Cresskill, New Jersey, is a small, quiet borough in Bergen County. Home to around 8,700 residents, the community is well-known for its suburban neighborhoods with spacious homes, beautiful parks, and a relatively low cost of living. Just across from Yonkers along the Hudson River and bordering both the Alpine Country Club and Montammy Golf Club, Cresskill offers a lot to all of its residents and neighbors.
If you're considering moving to this community, exploring the homes, local economy, cultural attractions, and schools must be part of your checklist for finding a dream home. In this guide, we dive into the details of the schools in Cresskill, NJ. Learn more about New Jersey schools in general, get an overview of Cresskill's schools, and create a strategy for ensuring you find a home that gives you access to your preferred Cresskill schools in the community.
New Jersey schools are some of the strongest in the country
Overall, New Jersey's schools rank among the highest in the country. A recent WalletHub report ranked New Jersey as the third-strongest option in the country based on 32 different metrics. The state ranks highly for crucial factors such as reading scores (second place), math scores (third place), and having a good pupil-to-teacher ratio (fourth place). New Jersey also leads the country in terms of digital learning. If you're measuring factors beyond academics, New Jersey also ranks highly in creating a good social environment, with a twelfth-place position on low bullying rates. If you're moving from out of the state, you'll easily find welcoming schools and strong academic curriculums across the state.
The size and scope of Cresskill's school system
Cresskill is a small residential community in Bergen County, and its public school system, Cresskill Public Schools, serves approximately 1,800 students through its pre-kindergarten to 12th-grade programs. The school system comprises four main schools serving students across the borough.
- Elementary Schools (pre-K through grade 5):
- Edward H. Bryan School (approximately 475 students)
- Merritt Memorial School (approximately 325 students)
- Middle School (grades 6-8): Cresskill Middle School (approximately 425 students)
- High School (grades 9-12): Cresskill High School (approximately 550 students)
Special Bergen County secondary education programs
In addition to having access to Cresskill Public Schools, residential children qualify for all the programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools. These programs are open to students throughout Bergen County, and they offer both full-time and part-time programs that are covered by the local school district. The Bergen County Technical Schools (BCTS), which is headquartered in the nearby Paramus, offers several different programs:
- Bergen County Academies: The Academies has seven different magnet high school programs oriented toward academic and business rigor. In 2015, Bergen County Academies was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School.
- Bergen County Technical High School: This program focuses on vocational and technical training in Paramus.
- Bergen County Technical High School, Teterboro Campus: This school is a technology- and project-focused learning environment that focuses on career and interdisciplinary areas of learning.
- Applied Technology High School: This program is run at the Bergen Community College campus and focuses on hands-on learning in engineering, cybersecurity, and healthcare fields.
How to know if a home feeds into a specific school
Districting laws and norms are based on counties and individual school districts across the state, and residents can reach out to their city or school district regarding their school zone. Because of changing population levels across New Jersey, the boundaries that define different school zones may move slightly over time.
For example, homes on Roosevelt Street just west of Edward H. Bryan Elementary School may be zoned for that campus rather than Merritt Memorial Elementary School, which sits further east. However, for homes in between the two schools along Grant Ave and Lincoln Drive, the distinction may be less clear.
If the school zone is a major deciding factor for your ideal home purchase in Cresskill, there are a few different ways to determine which elementary school prospective homes are zoned in:
For example, homes on Roosevelt Street just west of Edward H. Bryan Elementary School may be zoned for that campus rather than Merritt Memorial Elementary School, which sits further east. However, for homes in between the two schools along Grant Ave and Lincoln Drive, the distinction may be less clear.
If the school zone is a major deciding factor for your ideal home purchase in Cresskill, there are a few different ways to determine which elementary school prospective homes are zoned in:
- For preliminary research into Cresskill schools, consider the Great Schools school zone map. You can search by specific addresses to identify what school district the home is currently zoned for.
- For a more definitive answer, you can directly contact the school district or city. Organization officials can give you clear guidance regarding which elementary a specific home is zoned for. They can also give you more details regarding any forecasted changes in the school zone map and what steps you can take to ensure students remain enrolled at a particular school.
Your realtor cannot guarantee that a specific home will remain zoned for a particular elementary school, whether for the upcoming school year or in the years ahead. However, they can give you in-depth resources regarding who to contact and how to ensure you have as much control as possible regarding school placement. Because Cresskill only has one middle school and one high school, it's a simple process for enrolling students and clarifying your school district zone.
How Cresskill schools are paid for — and how that impacts your house-buying potential
Cresskill Public Schools are publically funded schools. They receive money from portions of the state sales tax, state income tax, and local property tax revenue, with only 10% of funding coming from federal tax dollars. Across the state, New Jersey residents paid approximately $17 billion for the 2022-2023 school year, which breaks down to an average of approximately $5,000 per household.
Your taxable income levels determine state income taxes, and New Jersey municipalities also collect a property tax based on your home's assessed value. Because property taxes are often collected along with mortgage payments and home insurance premiums in an escrow account, lenders will factor your estimated property tax obligations into your anticipated house-buying budget. This step gives you a better understanding of your potential budget as you start to explore homes in Cresskill and consider putting an offer down on a home you love.
Your taxable income levels determine state income taxes, and New Jersey municipalities also collect a property tax based on your home's assessed value. Because property taxes are often collected along with mortgage payments and home insurance premiums in an escrow account, lenders will factor your estimated property tax obligations into your anticipated house-buying budget. This step gives you a better understanding of your potential budget as you start to explore homes in Cresskill and consider putting an offer down on a home you love.
Explore Cresskill with a local expert on The Kolsky Team to learn more about the community
Cresskill offers local public schools, access to award-winning county education programs, and plenty of choices for all residents and prospective homebuyers. If you have more questions about local schools and other factors of Cresskill living, reach out to The Kolsky Team. We're a local team of experienced realtors who are here to guide you through the local real estate market and help you find a home you'll love for years to come. Contact us today to schedule a conversation!
