Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District
Encyclopedia
The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District is a regional public school district
serving the municipalities of Bridgewater Township
and Raritan Borough
in Somerset County
, New Jersey
, United States. All of the school facilities are in Bridgewater, except for John F. Kennedy School, which is in Raritan.
As of the 2008-09 school year, the district's 11 schools had an enrollment of 9,128 students and 805.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education
as being in District Factor Group "I", the second 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.
from the United States Department of Education
, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.
For the 1997-98 school year, Bridgewater-Raritan High School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education
, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.
BRHS is one of only three high schools in the state of New Jersey
to have received both awards.
Bridgewater Middle school students qualified to participate in NJ state Mathcounts for 2011.
Bridgewater Middle school students placed 4th in state science bowl competition for 2011 held at Princeton Plasma Lab. Science bowl is a science competition sponsored by United States Department of Energy, involving general, physical, life, earth and mathematics.
The Bridgewater Middle School Academic team has also won the A.T.O.M.S tournament for 2 years in a row -2010 and 2011.
) are:
Primary Schools (grades K through 4)
Intermediate Schools (grades 5-6)
Middle School (grades 7-8)
High School (grades 9-12)
Schools that have been closed since the 1980s include:
Adamsville School, now an elementary school, was a middle school until the 1980s. Eisenhower and Hillside Schools, now intermediate schools, were both middle schools until 1995.
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
serving the municipalities of Bridgewater Township
Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
Bridgewater Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. , the township population was 44,464.Bridgewater Township was originally created by Royal Charter on April 4, 1749, from portions of the Northern precinct, and was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial group of...
and Raritan Borough
Raritan, New Jersey
Raritan is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 6,881.-Geography:Raritan is located at ....
in Somerset County
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States. All of the school facilities are in Bridgewater, except for John F. Kennedy School, which is in Raritan.
As of the 2008-09 school year, the district's 11 schools had an enrollment of 9,128 students and 805.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
as being in District Factor Group "I", the second 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.
Awards and recognition
During the 1999-2000 school year, Bridgewater-Raritan High School received the Blue Ribbon AwardBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
from the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.
For the 1997-98 school year, Bridgewater-Raritan High School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.
BRHS is one of only three high schools in the state of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to have received both awards.
Bridgewater Middle school students qualified to participate in NJ state Mathcounts for 2011.
Bridgewater Middle school students placed 4th in state science bowl competition for 2011 held at Princeton Plasma Lab. Science bowl is a science competition sponsored by United States Department of Energy, involving general, physical, life, earth and mathematics.
The Bridgewater Middle School Academic team has also won the A.T.O.M.S tournament for 2 years in a row -2010 and 2011.
Schools
Schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
) are:
Primary Schools (grades K through 4)
- Adamsville School (540 students)
- Bradley Gardens School (353)
- Crim School (466)
- Hamilton School (462)
- John F. Kennedy School (494)
- Milltown School (549)
- Van Holten School (475)
Intermediate Schools (grades 5-6)
Middle School (grades 7-8)
- Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School (1,480 students)
High School (grades 9-12)
- Bridgewater-Raritan High SchoolBridgewater-Raritan High SchoolBridgewater-Raritan Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school. It is the single high school of the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District serving students from Bridgewater Township and Raritan in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States...
(2,845 students)
Former and converted schools
From the early 1960s to the early 1990s, the Bridgewater-Raritan district had two high schools, known as "East" and "West." The current unified high school is on the "West" site, and the former "East" building is now the Middle School.Schools that have been closed since the 1980s include:
- Valley School (now the Harmon V. Wade Administration Building, school district headquarters)
- Finderne School (now the Peoplecare Center for non-profit community services)
- Green Knoll School (now part of the Bridgewater Township Municipal Building complex)
- Martinsville School (now occupied by private offices)
- Washington Middle School in Raritan (converted to Somerset County offices)
Adamsville School, now an elementary school, was a middle school until the 1980s. Eisenhower and Hillside Schools, now intermediate schools, were both middle schools until 1995.
Board of Education
The district's nine-member Board of Education is apportioned by population between Bridgewater and Raritan. Since the early 1990s, Bridgewater has elected eight of the board members and Raritan has elected one. The current board president is Evan Lerner and the vice president is Patrick Breslin, both of Bridgewater.Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:- Dr. Michael Schilder, Superintendent
- Cheryl Dyer, Assistant Superintendent
- Peter Starrs, Business Administrator / Board Secretary
External links
- Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District
- Data for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...