11 N. Ridgewood Rd.
South Orange, NJ 07079

For the academically minded, Columbia is rigorous, diverse and inclusive. The top level courses here are taught by excellent teachers. My husband and I attended top level colleges (one ranked in top ten in the world) and we believe our son is getting an education of a very high standard

Way too much homework, but the teachers and the school lunch are very good. I feel that they could probably tone down a bit on the work that you have to do though. There is way too much crazy people just doing stuff for tik-tok and vandalizing the school though.

My 2 children have attended South Mountain Elementary ("The Big School") and South Mountain Annex (just down the street) over the past 4 years. Strong academic and social emotional focus at these schools. Homework was light K-2, but picked up around 3rd grade. Older grades focus on teaching grit and self-reliance. When one of my children started falling behind in reading, the school connected him with a reading specialist who worked with him in a small group until he caught up to the rest of the class. Now he's reading at a grade level above expectation, thanks to the individual attention. His confidence is back and he's excelling across subjects. When my other child started showing developmental delays, the school provided in-class supports to ensure he has what he needs to succeed. Strong PTA and community engagement -- fall/spring festivals, back to school night, book fairs. The kids take walking field trips to the Reservation, plus bus trips to the zoo or local museums/arboretums. The Kindergarten kids have their own "Kinder Garden." There is a social worker in the school who helps children with food/resource insecurity or other family issues. There is a musical for kids in the older grades. Lots of diversity compared to other towns nearby - in fact, 17% of the kids at South Mountain identify as mixed race. Cultural day is awesome, as lots of kids have interesting and unique backgrounds and food/religious cultures to share. The one piece of critical feedback that I have is around the overall liberal mindset of this town overall, and its impact on learning. When we prioritize funding and overall resourcing at the district-level, sometimes big ideas take precedence over practical application. For example, during Covid, we were so preoccupied with keeping schools closed (in the name of equity, moreso than safety, as data showed that kids were relatively insulated from the worst of the effects of the pandemic), we unfortunately let learning slip for ALL groups.