The Glen Ridge Public Schools is a comprehensive public school district serving students in kindergarten through twelfth grade in Glen Ridge, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Glen Ridge Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Glen Ridge Public Schools, adopted November 25, 2002. Accessed October 5, 2025. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the Glen Ridge School District. Composition: The Glen Ridge School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Glen Ridge."
As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 1,810 students and 147.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.3:1.District information for Glen Ridge Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
The district had been 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.District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 1, 2024.
Schools Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education StatisticsSchool Data for the Glen Rock Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.) are:School Performance Reports for the Glen Ridge Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 1, 2025.New Jersey School Directory for the Glen Ridge Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024. Central SchoolCentral School, Glen Ridge Public Schools. Accessed October 5, 2025. with 136 students in grades PreK–2 Jack DeWitt, principalPrincipal, Central School. Accessed October 5, 2025. Forest Avenue SchoolForest Avenue School, Glen Ridge Public Schools. Accessed October 5, 2025. with 145 students in grades PreK–2 Matthew J. Murphy, principalPrincipal, Forest Avenue School. Accessed October 5, 2025. Linden Avenue SchoolLinden Avenue School, Glen Ridge Public Schools. Accessed October 5, 2025. with 158 students in grades PreK–2 Joseph A. Caravela, principalPrincipal, Linden Avenue School. Accessed October 5, 2025. Ridgewood Avenue SchoolRidgewood Avenue School, Glen Ridge Public Schools. Accessed October 5, 2025. with 539 students in grades 3–6 Keisha Harris, principalPrincipal, Ridgewood Avenue School. Accessed October 5, 2025. Glen Ridge High SchoolGlen Ridge High School, Glen Ridge Public Schools. Accessed October 5, 2025. with 811 students in grades 7–12. The high school gained national attention as the school of the athletes involved in the Glen Ridge Rape. John Lawlor, principalPrincipal John W. Lawlor, Glen Ridge High School. Accessed October 5, 2025.
Administration Core members of the district's administration are:Board of Education Members, Glen Ridge Public Schools. Accessed October 5, 2025. Winnie Kievit, acting superintendentSuperintendent's Page, Glen Ridge Public Schools. Accessed October 5, 2025. Barbara Murphy, business administrator and board secretaryBusiness Office, Glen Ridge Public Schools. Accessed October 5, 2025.
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.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.Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Borough of Glen Ridge School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2024. Accessed October 5, 2025. "The Glen Ridge Public Schools (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." See "Roster of Officials" on page 12.
Controversies Glen Ridge Public Schools Chromebook controversy
In September 2026, an image circulated showing what appeared to be a student Chromebook at Glen Ridge Public Schools in New Jersey displaying a desktop background featuring U.S. Representative Analilia Mejia, a Democrat who represents New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District and resides in Glen Ridge. The graphic identified Mejia as a member of Congress and included biographical information about her political career. The incident was reportedly connected to the school’s observance of Hispanic Heritage Month. Mejia’s congressional biography confirms that she is a Glen Ridge resident.
The image prompted criticism over whether a public school had used school-owned, district-managed computers to display material that could be perceived as promotional or political material concerning a sitting elected official. Glen Ridge’s Chromebook agreement confirms that the devices are owned and administered by the Board of Education and that the district has extensive administrative control over their software and content.
Legal questions
The incident raises several legal questions, although the available evidence does not currently establish that any law was violated:
Use of public resources for political purposes. New Jersey election law prohibits expenditures of money or other things of value to support or oppose a candidate. Whether the use of school personnel, computers, network infrastructure, or other district resources to display the material constituted a prohibited political expenditure would depend on the purpose and circumstances of the communication. Political material in public schools. N.J.S.A. 18A:42-4 prohibits public-school officials from giving pupils literature promoting or opposing a candidate for purposes of taking it outside the school, and prohibits directing pupils to engage in activities promoting or opposing candidates. The statute does not expressly address a remotely deployed Chromebook wallpaper, leaving the applicability of the provision to this particular form of communication an open question. School ethics and partisan activity. New Jersey’s school-board ethics provisions require board members to avoid partisan political influence and prohibit using schools for personal gain or the gain of others. These provisions would be particularly relevant if a school official were found to have intentionally used district resources to benefit a political candidate. Government speech and First Amendment issues. A school district generally has considerable authority over school-owned equipment and its educational communications. At the same time, determining whether a communication constitutes legitimate educational speech, governmental speech, or impermissible partisan advocacy would depend on its content, purpose, timing, authorization, and the parties responsible for it. Responsibility for the material. The available evidence does not establish that Mejia herself requested, authorized, or directed the Chromebook background. Her presence in the graphic therefore should not, by itself, be characterized as evidence that she participated in the school’s decision.
References
External links Glen Ridge Schools Website
School Data for the Glen Ridge Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics