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Cresskill High School

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High school in Bergen County, New Jersey, US

Cresskill High School
Main Entrance (2016)
Address
1 Lincoln Drive
Cresskill, Bergen County, New Jersey 07626
United States
Coordinates40°56′42″N 73°57′51″W / 40.945053°N 73.964199°W / 40.945053; -73.964199
Information
TypePublic high school
EstablishedOctober 1962
School districtCresskill Public Schools
NCES School ID340360000324
PrincipalJohn Massaro
Faculty48.5 FTEs
Grades9-12
Enrollment478 (as of 2023–24)
Student to teacher ratio9.9:1
Color(s)  Black and
  Gold
Athletics conferenceNorth Jersey Interscholastic Conference
Team nameCougars
YearbookImages
Websitewww.cresskillboe.k12.nj.us/o/cmshs

Cresskill High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Cresskill in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Cresskill Public Schools. The infrastructure is shared with Cresskill Middle School, which serves Cresskill students in sixth through eighth grade.

As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 478 students and 48.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.9:1. There were 15 students (3.1% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 7 (1.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

History

Cresskill's students in grades nine to twelve had attended Tenafly High School until October 1962, with the opening of the initial wing of Cresskill's high school, constructed at a cost of $2.8 million (equivalent to $28.2 million in 2023). Students already in the Tenafly district for grades 11 and 12 when the Cresskill school opened remained at Tenafly High School until graduation, which meant that the first Cresskill graduating class was the Class of 1965.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 18th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 29th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 55th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 15th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 22nd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 90 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (97.1%) and language arts literacy (99.3%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).

In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 425th out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 47th among all high schools in New Jersey and 30th among the state's non-magnet schools.

In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 361st in the nation among participating public high schools and 31st among schools in New Jersey. The school was ranked 166th in the nation and tenth in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by The Daily Beast / Newsweek, with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the SAT / ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students.

In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 7th in New Jersey and 369th nationwide.

The school was ranked 209th in the 2010 Newsweek magazine ranking of the top 15,000 high schools in the United States, after being ranked 303rd in 2009. It was the sixth-ranked school in New Jersey, with 2.586 AP tests taken in 2008 per graduating senior and 52% of all graduating seniors passing at least one AP exam; The school was ranked 256th nationwide in 2008. In Newsweek's 2007 ranking of the country's top high schools, Cresskill High School was listed in 209th place, the fifth-highest ranked school in New Jersey; the school had been ranked 202nd in the 2006 survey and in 93rd in 2005.

Athletics

The Cresskill High School Cougars participate in the Patriot Division of the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which is comprised of small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson County, Morris County and Passaic County counties, and was created following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Cresskill was a member of the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL) in the Olympic Division. With 397 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 75 to 476 students in that grade range. The school's co-op with Emerson Junior-Senior High School was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 484 to 683 students.

The school participates in a joint ice hockey team with Tenafly High School as the host school / lead agency. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.

The girls volleyball team won the Group I state championship in 1982 (defeating North Arlington High School in the final match of the tournament), 2002 (vs. Secaucus High School) and 2003 (vs. North Arlington). The 1982 team defeated North Arlington in two games (15–4, 15–12) in the playoff championship. The team won the 2002 Group I championship, sweeping Secaucus High School (15–10, 15–7) in the final match. The 2003 team repeated the title, defeating North Arlington High School in the final.

The football team won the NJSIAA North I Group I state sectional championship in 1984, 1987, 1989, 1992 and 1997. The 1984 team finished the season with an 11-0 record after winning the North I Group I state sectional title with a 30-0 win against North Arlington High School in the championship game. A 21-7 win against Pompton Lakes High School in the playoff finals gave the 1987 team the North I Group I state sectional championship and an 11-0 record. The 1989 team finished the season at 10-0-1 after winning the North I Group I state title with a 31-28 victory against Pompton Lakes High School in the championship game.

The boys wrestling team won the North I Group I state sectional title in 1997 and 1998

The 2001 boys' basketball team defeated Secaucus High School by 61–50, to win the finals of the North I, Group I tournament. They finished with a school-best 26–2 record. The 2002 boys' basketball team defeated Bogota High School by a score of 70–56 in the tournament final to win the North I, Group I state sectional tournament, finishing the season with a record of 22–5.

The 2001 boys tennis team won the North Jersey Group I sectional championship, defeating Waldwick High School 4–1.

The girls tennis team defeated Verona High School 3–2, to win the 2005 North I, Group I sectional title.

In 2006, Cresskill played in the finals of the 2006 NJSIAA North I, Group I girls soccer tournament, falling to Kinnelon High School by a score of 5–0.

In 2007 and 2009, Cresskill won its group at the Bergen County Meet in track.

