The Bergen Record reports four years later on the progress of a then-controversial decision. The town of Franklin Lakes was too small to support its own high school, so local kids were shipped to two regional high schools, based on geography.

Over the years, people perceived that Ramapo, where the wealthier neighborhoods went, was superior to Indian Hills, where the less wealthy areas sent their children. Some parents agitated for all families to be given a choice among both schools. Critics said it was doomed on two fronts: Ramapo would be overcrowded and mediocre; Indian Hills would be a ghost town.

Neither fear materialized. Why? The article points at two main reasons: loyalty to Indian Hills and, more significantly, the decision by Indian Hills to specialize. The school differentiated itself from it's more highly-esteemed neighbor by offering unique programs such as specialized courses inresearch and business.

There is still not total parity, but the introduction of school choice between two public schools, even when an income disparity was present, did not have the traumatic effects many feared.

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