River Dell Regional Falls 77 Spots in Top High School List

River Dell Regional High School was listed in the top 100 schools in the state of New Jersey in 2010. But according to the New Jersey Monthly’s biennial report released recently, River Dell dropped 77 positions from 27 to 104 in 2011.

The rankings are based on recently released data set by the Department of Education's New Jersey School Report Card. The report shows data for 328 public schools in the state. 

Categories and indicators used in the rankings include:

School Environment: The sum of the standardized rank scores for average class size, the student/faculty ratio, percentage of faculty with advanced degrees, and the number of AP tests offered, which was calculated using a ratio of grade 11 and 12 enrollment in order not to penalize smaller schools.  

According to the report, RDHS had 219.5 students enrolled, the average class size was 24.9, and student/faculty ratio was 12.5.

Student Performance: The sum of the standardized rank scores for average combined SAT score, the percentage of students showing advanced proficiency on HSPA, and students scoring a 3 or higher on AP tests as a percentage of all juniors and seniors.

Percentage of RDHS faculty with masters or doctorate degrees - 76.2, average combined SAT score - 1591, and number of AP classes offered - 18.

Student Outcomes: A single score based on a new four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate introduced by New Jersey in 2011, as mandated by the federal government.

The adjusted cohort formula divides a school’s number of four-year graduates by the number of first-time ninth-graders who entered the cohort four years earlier. 

The cohort graduation rate for RDHS was 93.25.

For more DOE report card information, click here. To see the entire list of public high school rankings by New Jersey Monthly, click here.