In 2010, the boys basketball team defeated Boonton High School 60-59 to capture the North I Group I state sectional title on a basket scored with 10 seconds remaining in the game.

With the group finals cancelled as result of COVID-19, the girls basketball team was declared as the North I regional champion. The 2003 team won the North I, Group I title with a win over previously unbeaten County Prep High School, by a 71–65 score. The 2004 team repeated the feat, winning their third consecutive title by defeating North Warren Regional High School, 74–61, in the tournament final. In 2008, the girl's varsity basketball team won the North I, Group I state sectional championship with a 59–44 win over Belvidere High School.

Notable alumni

Administration

The school's principal is John Massaro; his administration team includes an assistant principal.

Recent events

Hurricane Ida, in September 2021, caused millions of dollars in damages to the school facility. At this time students were being put into a local Catholic school St. Therese until repairs at the high school are completed.

References

  1. ^ School data for Cresskill High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
  2. ^ Cresskill High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  3. Clubs and Activities, Cresskill High School. Accessed March 16, 2022.
  4. Slocum, John W. "New Jersey; Bergen", The New York Times, September 3, 1962. Accessed July 22, 2011. "Cresskill will open the first wing of its $2,800,000 high school on Oct 1. Of the 495 pupils in grades seven through twelve, 280 junior and seniors will study in Tenafly High School until graduation."
  5. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  6. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 1, 2012.
  7. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed June 12, 2011.
  8. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  9. School Overview; Click on "Rankings" for 2003-11 HSPA results, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 7, 2012.
  10. Staff. "America's Best High Schools 2016", Newsweek. Accessed November 11, 2016.
  11. Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 8, 2013.
  12. Staff. "America's Best High Schools 2012", The Daily Beast / Newsweek, May 20, 2012. Accessed May 22, 2012.
  13. Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Cresskill High School" Archived March 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post. Accessed July 22, 2011.
  14. Staff. "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,500 top U.S. high schools", Newsweek, June 8, 2009. Accessed June 10, 2009.
  15. "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools" Archived May 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Newsweek, May 22, 2007. Accessed May 24, 2007.
  16. Mattura, Greg. "Small-school NJIC may debut its own league championship", The Record, January 9, 2017.Accessed August 30, 2020. "The small-school North Jersey Interscholastic Conference may debut its own boys basketball tournament this season, one season after introducing its girls hoops championship. The NJIC is comprised of schools from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties and the event offered to the 36 boys teams would serve as an alternative to likely competing against larger programs in a county tournament."
  17. Member Schools, North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Accessed August 30, 2020.
  18. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  19. New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association League Memberships – 2009-2010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed October 8, 2014.
  20. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  21. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
  22. NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
  23. NJSIAA Girls Volleyball Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  24. "Paramus Catholic breezes to crown", The Record, November 21, 1982. Accessed January 2, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Also winning titles were Paramus, Old Tappan, Cresskill and Tenafly.... Cresskill downed North Arlington easily in the first game, 15-4, but the lead changed hands four times before the Cougars edged the Vikings, 15-12, in the second game to win the Group 1, Section 1 title."
  25. 2002 Girls Volleyball - Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 28, 2007.
  26. 2003 Girls Volleyball - Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 28, 2007.
  27. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
  28. Brennan, John. "Cresskill crushes North Arlington", The Record, December 2, 1984. Accessed January 9, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "'There isn't one more thing I could ask of these guys,' Kaliades said after his Cougars overpowered North Arlington, 30-0, yesterday in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Group 1 Athletic Association North Section 1, Group 1 championship game to complete an unbeaten season. The win was the 11th of the season for Cresskill, which qualified for the NJSIAA playoffs for the first time."
  29. Schwartz, Paul. "Pompton falls to Cresskill", The Record, December 6, 1987. Accessed February 7, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Cresskill built its unbeaten record on the arm of quarterback Matt Morgan, the legs of running back-linebacker Joe Karach, and a ferocious defense that surrendered only 41 points in its first 10 games. While all those features were present yesterday, Cresskill earned its second New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 1, North Section 1 championship in four years mainly on the strength of a less familiar figure running back Erie 'Gator' Smith, Smith rushed for 149 yards and one touchdown and keyed an 80-yard fourth-quarter scoring drive that clinched the Cougars' 21-7 victory over Pompton Lakes for Cresskill's 11th straight victory."
