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Jefferson Township High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Jefferson Township, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Jefferson Township Public Schools. The school is located in the Oak Ridge section of the township.

As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 791 students and 79.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.0:1. There were 64 students (8.1% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 20 (2.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

History

Before the high school opened, more than 450 students in grades 9-12 were sent out-of-district and allocated to attend Butler High School, Franklin High School, Morris Hills High School or Randolph High School. With the receiving schools no longer able to accommodate township students, the district initiated work on a facility that would cost $2.4 million (equivalent to $24.4 million in 2023). The school opened in September 1964.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 121st-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 211th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 158th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 167th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 152nd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 186th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 31 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the two components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), mathematics (79.2%) and language arts literacy (93.0%).

Athletics

The Jefferson Township High School Falcons compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, a high school athletic conference comprised of schools in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties, that was created following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Prior to the NJSIAA's 2009 realignment, the school had competed in the Sussex County Interscholastic League, which was primarily based in Sussex County with some schools in Morris County. With 706 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the Patriot Blue division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The 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 with Sparta High School in a joint ice hockey team in which Kinnelon High School is 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 boys cross country running team won the Group I state championship in 1975 and won the Group II title in 1996.

The football team won the NJSIAA North II Group II state sectional championships in 1986 and 1987, and the North I Group II title in 2008. The 1986 team finished the season with an 11–0 record after winning the North II Group II state title with a 26–14 defeat of Dover High School in the championship game. In 2008, the team defeated Dover by a score of 28–14 to win the North II Group II state championship. The team won the 2008 North I, Group II state championship, defeating West Essex High School by a score of 21–6.

The girls track team won the Group II state indoor relay championship in 1990.

The wrestling team won the North II Group II state sectional title in 1991-1996 and 2000, together with three consecutive Group II state titles from 1992 to 1994 The wrestling team the program's third consecutive Group II state titlein 1994 with a 45–14 win against Buena Regional High School. The team held the #1 ranking in the USA Today Super 25 national rankings during the 1993 season.

The girls' basketball team won the Group II state championship in 1992, defeating previously undefeated Middle Township High School by a score of 51–42 in the tournament final and advanced to the Tournament of Champions seeded fourth before falling 41–40 in the quarterfinals to fifth-seeded Egg Harbor Township High School to finish the season with a record of 28–4.

The 2001-2002 boys varsity swim team won their first Morris County Championship four years after establishing a team under head coach Brian Palumbo. The 2009-2010 boys varsity swim team won the inaugural NJAC Northern Division Championship by going 8–0 in the conference under coach Scott Davis and Karen Gaba.

The softball team won the Group III state championship in 2003 (vs. Hamilton High School West in the finals) and won the 2004 Group II state title, defeating Sterling High School 2–0 in the championship game.

The ice hockey team won the Haas Cup in 2007.

The girls cheerleading team won the final Sussex County Interscholastic League champions in 2008 against defending champions the Vernon Vikings. The 2008-09 and the 2011-2012 teams won the National Championship title which was held in Baltimore.

The girls track and field team won their divisional, county and conference titles in spring of 2013. Their 100-meter relay team was also two-time county champions, 2013 group champions, as well as the county record holder.

Controversy

A former teacher received $500,000 in an age discrimination suit filed against the school district, after claiming that she had been subjected to a pattern of harassment when she decided not to retire, despite having had received consistent positive evaluations from supervisors in previous years. The board of education had until the end of January 2012 to decide on an appeal of the verdict.

Students and other members of the public came to an October 2010 board meeting to express their support for Kirsten Smith, a teacher who had been suspended with pay after the district claimed that she had violated policies related to testing.

Administration

The school's principal is Kevin Lipton.

Notable alumni

• Derek Drymon (born 1969, class of 1987), animator and storyboard artist, who is one of the creators of SpongeBob SquarePants
• Mike Leach (born 1976), former American football player who played in the NFL
• Bob Malone (born 1965, class of 1984), keyboardist, singer and songwriter
• Deonna Purrazzo (born 1994), professional wrestler
• Douglas Yeo (born 1955, class of 1973), bass trombonist

