11 NJ Towns with Direct Train to NYC and Best Schools

For all those who seek for peaceful family life, and yet having the urban city hustle within a reach, we have done research on NJ towns with direct train to NYC and best schools. Stay tuned and you’ll see what we have found out.

There are many pros and cons of living in a suburban area or a small city. Of course, there are those who prefer city hustle to a peaceful neighborhood, and then, there are no dilemmas. But, living in a small town near to the metropolis such as NYC has some pros that would take advantage over a life in a big city. General pros of living in NJ are: having more space – both in your living area and in the neighborhood, more parking spaces, less crowding, according to the opinions of people who have experienced living in both areas. On the other side, the cost of living in NY and NJ is more or less the same, both being quite expensive.

Today, we will not discuss all the best places to live outside NYC, because that is a much wider topic, and the suggestions depend mostly on personal preferences, costs of living and many other parameters. But there are some recommendations for the nice suburbs just outside NYC, such as Ardsley, Upper Montclair or Jericho. They also include some of the best NJ suburbs close to NYC, like Highland Park, Haworth or Ridgewood. If traveling to work is your main worry, and you are wondering where to live in New Jersey to commute to Manhattan, take a look at our list of the 10 Best Commuter Towns in NJ to NYC.

In order to see which NJ towns with direct train to NYC and the best schools are optimal for our list, we took both criteria into account, but we ranked the towns according to school ratings as a category of greater importance. So, for the towns with direct lines to NYC, we searched City-data forum and NJFamily. The information on public school rankings for 2018 we found on Niche. And finally, for the opinions that have taken both criteria into account, we looked at Trulia and City-data again.

Since schools are our primary goal now, concerning New Jersey, we found out that Jersey City is a town with the best schools in NJ, where McNair Academic High School is located, which was ranked the No.1 school in New Jersey in 2018. And among the best school districts close to NYC, there is a choice between Jericho Union Free School District, Rye City, New Canaan, Scarsdale Union Free School District, all located in the state of New York. Whereas, the best school districts in NJ included West Windsor-Plainsboro Region, Tenafly Public Schools, Bernards Township School District and Millburn Township School District.

But having in mind only NJ towns with direct trains to NYC and the best schools, we have made a bit different selection. Let’s take a look at it, shall we?

11. Glen Rock

School ranking no. 51

Glen Rock is great for raising a child, as many citizens would agree. Being very nicely connected to NYC, it is one of the best options for living in NJ town with direct train to NYC and the best schools.

10. River Edge

School ranking no. 50

River Edge is a small, peaceful town suitable for family life. However, the taxes in this town are very high, but it shouldn’t surprise, since it is very close to the NYC, and it is one of the towns with direct train to NYC and best schools to offer.

9. New Providence

School ranking no. 40

New Providence is rather a small town (with around 12,000 inhabitants), but it is a nice place to live especially for families. It is a historical town, settled back in 1664.

8. East Brunswick

School ranking no. 39

This town has around 48,600 residents, and hence, it offers more activities than other smaller cities on our list. The highly ranked public schools place this town among our recommendations for NJ towns with direct train to NYC and the best schools.

7. Chatham

School ranking no. 22

Chatham is a town of around 10,000 inhabitants and an expensive place to live. There are many good public schools, and it is a town suitable for families. However, some might see the high conservative orientation of citizens as an obstacle for settling in this nice little town.

6. Glen Ridge

School ranking no. 13

Glen Ridge’s population is just over 7,600 inhabitants, so it is a great place for those who really like a peaceful environment. It is one of the good choices for NJ towns with direct trains to NYC and the best schools, having their public schools ranked number 13 among NJ towns public schools.

5. Tenafly

School ranking no. 10

Of all Tenafly schools, Tenafly High School is ranked the highest in the domain of public schools. There is also a range of top-ranked elementary schools, so this is a good place to live and raise a family.

4. Summit

School ranking no. 7

In this town of around 21,000 inhabitants, you can find a peaceful spot for raising your family. Having among the best schools in New Jersey, this year the local government is offering 3 scholarships for high school juniors and seniors.

3. Ridgewood

School ranking no. 5

There are plenty of highly ranked public schools in Ridgewood, like Travell Elementary School, Ridgewood High School, Hawes Elementary School or Orchard Elementary School Just to name some. It is a great town to raise a family and among the best choices for NJ towns with direct train to NYC and the best schools.

2. Short Hills

School ranking no. 2

With around 13,000 inhabitants, this town is great for family life, it was actually ranked number two also in a category of the best suburbs to raise a family in New Jersey.

1. Montclair

School ranking no. 1

Montclair takes honorable first place on our list of NJ towns with direct train to NYC and best schools since it is also ranked as number one as a town with the best public schools in 2018. Apart from this, it was recommended by many who, seeking for a good connection with NYC and good education offer, chose this town.