Mt. Olive School District is in the top 13 percent of the best New Jersey school systems, according to rankings recently released by SchoolDiggger. The website, which annually evaluates U.S. schools using scores on standardized state exams, ranks Mt. Olive 81 of the 609 districts in the state and in the top 10 districts in Morris County. The SchoolDigger ranking confirms district data that shows that student achievement levels in 2016 were the highest in school district history.

All Mt. Olive schools were ranked in the top 25 percent or higher, an indication of exceptional student performance last spring on PARCC exams – the standardized tests in language arts and math that are the foundation for the SchoolDigger rankings. Particularly notable were the test scores at Tinc Road Elementary School, which led to its ranking in the top four percent of all NJ elementary schools.

Mt. Olive High School scored among the top 10 percent statewide for the first time in its history. That performance is even more impressive considering that regional vocational/technical schools and charter schools were included in the rankings. In August, MOHS was honored by “Newsweek” as one of America’s top high schools; it was also recognized as a top high school by “U.S. News & World Report” in 2015.

“Our students, faculty, and staff deserve hearty congratulations,” said Dr. Larrie Reynolds, superintendent of schools. “The Board of Education also played a crucial leadership role in this achievement by establishing to all that we stand for excellence. They worked together with district administrators to craft policies, programs, and procedures that ensure that our kids are getting the best education they can. Congratulations to all.”

About 99 percent of Mt. Olive students took the PARCC exams in the spring of 2016.