The 10 Best North Jersey School Districts in 2026 (and What Homes Cost)

Every year, thousands of families leave New York City for Northern New Jersey. The reasons rarely change: more square footage for the money, a yard, and public schools that hold their own against private tuition in Manhattan. What has changed is the price of entry, and which towns are actually at the top.

Research from the National Bureau of Economic Research has long shown that homes in towns with strong school systems hold and grow their value more reliably than comparable homes in weaker districts. That pattern held through 2026. Most towns on this list posted double-digit annual price growth, and in several of them the majority of homes are selling above asking.

Here are the 10 best-rated school districts in North Jersey for 2026, in order, with what it currently costs to buy into each one.

NJ Rank is the district position among all New Jersey districts in the Niche 2026 Best School Districts rankings; the numbered column is its rank within North Jersey. Price and days-on-market figures from Redfin, most recent available 2026 data.

Northern Valley Regional is the top-ranked school district in all of New Jersey for 2026. It is a regional high school district serving about 2,181 students from Demarest, Closter, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northvale, Norwood, Old Tappan, and Rockleigh, which means you have eight distinct towns and eight different price points feeding into the same A+ high schools. That is the single most useful fact on this page for a budget-conscious buyer.

The market right now: In Demarest itself the median sale price is $1,684,619, down 6.4% year over year, with homes taking about 68 days to sell and closing at 102.2% of list. This is one of the few genuinely negotiable markets on the list. The sending towns to the north generally run lower, so ask about those if Demarest stretches your budget. (Redfin market data)

Image source: Casa Real Property Group MLS listings

Tenafly Public Schools ranks #3 statewide and serves roughly 3,465 students, with A+ marks for academics and teachers. The town sits along the Palisades about 20 minutes from the George Washington Bridge, with the Tenafly Nature Center, Revolutionary War landmarks, and one of the most internationally diverse populations in Bergen County.

The market right now: Median sale price is $1,706,371, up 20.6% year over year. Homes take about 90 days to sell, up from 74 a year ago, and close near asking at 101% of list. Of every town here, Tenafly currently gives buyers the most negotiating room, which makes it worth a hard look if you have been outbid elsewhere. (Redfin market data)

Image source: Zillow

Ridgewood climbed to #4 statewide, up from #8 in earlier rankings, and is the largest district on this list with about 5,480 students. The high school is known for the depth of its AP catalog, its athletics, and a long record of college placement. The village also has one of the genuinely walkable downtowns in North Jersey, and the train station puts Penn Station within roughly an hour.

The market right now: Ridgewood posted the steepest price growth of any town here. Median sale price is $1,774,035, up 43.6% year over year, and homes close at 113.9% of list, meaning the typical buyer pays roughly 14% over asking. Median days on market has tightened to 53. Come in pre-approved and ready to move. (Redfin market data)

Image source: Zillow

Mountain Lakes is the smallest district in the top five with about 1,230 students, and it earns an A+ at #5 statewide. The town is unusual: a planned lakeside community of early-1900s craftsman homes built around private lakes, with a small-town feel that is hard to find this close to Route 46 and I-287.

The market right now: Median sale price is about $1.2 million, down 7.7% year over year, which makes it one of only two towns in the top 10 where prices softened. Homes still move fast at 21 days and sell at 105% of list, with a competitiveness score of 91 out of 100. A top-five district under $1.3 million is a real opportunity. (Redfin market data)

Image source: Casa Real Property Group MLS listings

Summit Public Schools serves about 4,013 students and holds an A+ at #7 statewide. Commuting is the other draw: Summit sits on NJ Transit Morris and Essex lines with direct service to Penn Station and Hoboken, and the downtown has restaurant and retail density most suburbs this size do not.

The market right now: Median sale price is $1,679,620, up 22.2% year over year, and it is among the most competitive markets in the state at 96 out of 100. Homes go pending in about 13 days, 77.2% sell above list, and the average sale lands at 111.2% of asking. Multiple offers with waived contingencies are the norm. (Redfin market data)

Image source: Zillow

The School District of the Chathams serves about 3,594 students across Chatham Borough and Chatham Township and ranks #8 statewide with an A+ grade. It is a Midtown Direct town, which is most of the reason it commands what it does, and the borough Main Street is a genuine downtown rather than a strip.

The market right now: Chatham is the most expensive market on this list at about $1.8 million, up 24.5% year over year. Homes sell in 14 days at 109.3% of list, with 71.5% closing above asking and only 7.4% of listings ever taking a price cut. Expect to compete. (Redfin market data)

Image source: Casa Real Property Group MLS listings

Livingston enrolls about 6,410 students and ranks #9 in New Jersey with an A+ grade. It has long been one of the highest performers in the state for graduation rate and college readiness, and it consistently ranks among the best places to teach in New Jersey, which shows up in teacher retention. It is more car-dependent than Summit or Chatham, but sits well off Route 10 and I-280.

