Bergen County College Admissions Guide: How Families at Ridgewood, Tenafly, Glen Rock, and Cresskill Can Stand Out at Selective Universities

February 11, 2026

Bergen County Has Every Advantage. That Is Exactly Why It Is So Hard.

Bergen County college admissions are among the most competitive in the nation. Bergen County is one of the most educationally competitive counties in the United States. The public high schools here routinely rank among New Jersey’s best, the communities are affluent and education-obsessed, and families have easy access to New York City’s cultural and professional resources. Whether your child attends Ridgewood, Tenafly, Glen Rock, or Cresskill, they are receiving a strong education. Admissions officers at selective universities recognize and respect these schools.

But Bergen County’s strengths are also its challenge. Because so many families in the area prioritize elite college admissions, Moreover, Bergen County college admissions competition is fierce not just nationally but locally. A student at Ridgewood or Tenafly is competing against classmates with the same advantages. These include rigorous coursework, involved parents, test prep resources, and proximity to world-class opportunities. Standing out in Bergen County college admissions requires more than strong grades and a long activity list. It requires intentionality, self-awareness, and a strategic approach that begins well before junior year.

In short, this Bergen County college admissions guide is designed specifically for families at the county’s top public high schools. It uses school-specific data from Niche and student feedback. It also covers how admissions officers evaluate applications from this region, helping your family make better decisions in 9th and 10th grade.

What Admissions Officers Know About Bergen County College Admissions

When an admissions officer at a selective university opens an application from Bergen County, they bring context. They know the county’s reputation for strong public schools and have historical data on how students from Ridgewood, Tenafly, and neighboring schools have performed in college. They understand that a transcript from this area represents genuine academic rigor.

This contextual knowledge is valuable. A B+ in an AP course at Ridgewood (#18 in NJ, average SAT of 1360) is evaluated differently than the same grade at a less rigorous school. The same applies at Tenafly (#17, SAT of 1400). As a result, your child benefits from attending a school that admissions officers already trust.

The flip side: admissions officers also know that Bergen County produces a large volume of strong applicants. At Ridgewood (1,740 students) or Tenafly (1,166), many students from the same school apply to the same selective universities. Even at Glen Rock (742 students) and Cresskill (478), the local culture of academic ambition is intense. Your child is not the only one with a strong transcript and impressive extracurriculars.

The students who succeed in Bergen County college admissions are the ones who go beyond being “well-qualified” and become genuinely distinctive.

The Bergen County Advantage (and the Trap)

Bergen County families have access to resources unavailable in most parts of the country. In addition, New York City is just 20 to 40 minutes away. That means your child can intern at a media company, volunteer at a research hospital, or attend lectures at Columbia or NYU. These opportunities are simply unavailable to students in suburban Ohio or rural Texas. Consequently, this geographic advantage is real and underused by most families.

The trap is that Bergen County’s advantages are so widely shared that they become invisible. When every student in the school has access to the same AP courses, the same test prep, and the same general advice, the playing field feels level. And because it feels level, many families default to the same strategy: take the hardest classes, join the most clubs, score as high as possible on the SAT, and hope the numbers add up.

However, that strategy produces applications that are strong but interchangeable. What selective universities seek is something different. They want evidence of genuine intellectual passion, depth of pursuit, and something specific a student will bring to their community. Notably, that kind of application does not come from following the default path. Instead, it comes from making deliberate choices, starting early.

School-by-School Profiles

Ridgewood High School

Ridgewood is the largest and highest-profile school in this group. With 1,740 students and a Niche ranking of #18 in New Jersey, it is widely recognized as one of Bergen County’s flagship public high schools. The school earns an A+ for Sports (ranked #12 for athletes in NJ), an A for Clubs & Activities, and an A for Administration, painting a picture of a well-run, well-rounded institution where athletics play a central role in school culture. An extraordinary 97% of respondents describe students as athletic.

