The Cranford Public School District takes great pride in providing its students, in grades PreK-12 with child-centered, innovative learning experiences each day of the school year. Enjoying its neighborhood schools, children in the elementary grades attend the following: Bloomingdale Avenue School, grades K-2; Brookside Place School, grades K-5; Walnut Avenue School, grades PreK-2; Livingston Avenue School, grades 3-5; Orange Avenue School, grades 3-5 and Hillside Avenue School, grades K-5. Orange Avenue and Hillside Avenue Schools also house the district’s two middle schools for students in grades 6-8 with their total student populations being 766 and 738 respectively. In addition, Lincoln Avenue School is home to an alternative elementary, middle and high school program. The following Mission Statement guides instruction in all of the district’s schools:
The Cranford Public Schools promotes Pre K – Grade 12 education as a shared responsibility among students, educators, administrators, parents and community. The Cranford Public Schools strives to create a safe, caring, and rigorous learning environment responsive to the individual needs and interests of our students offering programs of studies consistent with the Common Core State Standards, New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and 21st Century College and Career Readiness. Central to our programs are relevant, real-world learning experiences that stimulate and encourage curiosity, effective communication, goal setting and problem-solving skills while providing opportunities that promote creativity, self-expression, physical/emotional wellness and an appreciation of diversity. All students are provided with personalized learning experiences and critical thinking and technology skills needed to become thoughtful, responsible and productive citizens making contributions in local and global contexts fostering respect and accountability in all of their actions. The following Long-Range Goals correspond to the Mission Statement:
To implement a consistent, researched-based reading program, personalizing instruction and independent reading experiences for all Cranford students in grades K-8. To expand Cranford Public Schools’ Gifted and Talented services to further personalize instruction for all students. To provide exemplary basic skills instruction to all identified Cranford students with new emphasis on students at the K-2 levels, further personalizing learning experiences. To examine and redesign instructional school scheduling to maximize and personalize learning opportunities for all Cranford students. To improve technology services and resources meeting 21st Century demands and NJDOE mandates while providing personalized learning experiences for Cranford students. To infuse global opportunities in all Cranford classrooms facilitating awareness and understanding of world issues and creating personal connections for students with their international peers. To continually improve security measures at all Cranford Public School facilities. To ensure all Cranford Public Schools facilities are maintained addressing student and staff instructional and safety needs. Approximately 650 staff members at all grade levels aspire to foster critical-thinking, problem solving, and effective communication skills across all areas of the district curriculum while continually crafting a caring environment. Cranford Public Schools' dedicated administrators, teachers, and support staff are the backbone of the educational process. Sixty-one percent of the highly skilled staff members have advanced degrees, including five doctorates. Cranford’s teachers are regularly recognized on the national, state, county and local levels. The teacher-to-student ratio is 1:12. Staff development opportunities continue to be a central focus as excellence is addressed for both teacher and student growth. Since 2000-2001, Cranford has had a flourishing professional development school (PDS) relationship with Seton Hall University. The PDS staff is committed to training and nurturing current and future teachers to be skilled professionals who effectively translate theory into practice to guide children toward high levels of learning
Instructional programs are in place to foster exceptional learning opportunities for all children. Cranford High School was ranked 54 overall for public schools in NJ Monthly and 377 in Newsweek for the national rankings. This kept the tradition of making the Top 100 and Top 500 schools in the state and nation. CHS engages students in a host of benevolent community activities situated around a 140 earned credit hour requirement leading to graduation. At CHS, a large percentage of students in grades 9-12 are encouraged to and enroll in AP classes. Various special programs are also offered, including the Global Citizenship Endorsement Program, University Program, Academy of Performing Arts, and Science Academy. The district’s school-wide enrichment program provides opportunities for students to explore a wide variety of topics that would not ordinarily be covered in the regular curricula as well as a Pathways to Excellence Plus (P2E+) Program, grades 3-8 to provide both pull-out and push-in learning opportunities in writer’s workshop and mathematics. Special education programs are predicated upon the philosophy of inclusion with teachers trained in co-teaching. All district schools pride themselves on their character education programs coupled with quality service learning. Technology is integrated throughout the curriculum and utilized at all grade levels as a tool to personalize learning, bring content to life, and facilitate technological literacy for students growing up in an electronic world. This year the district is upgrading the infrastructure, bandwidth, Internet and equipment; adding laptops; providing new district and school websites; modifying the E-mail system from WorldClient to Google; and replacing paper forms through an online student registration/data validation system powered by InfoSnap. On an ongoing basis, PowerSchool is utilized to communicate student progress to parents and students who seek to review their grades from home, while Naviance, a web-based tool, is used to assist parents and students in career exploration and the college application process. The entire Cranford community continually demonstrates its support of education and professional growth as noted through the Parent-Teacher Association, district-wide Parent-Teacher Council, Cranford Education Association, Cranford Administrative and Supervisory Association, Cranford Fund for Educational Excellence, and the school district budget. Through a unified community effort and open home-school communication, Cranford students continue to grow and thrive as they prepare to be tomorrow’s leaders.