The market right now: Median sale price is $1,294,712, up 14.6% year over year. Homes sell in about 19 days at 103.6% of list, with 58.3% closing above asking. For families weighing district quality against budget in Essex County, this is usually where the math works. (Redfin market data)

Image source: Zillow

Millburn Township serves about 4,577 students and ranks #10 statewide with an A+ grade, with several elementary schools rated 10 out of 10 by GreatSchools. The township includes Short Hills, and the Millburn and Short Hills stations both offer Midtown Direct service.

The market right now: Median sale price is $1,519,662, up 14.0% year over year, with price per square foot up a striking 29.1%. Homes sell in 11 days, the fastest in the top 10, at 107.0% of list, and 76.3% close above asking. Inventory is thin, with sales down roughly 37% from last year. (Redfin market data)

Image source: Casa Real Property Group MLS listings

New Providence serves about 2,298 students and ranks #11 statewide with an A+ grade. It is a smaller, quieter neighbor to Summit with its own Midtown Direct station and a noticeably lower entry price for a district of the same caliber.

The market right now: Median sale price is $1,144,741, up 34.6% year over year, and this is the most competitive ZIP on the entire list at 97 out of 100. Homes sell in 12 days at 109.3% of list and 83.1% close above asking, the highest share in the top 10. Sales volume is up 38%, so more is coming to market, but it is being absorbed immediately. (Redfin market data)

Image source: Casa Real Property Group MLS listings

Morris Hills Regional serves about 2,626 students and holds an A+ grade at #15 statewide. Like Northern Valley, it is a regional high school district, drawing from Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township, Wharton, and Denville. It is the outlier on this list, and in the most useful way.

The market right now: The median sale price in Rockaway is around $550,000, up 8.9% year over year, with homes selling in about 21 days at roughly 3% above list. That is less than a third of what Chatham costs for a district carrying the same A+ grade. The tradeoff is a longer commute and no direct Midtown service, but if budget is the binding constraint, this is the best value in North Jersey. (Redfin market data)

Image source: Casa Real Property Group MLS listings

Neither Passaic nor Hudson County has a district in the New Jersey statewide top 25, so neither appears in the ranking above. That does not mean there are no strong options. It means the calculus is different: in these counties you are usually trading some district rating for a shorter commute, a lower price, or both. For many buyers that is the right trade.

Passaic County: Wayne Township

Wayne Township is the strongest district in Passaic County, carrying an A grade across roughly 7,653 students. Pompton Lakes follows at A-. The Wayne median sale price is $749,831, up 6.0% year over year, with homes selling in 22 days at 106.1% of list and 76.2% closing above asking. Days on market dropped from 58 to 22 in a single year, so this market tightened considerably. Passaic County Technical-Vocational Schools, based in Wayne, holds an A+ and is worth knowing about as a county-wide option. (Redfin market data)

Hudson County: Secaucus and Hoboken

Secaucus leads Hudson County with an A- grade and about 2,144 students, followed closely by Hoboken and Weehawken, also A-. Secaucus offers the better price at a median of $625,809, up 4.6% year over year, though homes take about 62 days to sell and close just under asking at 99.4% of list, which gives buyers real leverage.

Hoboken runs higher at about $1.1 million, up 23.6%, with homes selling in 23 days and about half closing above list. What you are buying there is the commute and the walkability, with a Walk Score of 97. Worth noting for due diligence: 88% of Hoboken properties carry extreme flood risk, which affects both insurance costs and long-term value, so factor that into any offer. (Redfin market data)

The gap between districts and prices widened. Chatham and Rockaway carry the same A+ grade, and Chatham costs more than three times as much. Grade alone is no longer a useful shortcut. Regional districts like Northern Valley and Morris Hills are where that gap is most exploitable, because several towns at different price points feed the same high school.

Speed varies enormously town to town. Millburn is an 11-day market. Tenafly is a 90-day market. Same region, comparable schools, completely different negotiating dynamics. That gap is the single biggest lever a buyer has right now.

Two top-10 towns saw prices fall. Demarest is down 6.4% and Mountain Lakes down 7.7%, while most of the list rose by double digits. Both are still competitive markets, but they are the clearest openings for a buyer who has been losing bidding wars.

Inventory remains the constraint. Sales volume fell in most of these towns. Listings that do come to market get concentrated attention, which is why above-list offers are now standard in seven of the ten.

• Best overall district: Northern Valley Regional, ranked #1 in New Jersey, with eight sending towns to choose from.
• Best value, full stop: Morris Hills Regional in Rockaway, an A+ district at around $550,000.
• Best value near the city: Livingston, a top-10 district roughly $500,000 below Chatham.
• Best for a daily Manhattan commute: Summit, Chatham, Millburn, or New Providence, all with Midtown Direct service.
• Best odds of getting an offer accepted: Tenafly or Demarest, where homes sit longer and sell near asking.
• Best walkable downtown: Ridgewood, with Summit and Chatham close behind.
• Best option staying in Passaic or Hudson: Wayne Township or Secaucus.