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The Summit Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Summit, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of nine schools, had an enrollment of 3,950 students and 366.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1.

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.

In 2019, Niche.com ranked the Summit District as sixth safest of 383 districts and second among 249 districts in best athletics.

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:

Preschools

• Jefferson Primary Center (143 students; in grades PreK-K)
  • Nataly Farias, principal
• Wilson Primary Center (202; PreK-K)
  • Evan Kozak, principal

Elementary schools

• Brayton School (304; 1-5)
  • Shane Zeigler, principal
• Franklin School (327; 1-5)
  • Esther Loor, principal
• Jefferson School (215; 1-5)
  • Nataly Farias, principal
• Lincoln-Hubbard School (328; 1-5)
  • Laura Muller, interim principal
• Washington School (310; 1-5)
  • Lauren Banker, principal

Middle school

• Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School (942; 6-8)
  • John Ciferni, principal

High school

• Summit High School (1,161; 9-12)
  • Stacy Grimaldi, principal

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:

• Scott Hough, superintendent
• Derek J. Jess, business administrator and board secretary

Board of education

The district's board of education is comprised of seven members who set policy and oversee the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type I school district, the board's trustees are appointed by the mayor to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three members up for reappointment each year. Of the more than 600 school districts statewide, Summit is one of about a dozen districts statewide with appointed school boards. 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.

References

1. ^ District information for Summit Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
3. Summit Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the Summit School District. Composition: The Summit School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Summit."
4. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 9, 2015.
5. "Website Ranks Summit as One of NJ's Best School Districts". February 11, 2019.
6. School Data for the Summit Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
7. About Summit, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024. "Summit Public Schools has two primary centers (Wilson and Jefferson) that house the pre-school and Kindergarten programs, five elementary schools (Brayton, Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln-Hubbard and Washington), Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School and Summit High School."
8. School Performance Reports for the Summit Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
9. New Jersey School Directory for the Summit Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
10. Jefferson Primary Center, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024.
11. Wilson Primary Center, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024.
12. Brayton School, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024.
13. Franklin School, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024.
14. Jefferson School, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024.
15. Lincoln-Hubbard School, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024.
16. Washington School, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024.
17. Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024.
18. Summit High School, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024.
19. Administration, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024.
20. New Jersey School Directory for Union County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
21. Staff. "New Providence Assistant Superintendent Scott Hough Selected as Next Superintendent of Summit Public Schools", TAP into Summit, July 7, 2020. Accessed August 16, 2020. "Scott Hough, who has served as Assistant Superintendent for the New Providence School District for the past five years, has been selected by the Summit Board of Education to serve as the next Superintendent of Schools for the Summit Public Schools. Hough, who is expected to begin his tenure on August 17, will assume the role currently held by Acting Superintendent of Schools Robert Gardella who transitioned into the position upon the departure of former Superintendent of Schools June Chang."
22. Business Office, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024.
23. 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.
24. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Summit School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed May 7, 2024. "The Board is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The Board consists of elected officials 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." See "Roster of Officials" on page 14.
25. Board of Education: About the Board, Summit Public Schools. Accessed February 8, 2020. "Summit operates under New Jersey Statute Title 18A as a Type I board of education. This statute mandates that members of Type I districts' boards of education be appointed by the mayor rather than be elected by popular vote.... The seven members of the Summit Board of Education are appointed by the mayor for three-year staggered terms, with two or three of the seats up for appointment or reappointment each year."
26. Board of Education Members, Summit Public Schools. Accessed September 12, 2024.
27. Roll, Erin. "Montclair Parents Debate Appointed Vs. Elected School Board", Montclair Local, April 4, 2019. Accessed May 9, 2020. "Montclair is one of 11 school districts in New Jersey in which the board of education is appointed by the mayor, rather than elected.... As of 2018, Montclair was one of only 11 Type I school districts in New Jersey. The other 10 are Ventnor, Port Republic, Rockleigh, Pine Valley, East Orange, East Newark, Union City, Harrison, Trenton and Summit."
28. "NJ municipalities whose mayors choose the school board", NJ Spotlight News, March 9, 2022. Accessed May 7, 2024. "Of New Jersey’s 686 districts only 13 still retain that power for the mayor. They are Brigantine, Corbin City, Margate, Port Republic, Ventnor City, Rockleigh, Pine Valley, East Orange, East Newark, Harrison, Union City, Trenton and Summit."

External links

• Summit Public Schools Website
• School Performance Reports for the Summit Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Summit Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
• Sports information

v t e School districts of Union County, New Jersey
K-8	Garwood Mountainside Winfield
K-12	Berkeley Heights Clark Cranford Elizabeth Hillside Kenilworth Linden New Providence Plainfield Rahway Roselle Roselle Park Scotch Plains-Fanwood Springfield Summit Union Westfield
9-12	Union County Vocational
Atlantic Bergen Burlington Camden Cape May Cumberland Essex Gloucester Hudson Hunterdon Mercer Middlesex Monmouth Morris Ocean Passaic Salem Somerset Sussex Union Warren High schools by county Atlantic Bergen Burlington Camden Cape May Cumberland Essex Gloucester Hudson Hunterdon Mercer Middlesex Monmouth Morris Ocean Passaic Salem Somerset Sussex Union Warren

• New Jersey District Factor Group I
• School districts in Union County, New Jersey
• Summit, New Jersey