Morris Plains Schools

The Morris Plains Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that educates students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Morris Plains, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.^[3]

As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 601 students and 66.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.1:1.^[1]

The district participates in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, which allows non-resident students to attend school in the district at no cost to their parents, with tuition covered by the resident district.^[4] Available slots are announced annually by grade.^[5]

The district had been 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.^[6]

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend Morristown High School, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Morris School District, which also serves the communities of Morristown and Morris Township (for grades K-12).^[7] As of the 2023–24 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,856 students and 137.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.5:1.^[8]

Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics^[9]) are:^[10][11]

• Mountain Way School^[12] with 209 students in grades PreK–2
  • Christine Lion-Bailey, principal^[13]
• Morris Plains Borough School^[14] with 391 students in grades 3–8
  • Monica Crudele, principal^[15]

Core members of the district's administration are:^[16][17]

• Mark Maire, superintendent of schools^[18]
• Catherine Jenisch, business administrator and board secretary

The district's board of education, comprised of nine members, sets policy and oversees 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 three 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.^[19][20][21]

• Morris Plains Schools
• School Performance Reports for the Morris Plains Schools, New Jersey Department of Education
• Morris Plains Schools, National Center for Education Statistics