Harrington Park
A high rate on low assessments, and nobody runs on a party line
Harrington Park is the clearest illustration in the Northern Valley that a tax rate and a tax bill are two different questions. Its effective rate, 2.286%, is the second-highest of the eight. Its average bill, $17,840, sits mid-table, because the assessments underneath it are the second-lowest. It is also the one town of the eight where party politics barely shows up: the mayor and all six council members ran by petition, on no party primary ballot.
- The second-lowest average assessment of the eight, which makes it one of the cheaper ways in
- The mayor and all six council members ran by petition, appearing on no party primary ballot
- Council members serve without pay
- The Oradell Reservoir runs along the southern edge of the borough
Getting to the city
Emerson or Westwood, Pascack Valley Line (~2.7 mi)
There is no passenger rail in Harrington Park. The nearest NJ Transit station is Emerson or Westwood, Pascack Valley Line (~2.7 mi).
NJ Transit bus: 167, 177 to Port Authority — northern terminus at Station Plaza.
Commuter bus: Rockland Coaches 20/20T to Port Authority.
The George Washington Bridge is about 12.2 miles by road.
What you will find
The average residential assessment is $545,400 and the average tax bill $17,840 (2025), an effective rate of 2.286%.
Census ACS puts the median home value at $776,900, with 92.3% of households owning their home.
Northern Valley Regional
- K-8
- Harrington Park School District (PK-8, single school)
- High school
- Northern Valley Regional HS at Old Tappan
Harrington Park high schoolers attend Northern Valley Regional HS at Old Tappan, part of the Northern Valley Regional High School District. In 2024-25 it recorded 76.0% proficiency in grade 9 English and 56.6% in Algebra I, with a 98.0% graduation rate and mean SAT scores of 619 math / 619 reading. The state means were 50.0% grade 9 English, 38.1% Algebra I and 519 math / 533 reading. K-8 is Harrington Park School District (PK-8, single school), which recorded 75.7% proficiency in English and 77.8% in maths district-wide.
What people wish they knew
- The high school is Northern Valley Regional at Old Tappan, not Demarest. This is the single most commonly mistaken fact about the town.
- High rate, mid-table bill: 2.286% effective on an average bill of $17,840. Rate and bill are not the same question.
- The NJ Transit 167 and 177 end their northern run here, at Station Plaza.
- Rockland Coaches 20/20T to Port Authority also serves the borough.
- Population is up about 7% since the 2020 census, the fastest growth of the eight.