Saddle River Day School is a coeducational, college-preparatory independent

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...

, located in Saddle River, in Bergen County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, serving students in Pre-K3 through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

. Its student body is drawn from communities in Bergen,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

and

Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...

counties in New Jersey and

Rockland County Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

in New York. The school was founded in 1957, by John C. Alford, and graduated its first senior class in 1960. Saddle River Day School is composed of three divisions: the Lower Division, the Middle Division and the Upper Division. In 1966 it received accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, which expires in July 2027. The school is also accredited by the New Jersey Department of Education and is a member of the

New Jersey Association of Independent Schools The New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS) serves independent elementary and secondary schools throughout the state of New Jersey. The Association consists of 70 member schools with a total enrollment of approximately 26,000 students. ...

and the

National Association of Independent Schools The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boa ...

. As of the 2017–18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 302 students (plus 4 in PreK) and 43.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7:1. The school's student body was 78.1% (236) White, 13.9% (42) Asian, 3.6% (11) Black, 3.6% (11) Hispanic and 0.7% (2) two or more races.School data for Saddle River Day School
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed September 1, 2020.

Curriculum

The Lower School offers foreign language instruction starting in Kindergarten, which continues as a requirement through 12th grade. The Upper School offers Advanced Placement exams in the following areas: English, United States History, European History, French Literature and/or Language, Latin, Spanish Literature and/or Language, Calculus AB and BC, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. Saddle River Day School also offers anyone in the 9th-12th grades participation in the yearly French Exchange Program. This program includes a two-week homestay in alternate years in Dijon, France.

Athletics

The Saddle River Day School RebelsSaddle River Day School
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. participate in the

North Jersey Interscholastic Conference The North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, or NJIC, is a high school athletic conference located in New Jersey. It is one of the so-called "super conferences" created by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) as a pa ...

, which is comprised of small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson,

and

counties, and was created following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Previously, the school was a member of the all-private Patriot Conference, but after a decision by the NJSIAA in February 2008, both Hawthorne Christian Academy and Saddle River Day School joined the Olympic Division of the

Bergen County Scholastic League The Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL) was a New Jersey high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). The conference consisted of thirty public and parochials high ...

(BCSL) later that year, and remained in the conference until it was disbanded as part of the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment. The BCSL was disbanded as a part of a wide-ranging realignment of high school sports in northern New Jersey, and Saddle River Day moved to the new NJIC in the fall of 2010. With 133 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public B for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 37 to 366 students in that grade range (equivalent to Group II for public schools). The girls basketball team won the Non-Public Group B state title in 2018 (defeating

Rutgers Preparatory School Rutgers Preparatory School (also known as Rutgers Prep or RPS) is a private, coeducational, college preparatory day school established in 1766. The school educates students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located on a campus along ...

in the tournament final) and 2019 (vs.

Trenton Catholic Academy Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy (formerly Trenton Catholic Academy) is a Catholic school in Trenton, New Jersey. It serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grades and formerly operated under the auspices of the Diocese of Tr ...

), and was declared as the Non-Public North B sectional champion in 2020 after finals were cancelled due to COVID-19. The team won their first title with a 73-49 win against Rutgers Prep in the finals of the Non-Public B tournament final. The 2019 team repeated as winner of the Non-Public B title against Trenton Catholic by a score of 79-67 in the title game. The teams advanced to the Tournament of Champions both seasons. In 2018, the team was the fifth seed, winning the quarterfinals by 92-63 against fourth-seeded University High School before losing to number-one seed

Manasquan High School Manasquan High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Manasquan, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone high school of the Manas ...

80-67 in the semifinal game played at the

RWJBarnabas Health Arena The RWJBarnabas Health Arena (formerly known as the Ritacco Center, Poland Spring Arena, and Pine Belt Arena) is a 3,208-seat multi-purpose arena in Toms River, New Jersey. Opened in 2003, the facility hosts various local concerts and sporting eve ...

to finish at 24-7 for the season. The 2019 team was the second seed and won the semifinal round by a score of 76-63 against number-three seed

Manchester Township High School Manchester Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades in Manchester Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, as the lone secondary school of the Manch ...

before losing in the finals to top seed Franklin High School by a score of 65-57 and finishing the season at 28-3.

Notable alumni

* Jeremy Glick (1970–2001), a passenger on Flight 93 on

September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...

. *

Aline Brosh McKenna Aline Brosh McKenna (born August 2, 1967) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. Her credits include writing '' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006), ''27 Dresses'' (2008), ''Morning Glory'' (2010), ''We Bought a Zoo'' (2011) and co-cre ...

(born 1967), screenwriter for ''

27 Dresses ''27 Dresses'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher, written by Aline Brosh McKenna, and starring Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. The film was released in Australia on January 10, 2008, and in the United States on ...

'' and '' The Devil Wears Prada'' * Robert Kissel * Jennifer Moore (1988–2006), high school student who was murdered in New York City. *

Danielle Pinnock Danielle Pinnock (born May 11, 1988) is an American actress, writer, and comedian. Pinnock is a main cast member on the CBS series ''Ghosts'' (2021– ), where she plays the 1920s Prohibition era jazz singer “Alberta.” She held a supporting r ...

(born 1988), actress, comedian and writer.Kuperinsky, Amy
"Meet ''Ghosts'' star Danielle Pinnock. How Jersey’s joyful spirit is making people laugh all pandemic long."
NJ Advance Media for

NJ.com NJ.com is a digital news content provider and website in New Jersey owned by Advance Publications. According to a report in ''The New York Times'' in 2012, it was the largest provider of digital news in the state at the time. In 2018, comScore r ...

, October 7, 2021. Accessed December 22, 2021. "Growing up in Teaneck, Pinnock earned a scholarship to Saddle River Day School, where she became a regular on the stage."

References

External links

Official school website Data for Saddle River Day School
National Center for Education Statistics {{Authority control 1957 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1957 New Jersey Association of Independent Schools Preparatory schools in New Jersey Private elementary schools in New Jersey Private high schools in Bergen County, New Jersey Private middle schools in New Jersey