Anthony Licciardello | June 20, 2026
Mountainside, NJ
Schools · Mountainside, NJ
Mountainside's school setup is a little different from the towns around it, and understanding the structure is the most useful thing a buying family can do. The borough runs its own small district for the younger grades, then sends its high-school students to a neighboring town through a long-standing arrangement. None of that is good or bad on its own — it's simply how schooling here is organized, and it has practical implications worth knowing before you buy. Here's how it works, and how to evaluate the schools for your own family.
This guide is part of our complete coverage of the borough. For the full picture, start at our complete guide to buying and selling in Mountainside.
For the early grades, Mountainside operates its own compact district built around two schools: Beechwood School, which serves the youngest students through the early elementary years, and Deerfield School, which carries students through eighth grade. A two-school district is small by design, and many families value that intimacy and the local, walkable feel of neighborhood schooling. Because the district is the borough's own, decisions are made close to home — another part of Mountainside's small-town character.
From the Broker
“The school question I get most in Mountainside is ‘where do the kids go to high school?’ The answer — Governor Livingston, in Berkeley Heights — surprises people at first. I always tell families to tour both the local schools and the high school, and judge fit for themselves rather than going on reputation.”
Anthony Licciardello, Broker, The Prodigy Team
Mountainside does not have its own high school. Instead, its high-school students attend Governor Livingston High School, located in neighboring Berkeley Heights, through a send-receive relationship — an arrangement in which Mountainside (the sending district) places its students in a receiving district's high school. In practice, that means your high-schooler attends school in the next town over, with busing typically provided. It's a common and long-standing structure in New Jersey, but it's worth understanding the logistics — travel, schedules, and how Mountainside families plug into the larger high-school community — before you buy.
The best judge of whether a school fits your family is you, not a single number or a star rating. Start with the primary sources: the New Jersey Department of Education's School Performance Reports for official data on each school, and the individual district websites for curriculum, programs, and calendars. Independent sites like GreatSchools can add parent perspective. Then do the thing that matters most — visit. Tour Beechwood, Deerfield, and Governor Livingston, talk to staff and families, and see how each feels for your child. Reputation travels; fit is personal.
Watch Out
Don't assume the arrangement is fixed. Send-receive relationships, school assignments, busing, and program offerings can change over time. If schooling is central to your decision, confirm the current high-school placement and logistics directly with the Mountainside and Berkeley Heights districts rather than relying on older information.
For many families, schools are a top reason to choose a town, and Mountainside's structure — a small local district feeding into a neighboring high school — is simply part of the picture to weigh alongside the borough's setting, taxes, and commute. The right move is to verify the specifics for your own children and visit in person. As you weigh the whole package, see our neighborhoods and homes guide and the case for New York buyers moving to Mountainside.
Moving for the schools? Let's get the specifics right.
School structure is one of the first things relocating families ask about, and Mountainside's send-receive setup deserves a clear explanation. The Prodigy Team can point you to the right primary sources, help you line up tours, and match you to a home that fits your family's plan. We work both sides of the water.
Anthony Licciardello, Broker, The Prodigy Team · 718-873-7345
See What Your Mountainside Home Is Worth
Mountainside operates its own K–8 district built around two schools: Beechwood School for the younger grades and Deerfield School through eighth grade. High-school students attend Governor Livingston High School in neighboring Berkeley Heights through a send-receive relationship.
No. Mountainside sends its high-school students to Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights under a long-standing send-receive arrangement, with busing typically provided. Confirm the current placement and logistics directly with the districts.
It means Mountainside, as the sending district, places its high-school students in a receiving district's school — here, Governor Livingston in Berkeley Heights. Practically, your high-schooler attends school in the next town. It's a common New Jersey structure, but worth understanding for travel and scheduling.
Use primary sources: the New Jersey Department of Education's School Performance Reports and the district websites for official data and programs, with sites like GreatSchools for added perspective. Most importantly, visit the schools in person to judge fit for your own child.
Prodigy Real Estate is an innovative real estate company offering high-end video production, home valuation services, purchasing, and home sales. Serving New York and New Jersey.
