U.S. News Ranking: The Best Middle Schools In New Jersey 

• Top-Rated Schools by County and District

• What Sets These Middle Schools Apart

• Educators and Parents React to the 2026 Rankings

Middle school comes between elementary and high school, usually for grades 6 to 8. It helps students prepare for high school with more challenging classes and increased independence as they grow and learn during their early teenage years.

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As mentioned, Middle School is a tough time for kids because it is that bridge from being a child in grade school and becoming a young adult as you enter High School. So it's very important to have quality schools at the "Middle School" level.

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A New Ranking From U.S. News & World Report: "Best Middle Schools in America"

According to a recent Patch article, "U.S. News researchers based the 2026 ranking of the nation’s best public middle schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. The researchers ranked more than 23,000 middle schools in their 2026 report, released on Tuesday."

Top Middle Schools In New Jersey

1. Infinity Institute (Jersey City Public Schools)
2. School 28 (Paterson Public School District)
3. Upper School (Englewood Cliffs School District)
4. Princeton Charter School
5. Mendham Township Middle School (Mendham Township School District)
6. Ho-Ho-Kus Public School (Ho-Ho-Kus School District)
7. Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School
8. Hatikvah International Academy Charter School
9. Brookside School (Allendale Public School District)
10. Forrestdale School (Rumson Borough School District)
11. Markham Place School (Little Silver Boro School District)
12. Deerfield Elementary School (Mountainside School District)
13. Briarcliff Middle School (Mountain Lakes Public School District)
14. Sara M. Gilmore Academy (Union City School District)
15. Mountain View School (Mendham Borough School District)
16. Knollwood School (Fair Haven School District)
17. Millburn Middle School (Millburn Township School District)
18. Tenafly Middle School (Tenafly Public School District)
19. John Adams Middle School (Edison Township School District)
20. Emil A. Cavallini Middle School (Upper Saddle River School District)

The ranking methodology considered student proficiency in:

• math
• reading/language
• arts
• state assessments

"adjusting for student backgrounds and core subject achievements. In cases of ties, student-teacher ratios were used as a deciding factor."