New Jersey as a whole has been recognized across the country for its public education quality. But within the state there are thousands of schools, and some have to be better than others.

Elementary schools in particular can be a formative part of a young child’s upbringing, making the decision of where to send your child all that more stressful.

U.S. News & World Report has released its best public elementary schools by state , and two South Jersey schools scored a spot in the top 20.

To create the rankings, data from the U.S. Department of Education was pulled to look at proficiency in math and reading, student achievement and teacher-to-student ratios. Community support, teacher dedication and extra programs were also taken into consideration.

Out of the 47,000 schools that were r

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