Allendale School District

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

Allendale School District
Address
100 Brookside Avenue
, Bergen County, New Jersey, 07401
United States
Coordinates41°01′45″N 74°08′12″W / 41.029064°N 74.136664°W / 41.029064; -74.136664
District information
GradesPreK-8
SuperintendentMichael J. Barcadepone
Business administratorMaria L. Engeleit
Schools2
Students and staff
Enrollment859 (as of 2020–21)[1]
Faculty69.0 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio12.4:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupI
Websitewww.allendalek8.com
Ind. Per pupil District
spending
Rank
(*)
K-8
average
%± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$16,57629$18,891−12.3%
1Budgetary Cost16,3658014,15915.6%
2Classroom Instruction8,600458,659−0.7%
6Support Services2,986772,16737.8%
8Administrative Cost1,960821,54726.7%
10Operations & Maintenance2,434841,61251.0%
13Extracurricular Activities1307210425.0%
16Median Teacher Salary70,8857761,136
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-8 districts with more than 750 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=84
The field at Brookside School, August 2007

As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 859 students and 69.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.4:1.[1]

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.[4]

There are two schools, one primary school for grades PreK-3 and one upper elementary school for grades 4-8, with the middle school program located within the Brookside building.[5] The administration of the schools includes district-wide services through the superintendent of schools and the board secretary and business administrator. Additionally, in each school the administration includes a principal.

For high school, public school students in Allendale for grades nine through twelve attend Northern Highlands Regional High School, which also serves students from Ho-Ho-Kus, Upper Saddle River and some students from Saddle River (who have the option of attending either Northern Highlands or Ramsey High School, as part of sending/receiving relationships with the two districts).[6][7] As of the 2020–21 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,364 students and 106.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.8:1.[8] New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked the high school as the 22nd-best of 328 ranked schools in New Jersey in its 2012 rankings of the "Top Public High Schools" after being ranked 6th of 322 schools in 2010.[9]

History edit

Through the start of the 1957-58 school year, students from Allendale, Mahwah, Saddle River and Upper Saddle River all attended Ramsey High School as part of sending/receiving relationships with the respective districts and the Ramsey Public School District.[10] Allendale, Mahwah and Upper Saddle River left the Ramsey district in September 1958 once Mahwah High School was completed; Allendale and Upper Saddle River joined the Northern Highlands District once the school was opened in 1965.[11]

Awards and recognition edit

The NAMM Foundation named the district in its 2008 survey of the "Best Communities for Music Education", which included 110 school districts nationwide.[12]

Schools edit

 
Aerial view of Brookside School, January 2011

Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics.[13]) are:[14][15]

  • Hillside School[16] with 343 students in pre-kindergarten to 3rd grade
  • Brookside School[19] with 506 students from 4th to 8th grades

Administration edit

Core members of the district's administration are:[17][21]

  • Michael J. Barcadepone, superintendent[5]
  • Maria L. Engeleit, business administrator and board secretary[22]

Board of education edit

The district's board of education is comprised of five members who set policy and oversee 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 either one or 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.[23][24][25]

In 2012, school elections were shifted from April to the November general election as part of an effort to reduce the costs of a standalone April vote.[26]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d District information for Allendale Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Allendale Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Allendale SchoolDistrict. Accessed August 1, 2022. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades kindergarten through eight in the Allendale School District. Composition: The Allendale School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Allendale."
  4. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed November 30, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Office of the Superintendent of Schools, Allendale School District. Accessed August 1, 2022. "Hillside Elementary School (Pre-K to Grade 3) and Brookside Middle School (Grades 4-8) provide exciting learning opportunities for discovery and academic challenges for our nearly 1,000 students."
  6. ^ Staff. "Tuition to rise $219 under new contract", Town Journal, November 19, 2009. Accessed November 30, 2014. "With no high school in the borough, Saddle River students have the option of enrolling in either Ramsey High School or Northern Highlands."
  7. ^ Northern Highlands Regional High School 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 31, 2016. "A four-year public high school, Northern Highlands strives to address the needs of all of its students who come from four towns in northern Bergen County: Allendale, Upper Saddle River, Ho-Ho-Kus, and Saddle River."
  8. ^ School data for Northern Highlands Regional High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  9. ^ Schlager, Ken; Staab, Amanda. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical - Here are the 2012 Top High Schools ranking listed alphabetically.", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 22, 2013.
  10. ^ "Boards Send Trustees to Study Session; Unit To Consider Plans For Regional Needs In High Schools; Meet in Ramsey", The Record, September 11, 1957. Accessed May 26, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "At present Waldwick students attend Midland Park School; and Allendale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, and Mahwah pupils attend Ramsey High School. When the new Mahwah High School is completed in 1958 or 1959 it will absorb Allendale pupils."
  11. ^ School History, Mahwah High School. Accessed May 26, 2021. "It was constructed in 1958-59 for $4 million. Before the new school opened, Mahwah's high school students attended Ramsey High School. Prior to the construction of Northern Highlands Regional High School in the mid-1960s, students from Allendale and Upper Saddle River attended what was then known as Mahwah Junior-Senior High School."
  12. ^ "NAMM Foundation Names the 'Best Communities for Music Education'", NAMM, April 30, 2008. Accessed November 13, 2009.
  13. ^ School Data for the Allendale School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  14. ^ School Performance Reports for the Allendale School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  15. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Allendale School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  16. ^ Hillside School, Allendale School District. Accessed August 1, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c 2021-2022 Student Parent Handbook, Allendale School District. Accessed August 1, 2022.
  18. ^ Contact Information, Hillside School. Accessed August 1, 2022.
  19. ^ Brookside School, Allendale School District. Accessed August 1, 2022.
  20. ^ Contact Information, Brookside School. Accessed August 1, 2022.
  21. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  22. ^ Business Office, Allendale School District. Accessed August 1, 2022.
  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 Allendale School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed March 27, 2024. "The Allendale Board of Education is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The Board consists of elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District. A Superintendent is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District. A business administrator/Board Secretary is also appointed by the Board and oversees the business functions of the District."
  25. ^ Board of Education Members, Allendale School District. Accessed August 1, 2022.
  26. ^ Kleimann, Karen; Clyde, John. "Districts moving school elections", Town Journal, February 15, 2012. Accessed November 30, 2014. "The Allendale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Northern Highlands, Saddle River and Upper Saddle River boards of education voted to move their respective school elections to November for at least the next four annual elections. The five districts, along with a majority of school boards across the state, are moving their elections from April to November in hopes of sparing taxpayers the expense of a separate election, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association."

External links edit