The Executive County Superintendent of Schools supervises and administers the County Office of Education and represents the Commissioner of Education in all matters involving school districts pursuant to law and regulation. The executive county superintendent provides leadership in educational planning and program improvement to local school districts and is responsible for the coordination and approval of fiscal, educational, facility and transportation services within the county.

Major responsibilities of the Mercer County Office of Education, under the direction of the executive county superintendent of schools, are as follows:

• evaluation and ongoing monitoring of school district performance
• evaluation of opportunities for consolidation of services within the county including, but not limited to, purchasing, special education, and transportation services
• teacher, educational services & administrator license processing and county substitute credential issuance
• review and approval of school district budgets, administrator contracts, pupil transportation contracts, school facilities
• health, safety and security issues
• education law and code review, interpretation and enforcement
• special education review and approval
• criminal background check review and monitoring
• grants management review and notification

The County Office of Education is located at 1075 Old Trenton Road, Trenton, NJ 08690. Directions to the office can be found at http://www.state.nj.us/education/counties/directions/mer.htm

General Information

Mercer County has 11 public school districts (including one special services school district and one technical school district), nine charter schools, and four state facilities. There are a total of 104 public school buildings including 15 high schools, 12 middle schools, 60 elementary schools, four technical schools, four special education schools, and nine charter schools. In addition there are more than 70 non-public schools in the county—private schools and state-approved schools for the disabled.  Currently, public school student enrollment is approximately 63,000 and there are approximately 5,850 instructional, supervisory and administrative personnel serving the public schools in the county.

• Statistical data on Mercer County’s schools can be found at http://www.state.nj.us/njded/data/
• The New Jersey School Report Card can be accessed at  http://www.state.nj.us/education/title1/accountability/rc/

Useful Links

• AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) information and school results
• Criminal History Q&A
• Finance – includes Budget, Election Calendar, Audit, Comparative Spending Guide, School Facilities and School Transportation
• GED
• Highly Qualified Teachers
• Home Schooling Q&A
• New Jersey Administrative Code
• New Jersey School Directory - includes school districts, charter and nonpublic schools, district websites, approved clinics and agencies, approved private schools for the disabled, GED testing centers and New Jersey State employee telephone directory
• NJ School Report Card
• NJ Teaching Vacancies
• PRISE (Parents Rights in Special Education)
• Special Education - Information for Districts & Parents
• Statistics & Survey results - Enrollment, Dropout, Staffing, Special Education, etc.
• Testing Information

Teacher Certification

How do I apply for teacher certification?
For information, general requirements, online application or to check the status of an application, go to the New Jersey Department of Education’s web page at: http://www.nj.gov/education/educators/license

Substitute Teacher Credential

Instructions for County Substitute Credential Issuance

Applicants holding New Jersey standard instructional certificates may substitute without applying for a county substitute credential. This also applies to applicants holding Certificates of Eligibility with Advanced Standing and Certificates of Eligibility.

How do I apply for a substitute credential?

Application forms must be obtained at the Human Resources Office of your local school district. 

• List of school district office and phone numbers

To obtain a substitute teacher credential, 60 semester-hour credits from a regionally accredited college or university are required.

The local board of education will provide information on fingerprinting and the criminal background check process.

More Information

• 2021-2022 Public and Charter Schools DCP&P Contact Information
• 2021-2022 Public and Charter Schools Directory
• 2020-2021 Mercer County DCP&P Contact Information
• 2020-2021 Mercer County Public and Charter School Directories
• 2018-2019 Calendar School Districts and Charters
• 2018-2019 Mercer County Charter School Directors
• 2017-2018 Mercer County Public School Directory
• 2018-2019 Mercer County School District Superintendents
• 2017-2018 Mercer County DCP&P Contact Information

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