2023 Best Public Middle Schools in Essex County

• Millburn Township School District, NJ•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.31 out of 5  13 reviews

Alum: I really did enjoy Millburn Middle School when I attended it, which was a couple of years ago. The class sizes were relatively small, all of the teachers were very friendly, and there was a strong emphasis on after school activities. I remember that the theater program was popular and many students attended. The only aspect I would change would be lunch time. Lunch was split into lunch and auditorium. Instead, all students should get lunch at the same time. It is healthier to have a longer lunch. I would also update the classrooms because they were a bit old and dated.... Read 13 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 1,197

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Livingston Board of Education School District, NJ•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 3.4 out of 5  5 reviews

Middle School Student: The teachers are very flexible. There are many clubs available and good chances you will do an outside school event that are prestigus.... Read 5 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 1,029

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Livingston Board of Education School District, NJ•

• 6

• grade A+

• Students 486

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Newark, NJ•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 2.75 out of 5  4 reviews

Middle School Student: The Gray Charter school is a great school. I personally would change a few things about the way the school is structured, but otherwise it's a good school.... Read 4 reviews

• grade A

• Students 364

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• West Essex Regional School District, NJ•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 4.33 out of 5  3 reviews

Alum: West Essex Middle School did not really prepare students for the high school experience. In my opinion, many of the teachers were very lazy and did not care to educate the students. ... Read 3 reviews

• grade A

• Students 558

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Newark, NJ•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.83 out of 5  213 reviews

Senior: I love how my school has adequate resources to prepare us for college such as chrome books and great counselor that help us revise our personal statements countless of times and work on getting us accepted into college. I go to a predominately black school, so the diversity could be better, although that would be a big change for me personally. There are many clubs available in North Star. I joined the culture club my sophomore year of North Star and I loved it! I was able to help plan cultural party events and spread knowledge on my culture being a Nigerian-American.... Read 213 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 6,298

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• South Orange-Maplewood School District, NJ•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.5 out of 5  4 reviews

Middle School Student: THIS SCHOOL IS TRIPLE AWESOME!! Teachers are great! Students are great! Everyone is great! 100000000/10 stars wouldn't switch to another school for the world... Read 4 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 783

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Nutley Public School District, NJ•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Middle School Student: I am a student at John Walker and as much as I hate being at School like every other kid I do have to admit that the Teachers are nice and they do a good job at teaching me the Curriculum. This is a very short Review but I don’t know how else to express it.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 651

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Newark, NJ•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Niche User: My experience here at MLVR, which I attended for a full eight years was very good. I believe that there is an amazing atmosphere here, everyone is treated like a whole family. All the teachers I had, had nothing but great personalities and genuine bonds with students. MLVR supplies students a lot with technology. When entering the middle school building, in 5th grade, students are supplied with tablets that stay at school, as they rise to the upper grades more trust is put upon them and they are instead given chrome books that are allowed to be taken home. Lunch isn't the best but I don’t think you’ll go to any public school that serves gourmet food. There are many activities that the school has in which students and parents can get involved. The only thing I would change about MLVR is having sports. The school use to have sports but they were removed some time ago. They have to make a comeback and I believe that the school including sports will make the school even better.... Read 1 review

• grade A minus

• Students 574

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Montclair Public Schools, NJ•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 1 out of 5  1 review

• grade A minus

• Students 662

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Montclair Public Schools, NJ•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Middle School Student: inordinately good teachers that really know what they are doing. They are always on top of questions! Our ela teacher was really good at giving information that stuck and gave an ela experience that you cant get anywhere! The science teacher was so open and prolific and found ways to get kids all the resources and info they will need and kids listen when they speak but and do them (also great for group activities). On another note the diversity excels and the lessons on diversity and what actually happened with these Portuguese and Spanish explores discovering the new world was superb!! I wish I had 100,000,000 other starts to give!! Other kids may have me eclipsed with spelling but I defiantly prospered here compared to past years!!... Read 1 review

• grade B+

• Students 243

• Student-teacher ratio 8:1

• Cedar Grove Township School District, NJ•

• 5-8

• •
  Rating 3.67 out of 5  3 reviews

Middle School Student: Spectacular school! All of the teachers and staff are very caring to students and are great at what they do. There is zero tolerance for bullying so it's not likely to happen all that much. The school is at a very pretty and safe location so all students are able to feel safe and happy while here. The school is also close to restaurants so students can hang out with their friends at different locations.... Read 3 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 454

