Welcome to Madison! With its quaint, bustling downtown, a direct train to NYC & Hoboken, top schools, and gorgeous, tree-lined streets, Madison is a pleasure to visit, and certainly to live in!
As a Drew University alum and former resident myself, I know some of the unique treasures within Madison and its university community, such as picturesque quiet nooks and beautiful, woodsy walking paths. It would be my pleasure to show you all that Madison has to offer.
Madison School Information
According to NJ Monthly’s most recent report (2018), Madison High School ranked #26 out of New Jersey’s 305 public schools. The report is produced every two years and the 2020 rankings will be available in August, 2020. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the data is not yet available. The municipality offers a highly rated school system including a department of Special Services (child study team for the learning disabled). Students from Harding Township, New Jersey attend the district’s high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Harding Township School District.
The Madison public schools serve students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade. There are three elementary schools- Torey J Sabatini School (K-5), Kings Road School (K-5), and Central Avenue School (PreK-5). One middle school Madison Junior School (6-8) and one high school Madison High School (9-12).
Private schools
Saint Vincent Martyr School (SVMS) is a Catholic parochial school that serves students in grades PK-3 through seven, operated under the auspices of the Saint Vincent Parish and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. SVMS is a recipient of the No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon award for 2005-2006.
Higher education
Seton Hall College was established in Madison in 1856. The campus was relocated to its current location in South Orange, New Jersey in the late nineteenth century.
In 1867, Drew University was founded and continues to operate in Madison, on a wooded campus near downtown that previously was a private residence.
A portion of Fairleigh Dickinson University‘s College at Florham is located in Madison on the former Vanderbilt estate.
Madison Commuting Information
Madison is about a 55 minute direct commute to NYC. As it’s on the Midtown Direct Train line, trains run frequently during rush hour and throughout the day. New Jersey Transit‘s Madison station provides commuter service on the Morristown Line, with trains heading to Hoboken Terminal, and to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan via the Kearny Connection.
Madison Downtown and Parks
Home to Drew University and Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison is a college town, without a college town feel. I am actually a Drew alum (as are about 15 other people in my family, but I digress), and while I have always enjoyed Madison’s downtown, for its restaurants, small businesses, and walk-ability, it has never given me a real college town feel.
Instead, I find that Madison is more geared towards young families and young professionals. It has some of the finest restaurants in the area, as well as casual eateries, a homemade ice cream shop, and various other stores and shops for the family to enjoy.
