As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprising seven schools, had an enrollment of 2,669 students and 226.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.8:1.[1]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "I", the second-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.[4]
There are four elementary schools between the two municipalities, all of which are named after American presidents. Students are districted to attend a certain one of the four elementary schools between Kindergarten and fifth grade, based on where they live. Based on the local boundaries, and where the schools lie in relation to the borders of the two communities, students from portions of both municipalities attend Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington schools, which are all located quite close to the border between the two Caldwells. Wilson School, however, is located in the middle of southern West Caldwell near its border with Roseland and relatively far from Caldwell; so its students are exclusively from West Caldwell, in its westernmost neighborhoods. All students attend the district's middle school, named for the President, and all attend the high school, which is named after the Reverend James Caldwell, the same American Revolutionary War hero that both communities are named for.
Brian McCarthy, business administrator and board secretary[25]
Board of education
The district's board of education is composed 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 2012) 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.[26][27][28]
^Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Caldwell-West Caldwell Public Schools. Accessed December 15, 2022. "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 twelve in the Caldwell-West Caldwell School District. Composition: The Caldwell-West Caldwell School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Caldwell-West Caldwell."
^A Brief History, Caldwell-West Caldwell Public Schools. Accessed November 6, 2012. "The Borough of Caldwell and the Township of West Caldwell have played a prominent role in the development of the Caldwell-West Caldwell school system and the quality of education it provides. Cooperation of the two communities began in 1872 when state laws governing school districts permitted the villages of Caldwell, Franklin and Westville to consolidate into a 'School Borough.' ... West Caldwell became a borough February 24, 1904. On March 30, 1904, a special school meeting was held to vote on the consolidation of Caldwell and West Caldwell into one school district. The vote was in favor of consolidation.... Tuition students from Hanover, Roseland, Livingston, Essex Fells, Verona, North Caldwell and Fairfield (Caldwell Township) all attended the school."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Caldwell-West Caldwell School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 9, 2024. "The Board is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The Board consists of elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District. A superintendent is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District."
^Board of Education, Caldwell-West Caldwell Public Schools. Accessed December 15, 2022.