NJ's School Supply Tax Holiday's Coming! What You Should Know

Rarely will you ever hear the words "New Jersey" and "sales tax" mentioned in a sentence together that doesn't have a negative connotation to go right along with it.

Let's face it, when it comes to the taxes we pay here in the Garden State, they're anything but cheap. Still, that's the price we pay to live where we do. If we don't like it, there's not much we can do about it, right? Well, besides maybe move out of state.

New Jersey, on average, has about a 6.6% sales tax on goods. Parents in the Garden State, however, can presently enjoy a bit of a break from that tax when purchasing new school supplies for the upcoming school year. Before you ask, no, this is not fake news.

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The Back-To-School Sales Tax Holiday is very real and, believe it or not, kicks off right before the start of the new school year. Let's start off with the good news.

Per the state's official website, the sales tax holiday begins on Saturday, August 27th, and lasts through Monday, September 5th. The idea is to make back-to-school shopping a bit more affordable this year for average New Jersey residents. Everything from writing utensils, art supplies, and even computers under $3k are included in the sales tax suspension. With inflation making it difficult on so many people to afford even the bare minimum, this break will make it possible for struggling parents to get their kids what they need in time for the first day of school.

Now, for the bad news....

No doubt that by now many parents have already completed their back-to-school shopping for fear of bare shelves. With all the supply chain issues facing the country lately, many parents ordered their kids' school supplies weeks, if not months ago. Sure, the tax holiday is a great idea in theory, but with so many empty shelves, there's no guarantee that parents who've waited until now to start shopping will be able to pick up everything their kids need in time for school.

Still, no one's going to complain about saving a bit of money, right?

Everything you need to know about the approaching back-to-school sales tax holiday can be found HERE.

Source: NJ.gov

New Jersey's Latest School Rankings

NJ school holidays with the biggest buzz

Just which days NJ schools have off remains a reflection of its community. Some New Jersey towns now have populations that celebrate religious holidays not previously taken as a district-wide day, such as Diwali or Eid. Other days off are not religious in nature, but are still stirring up controversy or buzz around the state. The following have been making the most news, heading into the 2022-2023 school year.

New Jersey high school graduation rates

The lists below show 4-year graduation rates for New Jersey public schools for the 2020-21 school year. The statewide graduation rate fell slightly, from 91% in 2019-20 to 90.6%.

The lists, which are sorted by county and include a separate list for charter schools, also include a second graduation rate, which excludes students whose special education IEPs allow them to qualify for diplomas despite not meeting typical coursework and attendance requirements.

Columns with an asterisk or 'N' indicate there was no data or it was suppressed to protect student privacy.