Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2] *Of K-12 districts with 1,800-3,500 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=68
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As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 3,740 students and 341.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.0:1.[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.[5]
Residents of Princeton University's housing complexes for graduate students with families, Butler Apartments,[6] Lawrence Apartments,[7] and Stanworth Apartments,[8] are zoned to the district.[9]
The district's high school was constructed in 1927 and the middle school in 1965. The four elementary schools were completed from 1957 to 1962.[10]
The district was known as the Princeton Regional School District until July 2012, when the Princeton Public Schools name went into effect. The board changed the name in a February 2012 vote, in which the end of regionalization due to the forthcoming consolidation of the independent borough and township into a single municipality in January 2013 was cited as the reason behind the name change.[11][12]
Niche ranked Princeton Public Schools as the 16th best school district in America and the best school district in New Jersey in its "2021 Best School Districts" rankings.[13]
In 2000-01, the district was recognized by the New Jersey Department of Education with the Best Practices award for its Jefferson Debates Citizenship / Character Education program for students in Grades 6-8.[15]
Valley Road School educated children in Princeton Township from 1918 until 1980 when it was converted to offices. It was the first school constructed in the former Princeton Township by the regional district and became the district's first integrated elementary school in 1948.[35]
John Witherspoon Middle School was the former name of Princeton Middle School from its construction in 1966 to 2020. The name was changed on June 15, 2020, with a vote of 8-1[36] from the Princeton Public Schools School Board following the George Floyd protests, due to the school's namesake being a slave owner. The school was renamed Princeton Middle School in 2021 after temporarily being named Princeton Unified Middle School for the 2020-2021 school year.[37]
Core members of the district's administration are:[38]
Kathie Foster, interim superintendent. Foster will replace Carol Kelley, who left the position in October 2023.[39]
Matthew Bouldin, business administrator and board secretary[40]
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.[41][42] A tenth represented is appointed by the Cranbury district to represent its interests on the Princeton Board of Education.[3]
District Policy 9110 - Number of Members and Term of Office, Princeton Public Schools. Accessed September 3, 2020. "The Princeton Public Schools District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Municipality of Princeton and receives high school students from the Cranbury Public School District.... The Princeton Board of Education shall consist of ten members, nine of which are elected for three year terms and one from the Cranbury Board of Education."
Princeton Public Schools 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed August 2, 2017. "As we strive to serve the more than 3700 students from the Princeton and Cranbury communities, we do so knowing that our work with them in the classroom, on the athletic field, and on the stage matters deeply to each one and to the larger society into which they will graduate."
Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Princeton Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2022. Accessed November 13, 2023. "The district is comprised of six schools. There is one high school originally built in 1927 and since has had multiple additions with the most recent completed in 2005. There is one middle school currently serving grades six through eight built in 1965 and four neighborhood elementary schools. Two elementary schools were built in 1959 while one was built in 1957 and the newest school was built in 1962."
Cuyler, Greta. "District to be Renamed Princeton Public Schools The name change will take effect July 1, following the board's 5-4 vote on Tuesday.", Princeton, NJ Patch, February 8, 2012. Accessed September 24, 2024. "Effective July 1, the school district will officially be renamed Princeton Public Schools. By a 5-4 vote, the Board of Education on Tuesday approved the renaming of the Princeton Regional School District. Why? Once Princeton Borough and Princeton Township consolidate on Jan. 1, 2013, Princeton will no longer qualify as a regional school district, and is required by law to change its name, Superintendent Judy Wilson said."
Who We Are, Princeton Public Schools. Accessed December 17, 2022. "Elementary Schools (Grades K-5): Community Park, Johnson Park, Littlebrook, and Riverside.... Middle School (Grades 6-8): Princeton Middle School... High School (Grades 9-12): Princeton High School"
Valley Road SchoolArchived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Preservation New Jersey. Accessed November 25, 2015. "When it opened in 1918, the school became the first regional school in Princeton Township, and in 1948 it became the first integrated elementary school in Princeton (the high school had been integrated since 1915)."
Rein, Richard K. "For the Third Time, Kathie Foster Plays an Interim Role in Princeton -- This Time as Superintendent", TAPinto Princeton, November 13, 2023. Accessed November 13, 2023. "Just last June Kathie Foster seemed to be presiding over her last in-person appearance at the Princeton Public Schools – as the interim high school principal greeting the Class of 2023 as it graduated after a tumultuous senior year.... But now Foster is back for an encore in another interim role, as interim superintendent following Superintendent Carol Kelley’s own resignation, effective in August of next year but with a leave of absence effective that began immediately after the announcement on October 27."