The Hillsdale Public Schools is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in Hillsdale, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Hillside Board of Education District Bylaw 0110 - Identification, Hillside Public Schools, adopted February 10, 2015. Accessed October 10, 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 eight in the Hillsdale School District.. Composition: The Hillsdale School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Hillsdale."
As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,149 students and 126.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.1:1.District information for Hillsdale School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Pascack Valley High School along with students from neighboring River Vale. The school is part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District, which also serves students from Montvale and Woodcliff Lake at Pascack Hills High School.Pascack Valley Regional High School District 2015 School Report Card District Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 30, 2020. "The district is comprised of two high schools. Pascack Hills High School, which is located in Montvale, receives students from the towns of Montvale and Woodcliff Lake. Pascack Valley High School, located in Hillsdale, enrolls students from Hillsdale and River Vale."Curriculum and Instruction, Hillsdale Public Schools. Accessed October 10, 2025. "The Regional Curriculum Office was established on July 1, 2012 as part of a services agreement between the Pascack Valley Regional High School District and the school districts in Hillsdale, Montvale, River Vale, and Woodcliff Lake." As of the 2023–24 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 955 students and 93.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.2:1.School data for Pascack Valley High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
History Before Pascack Valley High School opened in September 1955, students from Hillsdale (along with those from Montvale and Woodcliff Lake) had attended Park Ridge High School as part of sending/receiving relationships."Raubinger Aids In Dedication Of New Regional High School", The Record, September 26, 1955. Accessed October 10, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "New Jersey, faced with a yearly increase of 40,000 pupils and the need for 1,000 teachers and 1,000 classrooms each year, is handling the problem but not solving it, Dr. Frederick Vv. Raubinger, commissioner of the State Department of Education said yesterday afternoon at the dedication of the Pascack Valley Regional High School on Piermont Avenue.... He urged residents of the regional high school district of Hillsdale, Montvale, River Vale, and Woodcliff Lake to do their part in looking and planning ahead, and to obtain a good teaching staff."Beuscher, Kristin. "This Week In Local History: A New School at Park Ridge", Pascack Press, October 22, 2019. Accessed August 19, 2020. "Opened in September 1922, the school housed students of Park Ridge, Montvale, Woodcliff Lake and Hillsdale until Pascack Valley Regional High School opened in 1955."
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.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 Hillsdale Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.) are:School Performance Reports for the Hillsdale Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 1, 2025.New Jersey School Directory for the Hillsdale Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024. Elementary schools Ann Blanche Smith SchoolAnn Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale Public Schools. Accessed October 10, 2025. with 304 students in grades K–4 Christine Higgins, principalPrincipal's Message, Ann Blanche Smith School. Accessed October 10, 2025. Meadowbrook Elementary SchoolMeadowbrook Elementary School, Hillsdale Public Schools. Accessed October 10, 2025. with 333 students in grades PreK–4 Christopher R. Bell, principalPrincipal's Message, Meadowbrook School. Accessed October 10, 2025. Middle school George G. White Middle SchoolGeorge G. White Middle School, Hillsdale Public Schools. Accessed October 10, 2025. with 992 students in grades 5–8 Jaclyn Derwin, principalPrincipal's Message, George G. White Middle School. Accessed October 10, 2025.
Administration Core members of the district's administration are:District Administration, Hillsdale Public Schools. Accessed October 10, 2025.New Jersey School Directory for Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024. Robert V. Lombardy Jr., superintendent of schoolsOffice of the Superintendent, Hillsdale Public Schools, Twitter. Accessed October 10, 2025. Sacha Pouliot, business administrator and board secretaryBusiness Office, Hillsdale Public Schools, Twitter. Accessed October 10, 2025.
Board of education The district's board of education, comprised of five 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 one to two 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.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 for the Hillside School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2024. Accessed October 10, 2025. "The Borough of Hillsdale School District is an independent reporting entity within the criteria adopted by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board ('GASB') in codification section 2100. All funds of the District are included in this report. The Borough of Hillsdale School District and all its schools constitute the District's reporting entity. The District provides a full range of educational services appropriate to grade levels Pre-K through 8." See "Roster of Officials" on page 12.Board of Education Members, Hillsdale Public Schools. Accessed October 10, 2025.
References
External links
School Data for the Hillsdale Public Schools, National Center for Education Statisticsa district of schools Pascack Valley High School