Rutherford School District

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Rutherford School District
Rutherford School District logo.png
Address
176 Park Avenue
Rutherford
, Bergen County , New Jersey , 07070
United States
Coordinates 40°49′32″N74°06′31″W / 40.825688°N 74.108637°W / 40.825688; -74.108637
District information
Grades PreK-12
SuperintendentJack Hurley
Business administratorMatt Whitford
Schools5
Students and staff
Enrollment2,544 (as of 2023–24) [1]
Faculty225.5 FTEs [1]
Student–teacher ratio11.3:1 [1]
Other information
District Factor Group GH
Website www.rutherfordschools.org
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-12
average		%± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$17,47725$18,891−7.5%
1Budgetary Cost13,1522114,783−11.0%
2Classroom Instruction8,052328,763−8.1%
6Support Services1,708102,392−28.6%
8Administrative Cost1,522341,4852.5%
10Operations & Maintenance1,577311,783−11.6%
13Extracurricular Activities27792683.4%
16Median Teacher Salary67,2144964,043
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending. [2]
*Of K-12 districts with 1,800-3,500 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=68

The Rutherford School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Rutherford, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. [3]

Contents

As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 2,544 students and 225.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1. [1]

History

Public education began in Rutherford prior to 1900, but the oldest permanent school structure was the Park School, built in 1902 on Park Avenue. In 1938, the former Park Junior High School was purchased for $50,000 and converted for use as Rutherford borough hall. [4]

Rutherford formerly had three "neighborhood" schools for grades K-5 (Washington, Lincoln, and Sylvan) which fed into two "magnet" schools for 6-8 (Union and Pierrepont). The magnet schools also served as elementary schools for their neighborhoods. Since the 2005–06 school year, the Rutherford Schools have changed this format.

Sylvan School has since been closed by the Rutherford Board of Education; it houses YMCA programs, the district's special services department, as well as a handicapped pre-school program run by the South Bergen Jointure Commission.

Rutherford had two elementary schools, Washington and Lincoln, for grades K–3, while for grades 4–8, students attended Union and Pierrepont Schools. As part of the realignment that became effective for the 2015–16 school year which shifted Pierrepont to serve grades 4–6 and grades 7–8 at Union School, the Rutherford school system underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation, which effected all of its buildings, with the most substantial amount of work taking place at Washington, Lincoln and Union schools. [5]

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. [6]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics [7] ) are: [8] [9]

Elementary schools
High school

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are: [20]

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 2013) 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. [23] [24] [25]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 District information for Rutherford School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
  2. ↑ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ↑ Rutherford Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Rutherford School District, revised December 9, 2019. Accessed August 14, 2025. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through twelve in the Rutherford School District. Composition: The Rutherford School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Rutherford."
  4. ↑ "Newark Bidder Buys Up Bonds At Rutherford", The Record , May 18, 1938. Accessed August 15, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "The remaining $50,000 will be disposed of when the Board of Education needs the $50,000 which the Borough has agreed to pay for the Park Junior High School property. The abandoned remodeled Park School building is being to fit it for use as a Borough Hall with W. P. A. aid."
  5. ↑ Sobko, Katie. "Rutherford parents to foot most of cost for busing this year", South Bergenite, September 7, 2017. Accessed August 15, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Last year, Rutherford restructured its elementary schools to house Grades 7 and 8 at Union School and Grades 4 through 6 at Pierrepont School."
  6. ↑ District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 1, 2024.
  7. ↑ School Data for the Rutherford School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
  8. ↑ School Performance Reports for the Rutherford School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 1, 2025.
  9. ↑ New Jersey School Directory for Rutherford School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  10. ↑ Lincoln School, Rutherford Public Schools. Accessed August 15, 2025.
  11. ↑ Staff Directory, Lincoln School. Accessed August 15, 2025.
  12. ↑ Washington School, Rutherford Public Schools. Accessed August 15, 2025.
  13. ↑ Staff Directory, Washington School. Accessed August 15, 2025.
  14. ↑ Pierrepont School, Rutherford Public Schools. Accessed August 15, 2025.
  15. ↑ Staff Directory, Pierrepont School. Accessed August 15, 2025.
  16. ↑ Union School, Rutherford Public Schools. Accessed August 15, 2025.
  17. ↑ Staff Directory, Union School. Accessed August 15, 2025.
  18. ↑ Rutherford High School, Rutherford Public Schools. Accessed August 15, 2025.
  19. ↑ Staff Directory, Rutherford High School. Accessed August 15, 2025.
  20. ↑ New Jersey School Directory for Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  21. ↑ Office of the Superintendent, Rutherford Public Schools. Accessed August 14, 2025.
  22. ↑ Business Office, Rutherford Public Schools. Accessed August 14, 2025.
  23. ↑ New Jersey Boards of Education by District Election Types - 2018 School Election, New Jersey Department of Education, updated February 16, 2018. Accessed January 26, 2020.
  24. ↑ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Rutherford Borough School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2024. Accessed August 14, 2025. "The Rutherford 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.... The Board currently operates a Pre-Kindergarten through grade twelve (12) school district." See "Roster of Officials" on page 12?.
  25. ↑ Board of Education, Rutherford School District. Accessed August 14, 2025.
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