College interest data from Niche shows Rutgers as the top choice, followed by NYU, Penn State, Boston University, Cornell, Michigan, Boston College, Northeastern, Delaware, and Syracuse. The presence of Cornell and Michigan in the top six, alongside BU and BC, indicates a student body with serious aspirations and a strong mid-Atlantic/Northeast orientation.

Ridgewood Opportunities and Risks

The opportunity: Ridgewood’s combination of athletic excellence and academic strength creates a genuinely well-rounded environment. Students who can balance varsity-level athletics with strong academics present a compelling profile. The school’s size means extensive course offerings and club options. Teacher satisfaction is solid: 80% say teachers genuinely care, and 80% say teachers control the classroom effectively.

The risk: Ridgewood’s student-teacher ratio of 13:1 is the highest in this group, and the sheer size of the school means guidance counselors have large caseloads. The athletic culture, while a strength, can also dominate: students who are not athletes may find it harder to gain visibility. With 93% of respondents describing students as competitive, the academic pressure is intense, yet only 62% of students report feeling happy at school.

What to do: Use Ridgewood’s breadth strategically. With so many students, admissions officers may see multiple applications from Ridgewood for the same university. Your child needs a clear differentiator beyond strong grades and athletics. Invest in building a specific intellectual identity: a research interest, a creative project, a community initiative. Leverage NYC proximity for summer experiences that go beyond what the school itself offers.

Tenafly High School

Tenafly is the academically strongest school in this Bergen County group. With an average SAT of 1400 and a Niche ranking of #17 (one spot above Ridgewood), it combines rigorous academics with a 100% graduation rate, the only school in this guide to achieve that figure. The school earns an A+ for College Prep, reflecting a student body and faculty deeply oriented toward competitive college admissions.

The college interest data reveals notably ambitious aspirations: alongside the expected Rutgers, NYU, and BU, the list includes Cornell, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia. The fact that both Penn (98 students) and Columbia (85 students) appear in the top ten is significant and suggests a student body with genuine Ivy League ambitions and, likely, outcomes to match.

Tenafly Opportunities and Risks

Opportunity: Tenafly’s academic profile is genuinely impressive. Teacher metrics are the strongest in this guide: 88% say teachers care, 81% say lessons are engaging, and 85% say teachers control the classroom. The school also ranks #36 for STEM in New Jersey, indicating solid science and math offerings. With a community median household income above $208,000 and home values exceeding $1 million, families have resources to invest in supplemental experiences. The STEM department, in particular, has drawn praise from students for its quality.

Risk: With 89% of respondents describing the student body as competitive and only 67% of students reporting happiness, Tenafly shares the pressure-cooker dynamics of other top NJ schools. However, its smaller size relative to Ridgewood means fewer extracurricular options (Clubs & Activities earns only A-, and Sports a B), so students with niche interests may need to look outside the school. The B+ score for Resources & Facilities suggests the physical environment may not match the academic reputation.

What to do: Tenafly students targeting Ivy League and equivalent schools are competing against classmates who have the same high SAT averages and AP profiles. The differentiator will be what they do outside the standard curriculum. Use the proximity to NYC aggressively: find a research mentor at Columbia, intern at an organization in your field of interest, attend academic competitions. The combination of Tenafly’s strong academic foundation with a distinctive outside pursuit creates applications that admissions officers remember.

Glen Rock High School

Glen Rock is the second smallest school in this group but offers a distinctive combination of community intimacy and academic quality. With a median household income above $215,000 (the highest in this Bergen County group) and 0% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, it is one of the most affluent school communities in the county. The school earns strong marks for teacher quality (A grade), with 79% of respondents saying teachers care about students.

College interest shows Rutgers, Boston University, NYU, Northeastern, Penn State, Delaware, Boston College, TCNJ, Montclair State, and Maryland. The pattern is solid mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with BU notably ranking second (above NYU), suggesting a student body particularly drawn to Boston-area universities.

