Stony Brook School Public Schools, 269 Grove Ave, Woodbridge, NJ 07095, US

One look at Mawbey Street School, and you get the impression that close attention to detail is a big consideration in how things are run. The pleasant, well-maintained brick building in a pretty suburban neighborhood demonstrates it: the little white pickets to protect planted flowers by the school's entrance, a carefully painted reserved parking space for the school's custodian. The school is on some of the cutting edge of the district's elementary school ideas. The fifth-grade music program uses software, combined with student compositions, to come up with music for the school's concerts. It's so innovative it was featured on a TV program on a New Jersey station. The parent association is heavily invested in the children's progress, as is the small but dedicated staff. Mawbey Street is an excellent example of a public school that exhibits the attention and care of a small, exclusive private school while still being open to neighborhood students. Barbara Balog is the school principal.