As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 1,211 students and 102.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.8:1.[1]
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.[4]
Hillside Elementary School[18] with 620 students in grades PreK-4
Dianne Smith, principal
Tenakill Middle School[19] with 570 students in grades 5-8
Christine Cipollini, principal
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:[20][21]
Vincent McHale, superintendent
Floro M. Villanueva Jr., business administrator and board secretary[22]
Board of education
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 2013) 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.[23][24][25]
^Closter Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Closter Public Schools, adopted May 27, 2021. Accessed January 2, 2025. "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 Closter School District. Composition: The Closter School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Closter."
^Our Communities, Northern Valley Regional High School District. Accessed December 6, 2019. "The seven towns that make up the Northern Valley Regional High School District - Closter, Demarest, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northvale, Norwood, and Old Tappan - are situated in the northeast corner of Bergen County, New Jersey."
^Northern Valley Regional High School District 2016 Report Card NarrativeArchived September 12, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 12, 2017. "Located in the upper North Eastern corner of the state, Northern Valley Regional is comprised of two high schools, Northern Valley at Demarest and Northern Valley at Old Tappan... Our long standing successful and cost efficient Pre-K-12 consortium remains an exemplar model of shared services including seven local Pre-K-8 districts that send their students to the regional high schools: Closter, Demarest, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan."
^Region III Overview, Northern Valley Regional High School District. Accessed January 2, 2025. "Responding to this the Bergen County Superintendents Council almost 25 years ago, divided and reorganized the county into seven regions for special education. Bergen County Region III is comprised of nine participating districts: Alpine, Closter, Demarest, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northern Valley Regional High School District, Northvale, Norwood, and Old Tappan."
^Beuscher, Kristin. "Back in Time: A wartime Christmas at Closter High School", Northern Valley Press, December 26, 2017. Accessed March 29, 2022. "The Closter High School on Durie Avenue operated from 1912 until 1955 when the Northern Valley Regional High School in Demarest opened. The Closter Jr./Sr. High School was then renamed the Village Middle School and housed the sixth, seventh and eighth grades until it closed in 1996."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Closter School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2024. Accessed January 2, 2025. "The Closter Board of Education (the 'Board' or the 'District') is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an education institution. The Board consists of nine 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 13.
^Board of Education, Closter Public Schools. Accessed January 2, 2025. "The Closter Board of Education includes nine individuals elected by our community to serve a three-year term. Three board member volunteer positions are up for election each year."