Glen Rock Opportunities and Risks

The opportunity: Glen Rock’s smaller size (742 students) means your child has a better chance of being known by teachers, counselors, and administrators. Recommendation letters from smaller schools tend to be more personal and detailed because the writers genuinely know the student. Parent reviews consistently praise the supportive faculty and the community atmosphere. Athletic participation is notably high (both boys and girls rated “Very High”), creating a genuinely active school culture.

The risk: Smaller schools inevitably offer fewer AP courses, clubs, and activities. Glen Rock’s Clubs & Activities grade of C+ is the lowest in this guide, suggesting students with specialized interests (competitive robotics, debate at the national level, niche academic pursuits) may not find what they need within the school. The overall Niche ranking of #97 in NJ, while still strong, places Glen Rock below the other schools in perception among those who track rankings. Only 65% of students report feeling happy at school.

What to do: Supplement what the school does not offer with outside pursuits. Bergen County and nearby NYC provide essentially unlimited options. If Glen Rock does not have a competitive math team, join one through an external league. If the school’s science research opportunities are limited, seek a mentorship with a professor at a nearby university. The combination of genuine school engagement (where you are known and valued) plus distinctive outside activities (where you demonstrate initiative and passion) is a powerful formula in college admissions. Glen Rock students can authentically tell a story about being deeply embedded in a close community while also reaching beyond it.

Cresskill High School

Cresskill is the smallest school in this guide by a significant margin, with just 478 students. That intimate size creates a fundamentally different high school experience. The student-teacher ratio of 10:1 is the lowest in this group, and teachers have drawn consistent praise from students for being accessible and accommodating, particularly in core subjects. The school’s A grade for College Prep is notable given its small size.

College interest data shows Rutgers, NYU, Boston University, Penn State, Northeastern, Cornell, Michigan, Montclair State, Delaware, and Fordham. The presence of Cornell (63 students) and Michigan (61 students) in the top college interest list for a school of only 478 students suggests a cohort of ambitious students aiming well above the school’s overall profile.

Cresskill Opportunities and Risks

The opportunity: Cresskill’s tiny size is its defining feature, and for the right student, it is a genuine advantage. Every teacher knows every student. Counselors can provide more individualized attention. Leadership positions are more accessible because there are fewer students competing for them. The school’s 88% teacher-care rating (tied with Tenafly for highest in this guide) reflects an invested faculty. Students have praised the school’s willingness to accommodate individual interests, including a student who was able to pursue a Carnegie Mellon computer science curriculum and another who participated in robotics.

The risk: The small size means limited offerings. Clubs & Activities earns a C grade, and Sports a B. Only 56% of students say there are enough clubs available, and a striking 31% say clubs get adequate funding, the lowest figure in this guide. Student happiness is also the lowest at 43%. Students with ambitions in areas that require institutional infrastructure (large-scale competitions, specialized lab equipment, competitive performing arts) will need to look beyond the school. The lower overall ranking (#76 in NJ) also means admissions officers may have less context about the school than they would for Ridgewood or Tenafly.

What to do: Cresskill students who are aiming for selective universities should think of the school as their home base, not their ceiling. Take full advantage of the personalized teacher attention and the ease of securing leadership roles. Then build aggressively outside the school: join external academic competitions, pursue research with university faculty, create independent projects that demonstrate ambition beyond what a 478-student school can offer. The narrative of a student who thrived in an intimate community while independently seeking out and excelling in larger arenas is both authentic and compelling to admissions officers.

Bergen County College Admissions Strategy for 9th and 10th Grade

The playbook for Bergen County families is not fundamentally different from the one for families at any top NJ public school, but it has a few distinctive features driven by the county’s geography, culture, and school profiles.

9th Grade: Sample Widely, Commit Selectively

Academics: Take the most rigorous courses your child can handle well. At Tenafly, where the academic bar is particularly high, this means being honest about your child’s capacity rather than trying to match what the most ambitious classmates are doing. For Ridgewood families, the 13:1 student-teacher ratio securing attention in class requires more initiative. At Glen Rock and Cresskill, the smaller class sizes make strong academic performance more visible to teachers, which is an advantage worth maximizing.

