As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprising two schools, had an enrollment of 908 students and 67.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.5:1.[1]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "CD", the sixth-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.[3]
Core members of the district's administration are:[12][14]
Patricia Capitelli, superintendent
Vincent W. Varcadipane, business administrator and board secretary
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 as part of the April school 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.[15][16] Of the 600 school districts statewide, Totowa is one of 12 districts with school elections in April, in which voters also decide on passage of the annual school budget.[17][18]
^Passaic Valley Regional High School District No.1 Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Passaic Valley Regional High School. Accessed March 15, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades nine through twelve in the Passaic Valley Regional High School District No. 1. Composition: The Passaic Valley Regional High School District No. 1 is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Little Falls, Totowa, and Woodland Park."
^District Overview, Passaic Valley Regional High School. Accessed March 15, 2024. "We believe that tri-boro community support and ownership of Passaic Valley is imperative to our success; thus assuring the future success of the Township of Little Falls, the Borough of Totowa and the Borough of Woodland Park."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Totowa School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed March 15, 2024. "The Totowa 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."
^Sportelli, Albina. "Your guide to North Jersey spring school board elections", The Record, April 14, 2023. Accessed March 15, 2024. "Of New Jersey's almost 600 school districts, only 12 have elections in April, the rest have opted to hold theirs in November.... Schools that have kept elections in the spring, or switched back after moving them to November, are: Cliffside Park, Fairview, Passaic, Totowa, Fredon, Montague, Irvington, Newark, North Bergen, Weehawken, West New York and New Brunswick."
^Board of Education, Totowa Borough Public Schools. Accessed March 15, 2024.