As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 299 students and 32.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.3:1.[1]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "DE", the fifth-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.[6]
The district formerly operated Netcong High School. The school, which opened in the 1900s, closed in 1974; the building became Netcong Elementary School.[9]
Judge Joseph Stamler of New Jersey Superior Court issued a decision in February 1970 in the case State Board of Education v. Board of Education of Netcong, New Jersey regarding a matter in which the district's school board had a policy providing for voluntary daily school readings at the start of the school day at the high school of prayers that had been published in the Congressional Record, as delivered by Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives. Attendance at these readings was voluntary, and the board said that they were intended as inspirational remarks, rather than prayer in the schools.[10] In his decision, Judge Stamler prohibited what he described as a "subterfuge [that] is degrading to all religions", arguing that by taking what were "beautiful prayers" and referring to them merely as "remarks", the school district was working to "peddle religion in a very cheap manner under an assumed name." The New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously affirmed Stamler's decision and the United States Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from the district's school board.[11]
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 2012) 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.[15][16][17]
^Netcong Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Netcong School District. Accessed September 19, 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 eight in the Netcong School District. Composition: The Netcong School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Netcong."
^January 2009 (Calendar). Netcong Borough. Accessed December 15, 2016.
^State Bd. of Ed. v. Bd. Of Ed. Of Netcong, NJ, Justia, decided February 9, 1970. Accessed January 24, 2018. "The implementation of the resolution has occurred in the following way: At 7:55 A.M. in the Netcong High School gymnasium, immediately prior to the formal opening of school, students who wish to join in the exercise either sit or stand in the bleachers. A student volunteer reader, assigned by the principal on a first come, first serve basis, then comes forward and reads the 'remarks' (so described by defendants) of the chaplain from the Congressional Record, giving the date, volume, number and body whose proceedings are being read."
^Saxon, Wolfgang. "Joseph Howard Stamler, 86, Influential New Jersey Judge", The New York Times, October 23, 1998. Accessed January 24, 2018. "His most celebrated case involved the school board of Netcong, N.J., which had a policy providing for daily school readings of prayers published regularly in the Congressional Record, as delivered by Congressional chaplains at the start of the day. Attendance at these readings was voluntary, and the board said they were inspirational remarks, rather than prayer in the schools, but Judge Stamler nevertheless ordered the practice stopped in 1970."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 21, 2024. "The Board is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The Board consists of elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District. A superintendent is appointed by the Board and is responsible for administrative control of the District." See "Roster of Officials" on page 12.