Extracurriculars: Try three to five activities. At Ridgewood, where clubs and sports are abundant, there is no shortage of options. At Glen Rock and Cresskill, where offerings are more limited, consider supplementing with external activities from the start. Bergen County is home to competitive academic leagues, regional sports clubs, arts organizations, and volunteer networks that can provide what the school does not.

NYC access: This is your superpower, and you should start using it in 9th grade. Encourage your child to attend public lectures, visit museums with intention (not just as a tourist), or explore organizations connected to their interests. The goal in 9th grade is not to land an internship. It is to begin seeing New York City as an extension of their educational environment, a mindset that will pay off in 10th and 11th grade when opportunities become more substantial.

Summer after 9th grade: One meaningful experience plus real downtime. A week-long program at a NYC institution, a volunteer commitment, or an exploratory course are all appropriate. Do not overschedule. The point is to let your child’s interests begin to take shape naturally.

10th Grade: Go Deep, Build Your Narrative

Academics: Begin shaping a clear academic identity. If your child is STEM-inclined, this is the year to pursue research or an independent project, whether through the school’s science department (Tenafly’s STEM offerings are particularly strong) or through an external connection. If humanities are the strength, seek the most challenging writing and discussion-based courses. Begin standardized test preparation: take a practice PSAT, determine the SAT vs. ACT question, and plan a timeline.

Extracurriculars: Narrow to two or three activities. Pursue leadership or deeper involvement in each. If your child started something in 9th grade, 10th grade is when it should show growth: more members, broader impact, tangible results.

The differentiator: By the end of 10th grade, your family should be able to articulate what makes your child’s profile distinctive. Not “they are well-rounded” (everyone in Bergen County is well-rounded). Something more specific: “They built a data analysis tool to track local environmental quality.” Or: “They spent a year studying Korean cinema and created an educational website.” Or: “They launched a tutoring program for underserved students in Hackensack.” In other words, specificity and authenticity are what admissions officers remember.

Summer after 10th grade: This is the most consequential summer. Apply to selective programs if they align with your child’s interests (the Simons and Garcia programs at Stony Brook are accessible from Bergen County; YYGS, SSHI, and the NJ Scholars Program are all worth considering). If formal programs are not the right fit, consider alternatives. An independent research project, a meaningful NYC internship, or an ambitious creative project can be equally powerful. Ultimately, what matters is depth and intentionality, not the brand name on the program.

Common Bergen County College Admissions Pitfalls

The “Everyone Is Doing It” Trap

Bergen County’s culture of academic achievement creates a powerful conformity pressure. When your child’s friends are all taking five APs and doing test prep, it feels risky to do anything different. But “different” is exactly what selective colleges are looking for. The student who takes three APs and uses freed-up time for a genuine passion project will stand out. The student who takes six APs often looks identical to every other strong applicant from the same zip code.

Underusing New York City

Many Bergen County families treat NYC as a place to visit on weekends, not as a strategic resource for college preparation. This is a missed opportunity. The research labs at Columbia, the media companies in Midtown, the startups in Brooklyn, and the cultural institutions on Museum Mile are all accessible by bus or train. These resources are extraordinary. Students elsewhere would pay thousands for this access. Bergen County families often take it for granted. Use it.

Waiting Too Long for Strategic Guidance

Certainly, public school counselors in Bergen County are generally competent, but they are managing large caseloads and their formal college counseling process typically begins in 11th grade. By that point, the transcript is largely set, the extracurricular record is established, and the core of the application story has already been determined. The families who achieve the strongest outcomes at selective universities are those who begin strategic planning in 9th or 10th grade, whether through their own research or by working with a private college admissions consultant.

Overlooking “Hidden Gem” Universities

In Bergen County, the college conversation is dominated by a narrow set of names: Ivy League, MIT, Stanford, Duke, and a handful of others. This tunnel vision causes families to overlook outstanding universities that could be a better fit for their child. Schools like Tufts, Middlebury, Colgate, Lehigh, Villanova, and dozens of others offer exceptional educations and strong outcomes. For instance, a strategic school list includes reach, target, and safety schools that are all genuinely good fits, not just a ranking-ordered wish list.

