Salt Brook leads Summit-area schools in U.S. News rankings

Salt Brook School in New Providence ranked No. 15 among New Jersey elementary schools in U.S. News & World Report's 2027 Best Elementary Schools list, the highest finish for any school in the Summit area.

The rankings, released Tuesday, Oct. 20, scored the K-6 school on Maple Street at 98.99 out of 100. Eighty-eight percent of Salt Brook students scored at or above the proficient level in reading, and 83% hit that mark in math, according to the school's U.S. News profile. Both figures topped the New Providence School District averages of 85% in reading and 79% in math.

New Providence's other elementary school, Allen W. Roberts School, ranked No. 33 with a score of 97.69. Its 641 students make it the larger of the district's two elementary schools.

Summit placed all five of its ranked elementary schools in the state's top 90. Franklin Elementary School led the city at No. 19 with a 98.7 score. Ninety-one percent of Franklin students scored proficient or above in math, and 87% reached that level in reading, both above the Summit Public School District averages of 78% in math and 84% in reading.

Washington Elementary came in at No. 29, Lincoln-Hubbard Elementary at No. 34, Brayton Elementary at No. 50 and Jefferson Elementary at No. 90.

Berkeley Heights' highest-ranked school, Thomas P. Hughes School, placed No. 120 with a score of 91.41. Hughes serves only grades 3 through 5. The district's Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center, which covers pre-K through second grade, is unranked because state assessment data is not collected at those grade levels. Mountain Park School, also grades 3-5, ranked No. 223.

U.S. News analyzed about 46,000 public elementary schools nationwide for the 2027 edition, according to a press release from the publication. The formula weighs math proficiency, math performance, reading proficiency and reading performance at 25% each. Half measures raw test scores; the other half factors in socioeconomic demographics.

Eric Brooks, U.S. News director of education data analysis, said in the release that the updated methodology uses direct state data across all proficiency levels to give families and educators a broader picture of school performance. The assessment data comes from the 2023-2024 school year.

No public comment from Summit Superintendent Scott Hough, Franklin Elementary principal Jenna Colineri or administrators in New Providence or Berkeley Heights on the new rankings was available as of publication.

New Jersey's top 10 elementary schools (2027 U.S. News)