Rockaway Borough Public Schools

Rockaway Borough Public Schools
Address
103 East Main Street
Rockaway
, Morris County, 07866
United States
Coordinates40°53′53″N 74°30′30″W / 40.897931°N 74.508464°W / 40.897931; -74.508464
District information
GradesPreK-8
SuperintendentAnthony Grieco
Business administratorGiovanni Cusmano
Schools2
Students and staff
Enrollment574 (as of 2024–25)[1]
Faculty56.1 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio10.2:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupFG
Websitewww.rockboro.org
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-8
average		%± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$12,5871$18,891−33.4%
1Budgetary Cost11,398714,159−19.5%
2Classroom Instruction6,09828,659−29.6%
6Support Services2,501442,16715.4%
8Administrative Cost1,401131,547−9.4%
10Operations & Maintenance1,295171,612−19.7%
13Extracurricular Activities7016104−32.7%
16Median Teacher Salary49,502261,136
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-8 districts with 401–750 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=64

The Rockaway Borough Public Schools are a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Rockaway Borough, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3]

As of the 2024–25 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 574 students and 56.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.2:1.[1]

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Morris Hills High School (located in Rockaway Borough), which also serves students from Wharton and some from Rockaway Township (the White Meadow Lake section and other southern portions of the township). Morris Knolls High School serves all students from Denville (where the school is located) and most students from Rockaway Township (with the exception of White Meadow Lake and other areas in the southern part of the township). The two high schools are part of the Morris Hills Regional High School District[4][5] As of the 2024–25 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,140 students and 117.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.8:1.[6]

History

Rockaway High School was located in what would become Lincoln Elementary School, as part of a construction project completed in 1923 that added a second floor used by the high school.[7]

The four constituent communities of Denville Township, Rockaway, Rockaway Township and Wharton voted in 1949 to create the Morris Hills Regional High School District. Until the district was created, students from the borough had attended Rockaway High School, which was operated by the borough's school district; the fact that the district had its own high school led some to believe that borough residents would oppose the referndum.[8] The high school closed in 1953, with the opening of the regional Morris Hills High School.[7]

The district had been classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth-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.[9]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2024–25 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[10]) are:[11][12][13]

Elementary school
  • Lincoln Elementary School[14] with 272 students in grades PreK–3
    • Jennifer Skomial, principal[15]
Middle school
  • Thomas Jefferson Middle School[16] with 299 students in grades 4–8
    • Leon Samuels, principal[17]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[18][19]

  • Anthony Grieco, superintendent[20]
  • Giovanni Cusmano, business administrator and board secretary[21]

Board of education

The district's board of education is comprised of five 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 either one or two seats up for election each year held (since 2015) 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.[22][23]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 District information for Rockaway Borough School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
  2. ↑ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ↑ Board of Education District Policy - Identification, Rockaway Borough Public Schools, adopted January 15, 2008. Accessed May 5, 2026. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eight in the Rockaway Borough School District.. Composition: The Rockaway Borough School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Rockaway Borough."
  4. ↑ Morris Hills Regional Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Morris Hills Regional High School District, updated August 27, 1990. Accessed May 4, 2026. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades 9 through 12 in the Morris Hills Regional School District. Composition: The Morris Hills Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Denville Township, Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township, and Wharton Borough for the limited purpose of providing and operating a high school."
  5. ↑ About Us, Morris Hills Regional District. Accessed May 4, 2026. "The Morris Hills Regional District accommodates students in grades nine through twelve from Denville, Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township, and Wharton, as well as out-of-district students through the New Jersey School Choice Program.... Morris Hills High School receives students from Wharton, the southern-most portion of Rockaway Township.... Rockaway Borough north of Route #46. Morris Knolls High School receives students from Denville, all of Rockaway Township with the exception of White Meadow Lake and the area described above in the southern part of Rockaway Township, Rockaway Borough south of Route #46...."
  6. ↑ School data for Morris Hills High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Giannantonio, Christina. "Rockaway school celebrates centennial", The Star-Ledger, October 9, 2014. Accessed May 5, 2026. "The school opened as the Keller Avenue Elementary School at the start of World War I. And, although school officials are unsure when the name was changed to Lincoln Elementary, they are certain that an addition was constructed in 1923 and the second floor was then occupied by Rockaway High School students. High school students attended classes there until 1953 when Morris Hills High School opened."
  8. ↑ "Another Regional High School", Herald News, March 31, 1950. Accessed May 5, 2026, via Newspapers.com, via Newspapers.com. "Denville, Wharton and the two Rockaways (township and borough) voted overwhelmingly last fall for a regional school to serve a Morris County area 20 miles long. The size of the favorable vote surprised everyone, because it was feared that Rockaway Borough, which has its own small high school, was jealous of Denville and might turn down the regional proposal. Approval by all four communities was required."
  9. ↑ District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 1, 2024.
  10. ↑ School Data for the Rockaway Borough Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
  11. ↑ Schools, Rockaway Borough Public Schools. Accessed May 4, 2022.
  12. ↑ School Performance Reports for the Rockaway Borough School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  13. ↑ New Jersey School Directory for the Rockaway Borough Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  14. ↑ Lincoln Elementary School, Rockaway Borough Public Schools. Accessed May 5, 2026.
  15. ↑ Welcome, Lincoln Elementary School. Accessed May 5, 2026.
  16. ↑ Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Rockaway Borough Public Schools. Accessed May 5, 2026.
  17. ↑ Principal's Message, Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Accessed May 5, 2026.
  18. ↑ Board of Education, Rockaway Borough Public Schools. Accessed May 5, 2026.
  19. ↑ New Jersey School Directory for Morris County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  20. ↑ Superintendent, Rockaway Borough School District. Accessed May 5, 2026.
  21. ↑ Business Administration, Rockaway Borough School District. Accessed May 5, 2026.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Rockaway Borough School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2025. Accessed May 5, 2026. "The Rockaway Borough Public School District (the 'District') is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an education institution. The Board of Education (the 'Board') consists of five elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District. A Superintendent of Schools is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District. A School Business Administrator/Board Secretary is also appointed by the Board and oversees the business functions of the District." See "Roster of Officials" on page 14.
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