaminated soil at the West Brook Middle School last year that eventually forced the school to close in May. The superintendent, Janice Dime, who had worked in the district for 22 years, will resign and receive $212,000 in salary for the coming year, plus $20,000 in medical benefits, said Mario V. Sicari, the school board president."
↑ Heyboer, Kelly. "Driver in fatal N.J. school bus crash had 8 speeding tickets, multiple suspensions. Here's the list.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 22, 2018. Accessed May 30, 2018. "Hudy Muldrow Sr., 77, had a valid commercial drivers license and school bus endorsement when his bus crashed while taking Paramus students on a trip to Waterloo Village on Thursday, said Mairin Bellack, a spokeswoman for the state Motor Vehicle Commission. A student and a teacher were killed in the violent crash with a dump truck on I-80 in Mount Olive. Dozens of others were hurt, including Muldrow, who was hospitalized, his family said."
↑ Wright, Peggy; and Jongsma, Joshua. "Paramus bus driver charged with causing deaths of child, teacher in Mount Olive crash", Daily Record, May 24, 2018. Accessed May 30, 2018. "The 77-year-old school bus driver who crashed last week after he allegedly crossed three lanes of traffic on Route 80 in Mount Olive with 44 passengers on board was charged Thursday with recklessly causing the deaths of a child and a teacher, according to criminal complaints. Hudy Muldrow Sr. of Woodland Park was charged with two counts of death-by-auto, also known as vehicular homicide, for allegedly driving recklessly and causing the deaths of bus passengers Miranda Vargas, 10, and Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy, 51, a Paramus social studies teacher."
↑ Vruz, david. "Gottheimer bill calls for seat belts on school buses, mum on background checks", NJTV, May 29, 2018. Accessed May 30, 3018. "Gottheimer said it was time for the federal government to join New Jersey in requiring all school buses to have seat belts, preferably the three-point shoulder restraints. 'I couldn’t believe that only eight states, only eight, require any type of seat belts,' he noted."
↑ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Paramus School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2024. Accessed July 8, 2025. "The Paramus Board of Education (the 'Board' or the 'District') is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an education institution. The Board consists of nine elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District. A Superintendent of Schools is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District. A School Business Administrator/Board Secretary is also appointed by the Board and oversees the business functions of the District. Under existing statutes, the Board's duties and ,powers include, but are not limited to, the development and adoption of a school program; the establishment, organization and operation of schools; and the acquisition, maintenance and disposition of school property. The Board currently operates a Pre-Kindergarten through grade twelve (12) school district." See "Roster of Officials" on page 14.
↑ Our Board of Education, Paramus Public Schools. Accessed July 8, 2025. "The Paramus Board of Education is comprised of elected individuals who freely dedicate their time and energy to serving our school community."
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