The average New Jersey homeowner paid $4,372 in school taxes in 2015, but residents of many towns saw significantly higher bills, according to data from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

Across the state, 15 municipalities had an average residential school tax bill higher than $10,000, according to the state data. There were 49 townships, boroughs, cities or villages where the average amount paid by residential property owners was higher than $8,000.

The average amount paid in school taxes is typically highest in the state's affluent communities where property values are the highest. A higher-than-average bill for school taxes does not necessarily mean that the municipality has a high rate for school taxes.

The size of a municipality can also play a factor in the average tax bill. Small towns with few residential properties can have their average swayed by a few homes that are valued much higher or lower than the rest of the municipality's properties.

Some towns have their own K-12 school districts, while others have a K-8 district and send older students to a regional high school.

Other places, like Loch Arbour, a small village in Monmouth County, send all of their students to a school district in another municipality.

Browse the gallery above to see the 25 towns with the highest average school tax bills in 2015.

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.