  30. Quinn, Steve. "Bad calls kill cards", Herald News, December 3, 1989. Accessed March 7, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Walt Bartlett looked to no one but himself when listing reasons for his Pompton Lakes High School football team losing to Cresskill, 31-28, in the North Section 1, Group 1 championship game Saturday."
  31. NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2021.
  32. 2001 - North I, Group I Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 28, 2007.
  33. McIntyre, Jason. "Cresskill Overcomes Bogota", The Record, March 6, 2002. Accessed December 8, 2015. "Their embrace was quick. Cresskill's Matt Henry smiled and hugged his good friend, Bogota's Jim Holsworth, following the Cougars' surprisingly easy 70-56 win over the Bucs Tuesday night in the Group 1, North 1 boys basketball sectional final."
  34. 2001 NJSIAA Boys Team Tennis - North I, Group I Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 28, 2007.
  35. 2005 Girls Team Tennis - North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 28, 2007.
  36. 2006 Girls Soccer Tournament - North I, Group I Girls Varsity Soccer State Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 10, 2006.
  37. Gene "Red" Lettler County Meet: Bergen County Group Champions Archived March 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Bergen County Coaches Association. Accessed August 19, 2011.
  38. 2010 Boys Basketball Tournament - North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed March 7, 2012.
  39. Staff. "Cresskill 60, Boonton 59", The Star-Ledger, March 8, 2010. Accessed July 22, 2011. "Tom Hasenstab finished with 22 points and Rueben Torenberg scored 15, including the game-winning bucket with 10 seconds left, when Cresskill defeated Boonton, 60-59, for the championship of the NJSIAA/ShopRite North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 tournament last night in Boonton."
  40. Kitchin, Mark. "Boonton boys basketball has tough season-ending loss" Archived November 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Daily Record, March 8, 2010. Accessed July 22, 2011. "Tom Hasenstab scored 21 points and Reuben Torenberg added 13 including the winning basket with 10 seconds left to give Cresskill a 60-59 victory over Boonton in the North 1 Group I state sectional title game on Monday."
  41. Girls Basketball Championship History: 1919–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
  42. McIntyre, Jason. "Cresskill earns title on Ostrove's heroics", The Record, March 11, 2003. Accessed August 2, 2007. "Ostrove, a 5-foot-3 guard, sprinted from behind the three-point line to make a sensational block, and Cresskill held on for a 71-65 victory over previously unbeaten County Prep in the North 1, Group 1 girls basketball final."
  43. 2003 Girls Basketball - North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 28, 2007.
  44. Koo, Bob. "Cresskill not ready to give up the crown -- Second-half surge gives Cougars third straight title", The Record, March 9, 2004. Accessed December 8, 2015. "The senior sharpshooter scored 17 of her 26 points in that third quarter as the top-seeded Cougars outscored No. 7 North Warren, 28-10, en route to a 74-61 win in Monday's North 1, Group 1 sectional girls basketball final."
  45. 2004 Girls Basketball - North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 28, 2007.
  46. 2008 Girls Basketball - North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 19, 2011.
  47. Doviak, Cory K. "Cresskill goes inside and comes out with a section title", NorthJerseySports.com, March 4, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2011. "Colleen Ahearn provided Cresskill with just such a target and the Cougars hit it over and over again in the fourth quarter of Monday night's North 1, Group 1 state sectional final.... Cresskill, which entered the fourth quarter trailing by three points, used Ahearn's scoring and smart decisions by the rest of the team, to pull away for a surprisingly comfortable 59-44 win and its first section title since 2004."
  48. Mansour, Jeff. "Happy Birthday To Cresskill's Stephen Dadaian", Cresskill-Closter Daily Voice, May 3, 2016. Accessed August 27, 2018. "The dentist by day, guitarist by night attended Cresskill High School and graduated from The College of New Jersey, as well as Columbia University College of Dental Medicine."
  49. Rubin, Adam. "Watch out Omar Minaya: Numbers man John Ricco could be next Mets general manager", New York Daily News, August 11, 2009. Accessed September 12, 2017. "Ricco, 41, joined the organization as assistant GM in April 2004 after spending 12 years working for the commissioner's office at Major League Baseball.... A graduate of Cresskill (N.J.) High School and Villanova, Ricco wrote for the university's student newspaper."
  50. Stapleton, Art. "'Don't sleep on Jersey': Why NJ will be front and center for 100 million Super Bowl TV viewers", The Record, February 8, 2023. Accessed February 8, 2023. "Rinaldi went to Cresskill High School and has lived in Tenafly for 20 years."
  51. Ani Sarkisian, Michigan Wolverines women's soccer. Accessed April 16, 2021. "Hometown: Cresskill, N.J.; High School Cresskill"
  52. Middle and High School Administration, Cresskill High School. Accessed February 8, 2023.
  53. "21 N.J. schools closed due to Ida storm damage. 4 still haven’t reopened.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 22, 2021. Accessed November 22, 2021. "Workers from a remediation company at Cresskill Middle/High School in September. Cleanup at the school is still underway nearly three months later."

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