IS THE EMINENT DOMAIN INITIATIVE BY THE NA BOE NECESSARY?
Is massive overdevelopment contributing to any spike in public school enrollment?
Does more apartment construction mean more density and ultimately more students in our public schools?
NORTH ARLINGTON – After building hundreds of units of new apartments along Ridge Road, Schuyler Avenue and now potentially River Road, has this “building bender” by local Republicans finally caught-up with increasing population?
A party extremely developer friendly, as congestion along Ridge Road has “urbanized” NA into an extension of Kearny and Hudson County. 
There are those who believe under local Republicans, North Arlington is losing its character as a small, safe and suburban residential community.
That in some ways, NA is becoming a ‘city” versus remaining a bedroom community to New York, Jersey City or Newark.
For if North Arlington’s population is spiking thanks to the land use policies of this all-Republican Mayor & Council, who is left to blame for this upward trend in the student population?
The North Arlington Board of Education has already acquired Queen of Peace HS, and at its peak population housed some 900 students from 9th to 12th grades.
Now they are seeking the QP La Salle
Center for additional classroom space.
Is that footprint (the new Middle School) already at a maximum that the North Arlington BOE requires yet another piece of the old Queen of Peace parcel and footprint?
Here’s how student enrollment has trended in the North Arlington School District from the 2020‑21 through the 2024‑25 school years:
📈 Enrollment by School Year:
School Year
Enrollment
– Change from Previous Year
2020–21
1,915
–2021–22
1,955
+40 students (+2.0%)
2022–23
2,005
+50 students (+2.5%)
2023–24
2,134
+129 students (≈ +6.4%)
2024–25
~1,963
–171 students (~–8.0%)
🔍 What This Reveals:
2020–21 to 2022–23: A steady, modest increase – from 1,915 to 2,005 students (+90 students total, about +4.7%).
2022–23 to 2023–24: A larger surge, with enrollment jumping to 2,134 (+129 students, ~+6.4%).
2023–24 to 2024–25: A notable drop to approximately 1,963, reversing much of the previous year’s gain.
📌 Summary;
Enrollment in the North Arlington district climbed consistently for several years, peaking in 2023–24. However, there was a noticeable decline in 2024–25—bringing numbers back close to where they were in 2022–23.
This dip could reflect demographic shifts, changes in enrollment policy, or other factors not currently considered.
It would be wise for the Board of Education and the Mayor & Council to pool their efforts to determine real growth estimates moving forward and it would serve North Arlington well to elect some Democrats to the Borough Council in 2025 so that a different perspective and discussion can be had over the community’s next steps regarding any population increases and pupil enrollment. .