Closter Public Schools

The Closter Public Schools are a community public school district that educates students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Closter in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3]

Closter Public Schools
Address
340 Homans Avenue
Closter
, Bergen County, New Jersey, 07624
United States
Coordinates40.966635°N 73.948541°W / 40.966635; -73.948541
District information
GradesPre-K to 8
SuperintendentVincent McHale
Business administratorFloro M. Villanueva Jr.
Schools2
Students and staff
Enrollment1,190 (as of 2021–22)[1]
Faculty93.0 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio12.8:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupI
Websitewww.closterschools.org
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-8
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$17,38546$18,891−8.0%
1Budgetary Cost14,6465214,1593.4%
2Classroom Instruction9,415688,6598.7%
6Support Services2,047442,167−5.5%
8Administrative Cost1,703591,54710.1%
10Operations & Maintenance1,401291,612−13.1%
13Extracurricular Activities7832104−25.0%
16Median Teacher Salary85,3028361,136
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-8 districts with more than 750 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=84

As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 1,190 students and 93.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.8:1.[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]

Students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest in Demarest, together with students from Demarest and Haworth.[5][6] The high school is part of the Northern Valley Regional High School District, which also serves students from Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan.[7][8] During the 1994-96 school years, Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education.[9] As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 974 students and 91.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.7:1.[10]

The district participates in special education programs offered by Region III, one of seven such regional programs in Bergen County. Region III coordinates and develops special education programs for the 1,000 students with learning disabilities in the region, which also includes the Alpine, Demarest, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan districts, as well as the Northern Valley Regional High School District.[11]

History

Closter High School opened in 1912 and was closed in 1955 when the district became a constituent municipality in the Northern Valley Regional High School District and students began attending Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest. The defunct high school became Village Middle School. which operated until 1996. [12]

Hillside Elementary School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence in 2021.[13]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[14]) are:[15][16][17]

  • Hillside Elementary School[18] with 621 students in grades PreK-4 (located on 340 Homans Avenue)
    • Dianne Smith, principal
  • Tenakill Middle School[19] with 556 students in grades 5-8 (located on 275 High Street)
    • William M. Tantum, principal

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[20][21]

  • Vincent McHale, superintendent
  • Floro M. Villanueva Jr., business administrator and board secretary

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.[22][23][24]

References
  1. District information for Closter Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. Closter Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Closter Public Schools. Accessed July 25, 2023. "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 Closter School District. Composition: The Closter School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Closter."
  4. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 7, 2009.
  5. Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In / Demarest, N.J.; Small Town, Large Sense of History", The New York Times, April 4, 1999. Accessed April 19, 2013. "Following eighth grade, students go on to Northern Valley Regional High School in Demarest, which the borough shares with Haworth and neighboring Closter."
  6. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the Northern Valley Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2015. Accessed January 23, 2020. "The Northern Valley Regional School District is comprised of the municipalities of Closter, Demarest, and Haworth that are constituents of the high school in Demarest. Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood, and Old Tappan are constituents of the high school at Old Tappan."
  7. Our Communities, Northern Valley Regional High School District. Accessed December 6, 2019. "The seven towns that make up the Northern Valley Regional High School District - Closter, Demarest, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northvale, Norwood, and Old Tappan - are situated in the northeast corner of Bergen County, New Jersey."
  8. Northern Valley Regional High School District 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 12, 2017. "Located in the upper North Eastern corner of the state, Northern Valley Regional is comprised of two high schools, Northern Valley at Demarest and Northern Valley at Old Tappan... Our long standing successful and cost efficient Pre-K-12 consortium remains an exemplar model of shared services including seven local Pre-K-8 districts that send their students to the regional high schools: Closter, Demarest, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan."
  9. Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed July 24, 2020.
  10. School data for Northern Valley Regional High School At Demarest, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  11. Region III Overview, Northern Valley Regional High School District. Accessed December 6, 2019. "Responding to this the Bergen County Superintendents Council almost 25 years ago, divided and reorganized the county into seven regions for special education. Bergen County Region III is comprised of nine participating districts: Alpine, Closter, Demarest, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northern Valley Regional High School District, Northvale, Norwood, and Old Tappan."
  12. Beuscher, Kristin. "Back in Time: A wartime Christmas at Closter High School", Northern Valley Press, December 26, 2017. Accessed March 29, 2022. "The Closter High School on Durie Avenue operated from 1912 until 1955 when the Northern Valley Regional High School in Demarest opened. The Closter Jr./Sr. High School was then renamed the Village Middle School and housed the sixth, seventh and eighth grades until it closed in 1996."
  13. 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools: All Public and Non‐Public Schools, National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Accessed July 25, 2023.
  14. School Data for the Closter Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  15. Our Schools, Closter Public Schools. Accessed July 25, 2023.
  16. School Performance Reports for the Closter Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 25, 2023.
  17. New Jersey School Directory for the Closter Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  18. Hillside Elementary School, Closter Public Schools. Accessed July 25, 2023.
  19. Tenakill Middle School, Closter Public Schools. Accessed July 25, 2023.
  20. Our Administration, Closter Public Schools. Accessed July 25, 2023.
  21. New Jersey School Directory for Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  22. 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.
  23. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Closter School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2022. Accessed July 25, 2023. "The Closter Board of Education (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 is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District."
  24. Board of Education, Closter Public Schools. Accessed July 25, 2023. "The Closter Board of Education includes nine individuals elected by our community to serve a three-year term. Three board member volunteer positions are up for election each year."
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