• Student-teacher ratio 9:1

• South Orange-Maplewood School District, NJ•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Niche User: Maplewood middle is a great middle school. The teachers were very helpful and willing to go the extra mile to make sure students succeed. The food was nothing short of amazing, the sports were very competitive and the diversity of student were substantial... Read 2 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 801

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Verona Public School District, NJ•

• 5-8

• •
  Rating 2 out of 5  2 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 643

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Montclair Public Schools, NJ•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.8 out of 5  10 reviews

Sophomore: I went to middle school here and I loved it! I thought I got a great education and all of the teachers were really kind! I learned how to really write and essay and it really prepared me for High School.... Read 10 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 655

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• West Orange Public Schools, NJ•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 4.33 out of 5  3 reviews

Middle School Student: RMS was a great school and provided me with a great Middle school experience. The best thing about this school is how much the staff cares about you. If I was having a bad day, teachers would always notice and make sure I was okay. Most of my teachers made sure to do things like give extra credit opportunities if kids weren't doing well in classes, and they were always available after school for help. This school has a wide variety of clubs that cater to almost everyone, and there is always something fun to do. The lunch was decent, but not great. The rest of the school was diverse, fun, and an overall great experience. Roosevelt is just the type of school where you feel safe and happy when you walk in.... Read 3 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 476

• Student-teacher ratio 9:1

• Caldwell-West Caldwell School District, NJ•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.33 out of 5  3 reviews

Middle School Student: This school was good. 7th grade gave me depression, and the teachers were rough. 6th grade and 8th grade were a walk in the park. Supportive staff who want to see me suceed.... Read 3 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 626

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• West Orange Public Schools, NJ•

• 6

• •
  Rating 2 out of 5  2 reviews

• grade B

• Students 551

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• West Orange Public Schools, NJ•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  2 reviews

Middle School Student: Its very good so far. It started off with great school year so yeah its good. I also like the amount of diversity in this school.... Read 2 reviews

• grade B

• Students 560

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Bloomfield Township School District, NJ•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 2.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Middle School Student: There are always fights going on and videos getting passed around. But once you get to meet everyone it can be a very fun inclusive crowd. The only thing is the vaping in the bathroom. So many people skip class to vape and i feel like the teachers don't even know.... Read 2 reviews

• grade B

• Students 1,025

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• East Orange School District, NJ•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 3.63 out of 5  107 reviews

Junior: STEM Academy holds some of the greatest scholars who excel at core subjects and exceed at science, technology, engineering, and math. The school makes it an absolute goal to be safe especially during COVID-19 times. The school holds many activists and chances to get involved and to gain new experiences. If it was one thing I’d change about STEM is the food but besides that I can’t think of anything negative about STEM Academy and this is coming from a student who’s been here for six years! Give it a chance, I think you’ll like it!... Read 107 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 632

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• East Orange School District, NJ•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 3.56 out of 5  200 reviews

Senior: This school and the faculty members take great care of it’s students’ mental health and safety. There are many opportunities to get involved in the Community as well! There was never a dull moment, especially with the various performances, productions, and events this school held!... Read 200 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 742

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Newark, NJ•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.81 out of 5  53 reviews

Middle School Student: Team Academy is a great school with very well academics and teachers. Throughout the 5-8 grade year, the teachers there make sure to apply the work to students to make sure they succeed and excel. Overall Team is an excellent school regardless of the area it is in and also gives students a way to learn their culture and have more of a school spirit.... Read 53 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 5,263

• Student-teacher ratio 27:1

• Newark, NJ•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 2.6 out of 5  5 reviews

Senior: Current Linker here. With the addition of Kindergarten and 1st Grade the school is extremely overcrowded and the commute to each class is always a hassle. The food isn't extremely bad, but can definitely be hit or miss sometimes. The admin has 0 trust in the students and have blocked almost every website you can image on the school chromebooks. The HSP program at Link is one of my favorite aspects of the school and really sets up each kid to be successful. Programs such as The Wight Foundation and SEEDS really set you up for success. Academics should be more personalized and tailored to each student because some higher level kids end up being held back and can't reach their full potential because of the cirriculum. The arts program here is really good. At the end of the day, I feel like Link itself isn't a bad school, just the kids that come through the program come in with what I call "The Newark Baggage" which makes it harder for the school to succeed as a whole.... Read 5 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 318

• Student-teacher ratio 7:1

• Newark Public School District, NJ•

• PK, K-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  4 reviews

Middle School Student: I'm a 6th grader in this school and it's the best,but overall the teachers there are super caring and fun to be around and now they do this thing where we have a fun friday.... Read 4 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 1,139

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1