Wikipedia

Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District

The Bridgewater–Raritan Regional School District is a regional public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the municipalities of Bridgewater Township and Raritan Borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3] All of the school facilities are in Bridgewater, except for John F. Kennedy School, which is located in Raritan.[4]

Bridgewater-Raritan Regional District
Address
836 Newmans Lane
Bridgewater Township
, Somerset County, New Jersey, 08807
United States
Coordinates40°36′11″N 74°34′06″W / 40.602991°N 74.568287°W / 40.602991; -74.568287
District information
GradesPreK-12
SuperintendentRobert Beers
Business administratorPeter Starrs
Schools11
Students and staff
Enrollment8,254 (as of 2020–21)[1]
Faculty754.4 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio10.9:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupI
Websitewww.brrsd.org
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$17,61439$18,891−6.8%
1Budgetary Cost14,4395014,783−2.3%
2Classroom Instruction9,227748,7635.3%
6Support Services1,954272,392−18.3%
8Administrative Cost1,495591,4850.7%
10Operations & Maintenance1,465331,783−17.8%
13Extracurricular Activities26056268−3.0%
16Median Teacher Salary65,1285364,043
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-12 districts with more than 3,500 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=103

As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprising 11 schools, had an enrollment of 8,254 students and 754.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.9:1.[1] One of the largest suburban districts statewide, the district is the largest in Somerset County.[5]

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.[6]

Awards and recognition

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During the 1999–2000 school year, Bridgewater–Raritan High School received the National Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.[7]

For the 1997-98 school year, Bridgewater–Raritan High School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.[8]

BRHS is one of only three high schools in the state to have received both awards.[9]

Bridgewater Middle school students qualified to participate in NJ State and National Mathcounts for 2012 and 2013.

Bridgewater Middle School students placed first in the National Science Bowl 2013 New Jersey regional competition held at Princeton Plasma Lab; Science Bowl is a science competition sponsored by United States Department of Energy, involving general, physical, life, earth and mathematics.[10]

The Bridgewater Middle School Academic team won the A.T.O.M.S tournament for six of eight years, in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015[11] and 2017.

In 2015, BRMS swept all of the 30+ schools during the Music in the Parks Festival and came in first in Jazz band, wind ensemble, orchestra, and girls choir.[12]

In 2013, the BRHS marching band placed the highest of any New Jersey marching band at the Bands of America national championships, and the second New Jersey band to make it to semi-finals.[13]

Schools

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Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[14]) are:[15][16][17][18]

Primary schools
  • Adamsville Primary School[19] (532 students; in grades PreK–4)
    • James Singagliese, principal
  • Bradley Gardens Primary School[20] (263; PreK–4)
    • Barbara A. Binford, principal
  • Crim Primary School[21] (342; K–4)
    • Kelliann Ten Kate, principal
  • Hamilton Primary School[22] (477; K–4)
    • Timothy Beaumont, principal
  • John F. Kennedy Primary School[23] (427; K–4)
    • Aldo Russo, principal
  • Milltown Primary School[24] (402; PreK–4)
    • Matthew J. Lembo, principal
  • Van Holten Primary School[25] (334; K–4)
    • George Rauh, principal
Intermediate and middle schools
  • Eisenhower Intermediate School[26] (704; 5–6)
    • Laura Bassett, principal
  • Hillside Intermediate School[27] (574; 5–6)
    • Tali Axelrod, principal
  • Bridgewater–Raritan Middle School[28] (1,384; 7–8)
    • Megan Corliss, principal
High school

Former and converted schools

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From 1966 until 1991, the Bridgewater–Raritan district had two high schools, known as "East" and "West." The current unified high school is on the "West" site, and the former "East" building is now the Middle School.

Schools that have been closed since the 1970s include:

  • Finderne School (closed 1983; now the Peoplecare Center for non-profit community services)[30]
  • Green Knoll School (closed 1976; now part of the Bridgewater Township Municipal Building complex)[31]
  • Martinsville School (closed 1978; now occupied by private offices)[32]
  • Valley School (closed 1984; now the Harmon V. Wade Administration Building, school district headquarters)[33]
  • Washington Middle School in Raritan (closed 1979; converted to Somerset County offices)[34]

Adamsville School, now an elementary school, was a middle school until 1983. Eisenhower and Hillside Schools, now intermediate schools, were both middle schools until 1995.

