Let’s Talk Rankings

Written By Christine Parlamis

U.S. News & World Report just released their 2025–26 High School Rankings and Glen Rock High School ranked #48 in New Jersey. How's that compare to past years? Here’s a look back at the U.S. News & World Report GRHS rankings:

  • 2015 – #34

  • 2016 – #14

  • 2019 – #40

  • 2020 – #40

  • 2022 – #52

  • 2023 – #39

  • 2024 – #36

  • 2025 – #48

But U.S. News & World Report is just one ranking platform. There are a number of others - and each ranking system uses a different methodology. So, the best perspective comes from looking at them together:

Top 5 NJ Public School Ranking Platforms:

* U.S. News & World Report – test scores, AP/IB, grad rates, equity

* Niche – academics, teachers, clubs, parent/student reviews; also ranks by specialties (STEM, athletes, teachers, etc.). GRHS: strong overall (grade A), standout in Bergen County for teachers, less so in STEM/college prep/diversity

* SchoolDigger – state test performance & growth. GRHS peaked at #30 in 2021; currently #37 (always top 20% statewide)

* Public School Review – test proficiency, demographics, student-teacher ratios. Compares GRHS to all NJ public schools (elementary–HS), placing it in the top 10%

* NJ Monthly - a local authority on public high school in NJ. Because it uses Dept of Education data, sometimes its data lags. Its methodology puts emphasis on AP participation which could favor more affluent schools. Highlighted past rankings of this source as follows (more recent ranking data was not readily available online).

  • * 2006: Ranked 6th

  • * 2010: Ranked 28th

  • * 2012: Ranked 4th

  • * 2018: Ranked 2nd

For me, the real insight from school rankings comes from tracking the trends. Trends paint a truer picture of how a school is performing than one year’s snapshot ever could.

Christine Parlamis
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