Quick-Reference Comparison

School	Avg SAT	Students	NJ Rank	Key Strength	What to Supplement
Ridgewood	1360	1,740	#18	Athletic excellence (#12 athletes in NJ), breadth, strong administration	Intellectual distinctiveness beyond athletics; strategic teacher relationships at 13:1 ratio
Tenafly	1400	1,166	#17	Academic rigor (A+ College Prep), 100% graduation rate, STEM, strong Ivy interest	Extracurricular breadth; outside activities for niche interests
Glen Rock	1340	742	#97	Community intimacy, strong teacher relationships, highest median income	Club and activity breadth (C+ grade); seek external academic and creative outlets
Cresskill	1350	478	#76	Smallest class sizes (10:1), personalized attention, accessible leadership	Everything beyond basics: clubs, sports, competitions, research all need external sourcing

Frequently Asked Questions About Bergen County College Admissions

Does it matter whether my child attends Ridgewood vs. Tenafly vs. a smaller Bergen County school?

Admissions officers evaluate students within the context of their specific school. The question is not which school is “better” but how your child uses the environment they are in. A student at Cresskill who leverages the intimate setting to build deep teacher relationships and then supplements with ambitious outside projects can be just as competitive as a student at Ridgewood or Tenafly. The key variables are initiative, depth of engagement, and the authenticity of the student’s story.

What SAT scores should Bergen County students aim for?

Aim for at or above your school’s average as a baseline. At Tenafly (1400 average), that means targeting 1430+. For Ridgewood (1360), aim for 1400+. At Glen Rock and Cresskill (1340-1350), a 1400+ score places your child well above the school average and signals strong academic ability. For Ivy League and equivalent targets, 1500+ is the general threshold where test scores become a non-factor and other application elements dominate the evaluation.

How much does NYC proximity actually help in college admissions?

It helps enormously, but only if you use it intentionally. Proximity to NYC gives Bergen County students access to research institutions, professional internships, cultural organizations, and academic competitions that students in most parts of the country cannot access. But simply living near the city does not impress admissions officers. What impresses them is a student who used that access to do something specific and meaningful: a research project at a Columbia lab, an internship at a nonprofit addressing homelessness, a documentary about immigrant communities in Queens. The opportunity is there. Therefore, the question is whether your child seizes it.

Should Bergen County families invest in private college counseling?

The structural challenge for Bergen County public school families is the same as elsewhere in NJ: school counselors manage large caseloads and their primary role is administrative. A private consultant provides strategic depth the school cannot. This includes multi-year planning, essay coaching, school list development based on genuine fit, and the attention that turns a good application into a memorable one. For families starting in 9th or 10th grade, the value is particularly high. There is still time to shape the trajectory rather than just optimize the existing one.

The Bottom Line on Bergen County College Admissions

Bergen County families have nearly every advantage available in American public education: strong schools, affluent communities, proximity to New York City, and a culture that prioritizes academic achievement. The challenge is that these advantages are shared by thousands of other families in the same county, all pursuing the same goals.

The families who achieve the best college outcomes are not the ones who do the most. They are the ones who do something distinctive. They help their children find a genuine intellectual passion and pursue it with depth. These families use NYC as a strategic resource, not just a place to visit, and they start planning in 9th grade, not 11th. And they build applications that tell a specific, authentic story about who their child is and what they will contribute to a college community.

Furthermore, that story cannot be manufactured in the fall of senior year. Rather, it is built, deliberately and authentically, over the course of freshman and sophomore year. Start now.

Oriel Admissions provides expert Bergen County college admissions consulting for families at the county’s top public and private schools. Based in Princeton, NJ and New York City, our 360-degree approach pairs students with dedicated college counselors, writing coaches, career coaches, and project mentors beginning as early as 8th grade. 93% of our students are admitted to one of their top 3 college choices. To learn how we can support your family, contact us today.