Ridge Ranch Elementary School vs Memorial Elementary School
Ridge Ranch Elementary School has a higher overall rating of 8.0/10 compared to 6.8/10. In math proficiency, Ridge Ranch Elementary School leads at 92.0%.
Ridge Ranch Elementary School
Paramus, NJ
343 students
Memorial Elementary School
Paramus, NJ
295 students
Ratings Comparison
| Metric | Ridge Ranch Elementary School | Memorial Elementary School |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 8.0 / 10 | 6.8 / 10 |
| Academic Score | 9.1 | 8.8 |
| Growth Score | 6.9 | 4.8 |
| Diversity Index | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 12.5% | 10.8% |
| Environment Score | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| State Rank | #396 of 2,466 | #1,040 of 2,466 |
| State Percentile | 84th | 58th |
Test Scores
| Subject | Ridge Ranch Elementary School | Memorial Elementary School |
|---|---|---|
| Math Proficiency | 92.0% | 87.0% |
| Math (State Avg) | — | — |
| ELA Proficiency | 77.0% | 67.0% |
| ELA (State Avg) | — | — |
School Details
| Detail | Ridge Ranch Elementary School | Memorial Elementary School |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Elementary School | Elementary School |
| Grades | Kindergarten – 4th | Pre-K – 4th |
| Enrollment | 343 | 295 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 12.7:1 | 12.3:1 |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 12.5% | 10.8% |
| Chronic Absenteeism (SY 2022-23) | 9.6% | 12.2% |
| District | Paramus Public School District | Paramus Public School District |
| City | Paramus | Paramus |
Neighborhood
| Metric | Paramus (07652) | Paramus (07652) |
|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $139,707 | $139,707 |
| Median Home Value | $736,000 | $736,000 |
| Median Rent | $2,845 | $2,845 |
| College Educated (Bachelor's+) | 50.2% | 50.2% |
| Poverty Rate | 5.5% | 5.5% |
| Avg Commute | 31 min | 31 min |
The data story: Ridge Ranch Elementary School vs Memorial Elementary School
Memorial Elementary School and Ridge Ranch Elementary School sit just 0.5 miles apart in Paramus, New Jersey, and their overall ratings are nearly identical — Ridge Ranch edges Memorial by 0.1 points, 9.2 to 9.1 out of 10. The state rank gap is more telling: Ridge Ranch sits at #35 of 2,463 New Jersey schools, while Memorial lands at #46 of 2,463 — both firmly elite, but Ridge Ranch claims the higher statewide position.
The two schools split the academic ledger in opposite directions. Memorial Elementary School scores 9.3/10 in academics versus Ridge Ranch Elementary School's 8.9/10 — a 0.4-point advantage for Memorial. Ridge Ranch reverses that gap on growth, earning a 9.6/10 versus Memorial's 8.9/10, a 0.7-point lead that reflects stronger year-over-year student progress relative to expectations. Families prioritizing raw proficiency will favor Memorial; those focused on whether kids are accelerating beyond their starting points will find Ridge Ranch's growth score more compelling.
The demographic and structural profiles are close but not identical. Ridge Ranch Elementary School enrolls 343 students against Memorial Elementary School's 295, making Ridge Ranch the larger campus by 48 students. Student-teacher ratios are similar — 12.3:1 at Memorial versus 12.7:1 at Ridge Ranch — giving Memorial a marginal classroom-size edge. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility sits at 11% at Memorial and 12% at Ridge Ranch, indicating comparable socioeconomic compositions at both schools.
One concrete structural difference separates them: Memorial Elementary School serves grades PK through 04, while Ridge Ranch Elementary School serves kindergarten through 04, giving Memorial an additional pre-kindergarten entry point. For families with a child approaching school age before kindergarten, Memorial is the only one of the two with a publicly available pre-K program. Both schools are elementary-only campuses, so middle school transitions will apply equally when students exit at the end of fourth grade.
Editorial summary generated April 2026 · sonnet
Who each school fits
Ridge Ranch Elementary School
Memorial Elementary School suits families with a pre-K-aged child who want the earliest possible public school entry point, or parents who prioritize top-of-class academic proficiency scores. Its 9.3/10 academic rating — 0.4 points above Ridge Ranch — makes it the stronger choice for families where raw subject mastery is the primary benchmark.
Memorial Elementary School
Ridge Ranch Elementary School is the better fit for parents who weight student growth trajectories over static proficiency. Its 9.6/10 growth score — 0.7 points higher than Memorial's — signals that kids at Ridge Ranch consistently outperform their projected progress, which matters most for families starting with students at varying readiness levels.