As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprising six schools, had an enrollment of 5,483 students and 415.8 classroom teachers (on an
FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio of 13.2:1.[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.[4]
Superintendent Karen Lewis was suspended in 2016. Assistant superintendent Joseph Cicchelli became an acting superintendent instead of fulfilling his planned retirement.[8] Rosemary Marks became the superintendent in 2017.[9]
Awards and recognition
Hackensack High School (HHS) was named one of America's best high schools by Newsweek magazine in its 2013 rankings.[10] Ranked among the top six percent of high schools in the country, HHS was recognized based on various criteria including Advanced Placement (AP) programs, the four-year, on-time graduation rate and number of graduates accepted into a two- or four-year college program.
Jackson Avenue Elementary School was recognized by Governor
Jim McGreevey in 2003 as one of 25 schools selected statewide for the First Annual Governor's School of Excellence award.[11]
Lydia Singh, business administrator and board secretary[32]
Board of education
The district's
board of education, composed of nine members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration, with an added representative from Maywood, who represents that district in matters related to the high school. 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.[33][34] As one of the 13 districts statewide with school elections in April (five of which are in Bergen County), voters also decide on passage of the annual school budget.[35]
^Hackensack Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024. "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 Hackensack School District. Composition: The Hackensack School District is comprised of all the area within the County of Bergen."
^Stoltz, Marsha A.
"Here's why Maywood will send its students to Becton instead of Hackensack High School", The Record, March 9, 2020. Accessed April 6, 2020. "Maywood high school students will have four years to phase out of Hackensack High School and into Henry P. Becton Regional High School in East Rutherford. The process will begin in September, when current Maywood eighth-graders will be the first to attend Becton as freshmen, according to a March 7 joint announcement by the superintendents of the two districts.... The two districts signed a seven-year send/receive contract in 2010 with a per-pupil tuition of $13,125 and a 2% yearly increase. In January 2018, Maywood paid Hackensack's school district $14,781 per student, or $3.7 million for 249 students. It rejected a three-year contract proposed by Hackensack of $15,076 per student the first year and a 5% increase the second.... Maywood eventually agreed to a 10-year contract with Becton at $10,500 per student, with a 2% increase for the fifth contract year and a cap of $11,800 by the 10th year. Becton now has students from East Rutherford and Carlstadt."
^Torrejon, Rodrigo.
"Board to discuss superintendent search in closed meeting", The Journal News, November 17, 2016. Accessed April 6, 2020. "The survey is one of the steps taken by board members to replace acting-Superintendent Joseph Cicchelli. Cicchelli, formerly an assistant superintendent, had planned to retire this year, but he stayed on when Superintendent Karen Lewis was suspended from her position. Cicchelli stepped up to fill in for Lewis until a replacement was found. School officials have not disclosed why Lewis was suspended."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Hackensack School District,
New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2022. Accessed January 10, 2024. "The Hackensack 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."
^Mazzola, Jessica.
"13 N.J school districts held elections Tuesday and - surprise! - hardly anyone voted. See how bad it was", NJ Advance Media for
NJ.com, April 18, 2018, updated May 14, 2019. Accessed February 17, 2020. "The rest of their 530 counterparts across the state have switched to November elections – most made the change immediately after a 2012 law allowing school district votes to move from April to the fall, held in tandem with the general election. But voters in 13 New Jersey towns went to the polls Tuesday to cast votes for their local boards of education, and in most cases, on whether or not to pass the district budgets."