Linden Public Schools Retains Apple Distinguished District Designation

Five schools renew their recognition through 2029, building on a districtwide milestone reached last fall

LINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NJ (Sept. 23) — Linden Public Schools has retained its Apple Distinguished District designation for a second consecutive year after all five schools up for renewal successfully reapplied for Apple Distinguished School recognition.

School Nos. 5, 6, 8 and 10 and Linden High School were already Apple Distinguished Schools. Their five-for-five renewal extends their recognition through 2029 and helps carry forward a districtwide distinction Linden first earned last fall.

“This recognition is really a reflection of the culture we have built in Linden Public Schools,” said Joseph Scaldino, supervisor of instructional technology and career and technical education. “Innovation and creativity have become part of who we are as a district.”

A Milestone Put to Work

Linden earned its initial districtwide designation after all 11 schools in the district at the time had been recognized individually as Apple Distinguished Schools. The achievement made Linden the largest school district in New Jersey to receive the designation.

Months later, students showed what that investment in teaching and technology could make possible. During a districtwide livestream on Dec. 11, 2025, student anchors, podcast producers and classroom creators connected schools across Linden while more than 40 visiting educators, administrators and technology leaders watched.

This year’s renewals mark the next step. The five schools had to demonstrate how their work had continued since their previous recognition, and each succeeded.

“It shows that this work is happening across our schools and is being embraced by our teachers and students,” Scaldino said.

What the Recognition Means for Students

Across Linden, students have produced podcasts, coded animations and created multimedia presentations. Such projects give them ways to investigate a subject, solve problems with classmates and communicate what they know in their own voices.

The work reflects Linden’s commitment to academic excellence and personalized pathways. It also brings the district’s ROAR focus on Opportunities and Achievement into daily lessons: Students get room to try an idea, refine it and share the result.

This year’s Apple Distinguished Schools theme, “Inspire, Imagine, Impact,” looks ahead to what those experiences can become. The designation connects Linden’s teachers, school leaders and technology staff with a global community of educators who exchange practices and ideas. What they learn can help shape new opportunities for Linden students throughout the 2026–2029 recognition period.

For Scaldino, retaining the designation is a reason to keep growing.

“We don’t look at this recognition as the finish line,” he said. “It motivates us to keep getting better, keep trying new things, and continue finding ways to give our students meaningful opportunities to learn and create.”