Tenafly Public Schools

Elevating Engagement

How This Public School District Is Shaping Tomorrow’s Thinkers

In the leafy heart of Bergen County, Tenafly Public Schools stand as one of New Jersey’s highest-performing districts—a place where academic rigor meets personal growth, and where students are guided to think deeply, explore widely, and engage fully. For Superintendent Dr. Michael Ben-David, the mission is simple yet ambitious: to create an environment where every student thrives.

“Our core focus is on student growth and engagement,” Ben-David explains. “We believe a more engaged student is a more productive student. Everything we do—our people, programs, facilities, and finances—aligns to that idea. The goal is to make kids love learning and want to explore who they are and what they might become.”

A Culture of Excellence and Belonging

Tenafly’s culture reflects its community: close-knit, intellectual, and deeply invested in education. Families move here for the schools, drawn by a district that consistently ranks among the top in the state for academic achievement. “We have incredibly motivated students, highly involved families, and teachers who are deeply committed to their craft,” says Board of Education President Jocelyn Schwartz.

“It’s a true partnership between home, school, and community.”

That collaboration extends beyond the classroom. The district maintains strong relationships with the borough council, recreation department, and local law enforcement, ensuring that the schools remain both safe and deeply connected to community life. “We work hand in hand with every major entity in Tenafly,” Schwartz adds. “Education isn’t just what happens inside the building—it’s how the entire community supports our children.”

Redefining the Academic Experience

At the high school level, Tenafly has taken bold steps to rethink how students are grouped and challenged. In 2023, the district collapsed its course leveling structure, reducing the number of tracks and creating more heterogeneous learning environments.

For Ben-David, the change was long overdue. “We segment students too much in education,” he says. “When we over-label and level kids, we lower expectations. What we’ve done instead is raise the bar for everyone, while building in the right supports so that all students can succeed.”

The result is a streamlined three-tier system—honors, college preparatory, and resource classes—supported by differentiated instruction. The model emphasizes ambition and access: every student is taught to the highest standard, regardless of where they begin.

“Our job isn’t to make every student the fastest learner,” Ben-David explains. “It’s to help every student become a better version of themselves.”

Preparing Students for College—and for Life

Tenafly students have access to a range of counseling and college-readiness resources, including SCOIR, a data-driven college planning platform that personalizes the search process and tracks application outcomes. But Ben-David insists that the district’s mission goes far beyond helping students get into college.

“Yes, over 90 percent of our graduates go to highly competitive two- and four-year colleges,” he says. “But the real goal is to prepare them for whatever comes next—college, career, or life. We teach them how to think, how to problem-solve, and how to adapt. Those skills matter in every field.”

This liberal-arts philosophy echoes Ben-David’s own educational roots. “A strong foundation in reading, writing, math, science, and the arts makes you better at everything—whether you go into law, medicine, business, or the trades,” he says. “We’re not asking 14-year-olds to decide what they’ll do for the rest of their lives. We’re preparing them to make good decisions when the time comes.”

Investing in the Future

Tenafly’s commitment to excellence extends to its infrastructure. In 2023, voters overwhelmingly approved a $76 million capital improvement referendum—the district’s first in nearly two decades.

The project will modernize all six of the district’s buildings, with major upgrades to HVAC systems, roofing, athletic fields, and classroom additions, along with new security vestibules and surveillance systems. The initiative also includes auditorium and cafeteria expansions, redesigned learning spaces, and athletic facility improvements that reflect the community’s passion for extracurricular involvement.

“It’s an ambitious project, and it’s something the community desperately needed,” says Schwartz. “These upgrades will ensure that our schools remain state-of-the-art learning environments for generations to come.”

Safety, Security, and Modern Learning

Security has become a central priority across the district. Each school now features a controlled single-entry vestibule, new locks and monitoring systems, and enhanced surveillance technology. The high school and middle school both have school resource officers (SROs) on-site, while elementary schools are staffed with trained door monitors.

Ben-David describes the approach as “going from zero to sixty” on security infrastructure. “We want our schools to be both welcoming and safe,” he says. “It’s about protecting our students while maintaining a warm, open environment for learning.”

In the classroom, technology is used as a supportive tool rather than a crutch. The district has adopted a balanced one-to-one device program but is careful not to let screens dominate instruction. “Technology is just that—a tool,” Ben-David explains. “It can enhance engagement and creativity, but it shouldn’t replace human interaction or problem-solving.”

The district has also formed a technology and innovation committee to study how artificial intelligence can responsibly enhance teaching and learning. “We’re approaching AI cautiously,” Ben-David says. “We want to understand its benefits and drawbacks before fully integrating it. It’s early days, but the goal is to use AI to strengthen—not supplant—critical thinking.”

Beyond the Classroom: Building the Whole Student

For Tenafly, learning doesn’t end with academics. The district invests heavily in extracurricular and co-curricular activities, from performing arts and athletics to debate, robotics, and cultural clubs.

“We spend a significant portion of our budget on these programs because they develop the soft skills that no device ever could,” Schwartz says. “Teamwork, leadership, communication—these are the skills that shape successful adults.”

New and renovated facilities will further enhance that experience, including an expanded middle school cafeteria designed to seat an entire grade at once, fostering stronger social connection.

“We’re intentionally creating spaces that bring kids together,” Schwartz explains. “That sense of belonging is every bit as important as what happens in the classroom.”

The Road Ahead

Looking to the next two years, the district’s top priorities are executing its capital plan with minimal disruption, continuing to balance technology and human connection, and deepening its commitment to whole-child education.

“As exciting as these projects are, construction means displacement,” Ben-David admits. “Our focus is on keeping learning seamless while we transform our facilities. Long term, we’ll be exploring how best to harness technology and AI, without losing sight of the human side of learning.”

That human side, he says, remains at the heart of Tenafly’s mission. “Devices don’t teach empathy. Apps don’t teach teamwork. Those things come from people—and from real experiences. That’s what we’re building here.”

Tenafly Public Schools continue to prove that academic excellence isn’t about screens or scores—it’s about curiosity, connection, and the courage to think for oneself. In an era of constant change, Tenafly’s students are learning not just how to keep up, but how to lead.

AT A GLANCE

Who: Tenafly Public Schools

What: Leading academically focused school district putting the student first

Where: Bergen County, New Jersey

Website: www.tenaflyschools.org