The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District is a regional public school district serving students from two communities in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, who come from the adjoining municipalities of Scotch Plains and Fanwood. The district has five elementary schools (PreKâÂÂ4), two middle schools (grades 5âÂÂ8) and a comprehensive high school (grades 9âÂÂ12).
As of the 2023âÂÂ24 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 5,758 students and 451.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a studentâÂÂteacher ratio of 12.8:1.
The district had been 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.
Shackamaxon School, was built in 1951 (the same year as Evergreen School) and operated until 1981, when it was leased to the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey as their Jewish Community Center and offices. The Federation bought the building outright five years later.
In 2021, Park Middle School, was renamed to honor Malcolm E. Nettingham, who had served during World War II with the Tuskegee Airmen.
In 2022, the United States Department of Education announced that William J. McGinn School was named as a National Blue Ribbon School, along with eight other schools in the state and 297 schools nationwide.
Schools in the district (with 2023âÂÂ24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:
Core members of the district's administration are:
The district's board of education is comprised of nine members, who set policy and oversee 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 2012) 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. Seats on the board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent districts, with seven seats assigned to Scotch Plains and two to Fanwood.