New Jersey falls to 16th in education, Ciattarelli vows to reverse the downward trend

1SOMERVILLE, N.J. – Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli is challenging long-held claims that New Jersey’s public school system ranks among the best in the country, arguing that the state’s academic performance lags behind several southern states when adjusted for income and demographics.

Ciattarelli cited a new report by the NJ Education Report , which says New Jersey ranks below Mississippi.

In a post shared Thursday, Ciattarelli said new data from the Urban Institute shows that New Jersey’s adjusted student achievement ranks 16th nationally—far below the #1 spot often cited by education leaders and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).

He said the findings reveal “two self-serving fallacies”—that New Jersey’s public schools are the nation’s best and th