District governance

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Administration

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Core members of the district's administration are:[35]

  • Robert Beers, superintendent[36]
  • Peter Starrs, business administrator and board secretary[37]

Board of education

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The district's board of education is comprised of nine 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.[38][39] The district's nine-member board of education is apportioned by population between Bridgewater and Raritan. Since the early 1990s, Bridgewater has elected eight of the board members and Raritan has elected one. Board members serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three members up for election each year. For 2022, the board president is Steven Singer and the vice president is Lynne Hurley, both of Bridgewater.[40]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d District information for Bridgewater-Raritan Regional 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. ^ Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District 2014-15 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed January 23, 2020. "The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District is a suburban school district located in Somerset County. We serve students from the Township of Bridgewater and the Borough of Raritan. The district is comprised of eleven schools and 3 ancillary buildings, with 1200 staff members serving 9000 students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12."
  4. ^ Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Bridgewater, N.J.; Where the Downtown Is a Shopping Mall ", The New York Times, December 29, 2002. Accessed October 5, 2014. "Among the newer residents, Mr. Cirianni said that he and his wife, Rita, were drawn by the 8,550 Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, which the township shares with the 6,000-resident borough to its south."
  5. ^ About Us, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 26, 2022. "The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District is the largest district in Somerset County and one of the largest suburban school districts in the State. We have approximately 8,800 students attending seven primary (K-4) schools, two intermediate (5-6) schools, one middle school, and one high school."
  6. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed October 5, 2014.
  7. ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed June 27, 2013.
  8. ^ Bridgewater-Raritan High School 1997-98 entry in the Star School database, New Jersey Department of Education, backed up by the Internet Archive as of December 18, 2006. Accessed June 27, 2013.
  9. ^ 2015-2016 School Profile, Bridgewater-Raritan High School. Accessed November 8, 2016.
  10. ^ O'Brien, Walter. "Bridgewater-Raritan places first in N.J. Science Bowl, heads to nationals", NJ.com, February 26, 2013. Accessed November 8, 2016. "A team of five middle school students who took first place in the state Science Bowl competition will now head to the national competition in the nation's capital. Rob Ambrose, an eighth-grade earth science teacher at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School, has been working with a team of students who Friday beat 15 other teams to take first place in the New Jersey Regional Science Bowl at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in Princeton."
  11. ^ 2015 A.T.O.M.S Finals Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association. "On Thursday, April 16, 2015 the final round of A.T.O.M.S was held between Crossroads Middle School and Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School. After three rounds of play, Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School was named the champion."
  12. ^ Blumberg, Audrey. "BRMS Students Score Big at Music in Parks", TAPintotheBreeze, July 15, 2015. Accessed October 7, 2015. "The wind ensemble earned 95.30 points for the Overall Concert Band Award; the jazz ensemble earned 94.00 points for the Overall Jazz Band Award; the studio orchestra earned 97.30 points; and the select women's choir earned 95.50 points for the Overall Choir Award." Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Staff. "Bridgewater-Raritan band places highest in history at Band of America Grand Nationals", The Messenger-Gazette, January 4, 2013. Accessed July 11, 2016. "The Bridgewater-Raritan High School marching band was recognized by the board of education Tuesday for placing higher than any other New Jersey bands in history at the recent Band of America Grand Nationals in Indianapolis."
  14. ^ School Data for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  15. ^ Our Schools, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  16. ^ Public Schools Directory 2023–2024, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed March 12, 2024.
  17. ^ School Performance Reports for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  18. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  19. ^ Adamsville Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  20. ^ Bradley Gardens Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  21. ^ Crim Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  22. ^ Hamilton Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  23. ^ John F. Kennedy Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  24. ^ Milltown Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  25. ^ Van Holten Primary School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  26. ^ Eisenhower Intermediate School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  27. ^ Hillside Intermediate School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  28. ^ Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  29. ^ Bridgewater-Raritan High School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  30. ^ Argote-Freyre, Frank (June 17, 1983). "Teachers, students bid goodbye on Finderne School's last day". Courier News. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Gibbons, Maureen (February 10, 1976). "Green Knoll School to be closed". Courier News. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ Cantlupe, Joe (June 29, 1978). "Students say a final goodbye as Martinsville ends an era". The Central Jersey Home News. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ Ostermiller, Marilyn (June 14, 1984). "All's ready for closing of Valley School". Courier News. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ Del Vecchio, Rick (December 6, 1978). "Board votes to close school amid boos, jeers and tears". The Central Jersey Home News. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Somerset County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  36. ^ Superintendent, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  37. ^ Business Office, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed June 27, 2022.
  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 1, 2024. "he Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District is a Type II District located in Somerset County, New Jersey. The School District is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The District is governed by a 9 member board elected to three-year terms 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."
  40. ^ Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Accessed January 23, 2020. "Welcome to the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District Board of Education. We are a 9-member board with 8 members elected from Bridgewater and one member elected from Raritan. Members are elected to three-year terms on the November general election day."
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