References

1. ^ School data for Jefferson Township High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
2. ^ Jefferson Township High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 10, 2015.
3. "Township High School Students Split Four Ways", The News, August 25, 1962. Accessed April 7, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Jefferson Township high school students will attend four different institutions when school opens on September 5... The high school pupils will be sent to Randolph Township High School, Morris Hills Regional, Franklin or Butler High School. Their school will be determined by a pre-arranged quota set up by the school.... At present the township's three schools must accommodate 1,002 youngsters and 475 will attend out of town classes."
4. "Break Ground for Jefferson HS", Herald-News, July 22, 1963. Accessed April 7, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Ground was broken Saturday for the $2,454,000 Jefferson Township High School. The 43-room structure will be constructed on Weldon Road, Oak Ridge, and is planned to alleviate the inability of receiving districts to receive township students."
5. "Jefferson's New High School", Herald News, August 19, 1964. Accessed April 7, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "This is Jefferson Townships new high school, a low-slung building that covers a wide expanse of ground near the center of the township. Due to open next month, it will allow students to attend high school classes in their own township for the first time."
6. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
7. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 1, 2012.
8. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 24, 2011.
9. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
10. School Overview; Click on "Rankings" for 2003-11 HSPA results, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 8, 2012.
11. Home Page, Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference. Accessed August 27, 2020. "The Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference prides itself on being one of New Jersey's premier high school conferences and is comprised of 39 high schools located in Northwest New Jersey."
12. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
13. Home Page, Sussex County Interscholastic League, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 4, 2012. Accessed November 25, 2014.
14. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
15. Cooper, Darren. "Here's what we know about the new Super Football Conference 2020 schedule", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference (SFC) is a 112-team group, the largest high school football-only conference in America, and is comprised of teams from five different counties."
16. Cooper, Darren. "NJ football: Super Football Conference revised schedules for 2020 regular season", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference has 112 teams that will play across 20 divisions."
17. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
18. NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
19. NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
20. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
21. Mills, Ed. "Jefferson wins first state title; Bencivengo gains 138 yards", Daily Record, December 7, 1986. Accessed February 5, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The durable and resilient Falcons refused to give in to the constant Dover attack, and they recorded a 26-14 victory over the Tigers in the North Jersey Section 2, Group II state championship game. This postseason was the first year Jefferson has ever appeared in the state playoffs. Yesterday marked its first-ever state championship. Jefferson, the regular season Sussex County Interscholastic League champions, finished the season with a perfect 11-0 record, the first undefeated football team in Falcons history."
22. "Football", New York Daily News, December 10, 1986. Accessed December 31, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Jefferson Township RB Mike Bencivengo (26 carries, 103 yards) won the state scoring title (184 points) with 3 TDs in Jefferson's 28-14 win over Dover in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 championship."
23. 2008 Football - North I, Group II, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 21, 2008.
24. Geramita, Jon. "Jubilation in Jefferson", New Jersey Herald, December 5, 2008, updated January 23, 2009. Accessed December 16, 2020. "Jefferson won its first North I, Group II sectional title in 21 years Friday night, physically dominating top-seeded West Essex, 21-6, at Rutgers Stadium."
25. History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships Archived July 5, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
26. NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History Archived October 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2021.
27. Latham, Don. "Buena Falls Short in Bid for State Team Wrestling Title", The Press of Atlantic City, February 20, 1994. Accessed July 26, 2012. "If there were any doubts as to which is the best group II wrestling team in the state, Jefferson Township High School eliminated them on Saturday. Jefferson (Morris County) put on an outstanding display and beat Buena Regional 44-15 to win its third consecutive Group II State title Saturday at Kittatinny Regional High School."
28. Brinkley, Robin. "4 OF Natin's Top 8 Teams to Compete in Virginia Duals", Virginian-Pilot, December 10, 1992. Accessed July 26, 2012. "Four of the top eight teams in USA Today's Preseason Super 25, including No. 1 Jefferson Township of Oak Ridge, N.J., and No. 2 Great Bridge, have accepted invitations to the 13th annual Virginia Duals on Jan. 8-9 at Hampton Coliseum."
29. Girls Basketball Championship History: 1919–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
30. "First loss tough to swallow for Middle Township in finale", Courier-Post, March 16, 1992. Accessed December 16, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Middle Township, which had dominated the boards at both ends of the court en route to 30 straight wins, was stifled by Jefferson Township's inside game on Sunday afternoon and dropped a tense, seesaw battle to the Sussex County champions 51-42 in the state Group 2 title game. The win gave Jefferson, 28-3, its first state title and advanced it into the Tournament of Champions, which starts Tuesday."
31. NJSIAA Girls Basketball Tournament of Champions History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
32. Williams, Tom. "EHT advances to semis with 41-40 win", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 18, 1992. Accessed March 19, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Shea Matlock scored four points in the final 81 seconds last night to help Egg Harbor Township defeat Jefferson Township, 41-40, in the opening round of the girls' basketball Tournament of Champions at Monmouth College.... But Jefferson Township (28-4), which defeated Middle Township in the state Group 2 final, rallied to tie the score, 25-25, at the half."
33. 2004 Softball - Public Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 25, 2007.
34. Softball Championship History 1972–2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated July 2023. Accessed April 1, 2024.
35. NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
36. "Varsity Cheerleaders take top honors at Nationals", AIM Jefferson, February 12, 2009. Accessed May 11, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Jefferson Township High School Varsity Cheerleaders recently represented their school and became both National and Grand Champions at the American Masters Championships held at the Convention Center in Baltimore, MD."
37. Goldberg, Dan. "Ex-teacher in Morris County nets more than $500K over age discrimination", The Star-Ledger, January 9, 2012. Accessed January 11, 2012. "A former Jefferson Township High School, shown above, chemistry teacher was awarded more than $500,000 after successfully suing the district for age discrimination."
38. Toth, Sue. "School Board Has 20 Days to Appeal Age Discrimination Outcome: Board is "exploring options," according to president.", JeffersonPatch, January 10, 2012. Accessed January 16, 2012.
39. Luciano, John R. "Students swarm meeting to support suspended Jefferson teacher", Aim Jefferson, October 28, 2010. Accessed January 12, 2012. "Dozens of Jefferson Township High School students attended the Board of Education meeting on Oct. 25 to voice strong support for Kirsten Smith, an English teacher currently suspended with pay. Smith has been accused of violating ethics policy on district testing, a charge she flatly denies. At the meeting, Smith spoke and defended her integrity and vowed to fight for her job while speaker after speaker praised her abilities."
40. District Directory, Jefferson Township High School. Accessed July 14, 2024.
41. Jennings, Rob. "Jefferson native, SpongeBob go way back: Cartoonist an executive producer for animated film" Archived September 8, 2012, at archive.today, Daily Record, November 19, 2004. Accessed October 23, 2007. "But in Jefferson, Drymon is perhaps best remembered as an offensive guard and defensive tackle on the high school's state championship football team in 1986.... At Jefferson High School, when not playing football, Drymon was sketching comic books."
42. 83 Mike Leach, Tight End/Long Snapper Archived June 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Denver Broncos. Accessed April 25, 2007. "Leach was a first-team all-state selection at Jefferson Township High School in Jefferson Township, N.J., and graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer in basketball."
43. Tarrazi, Alexis. "'Keyboard Wizard' Bob Malone To Perform In Basking Ridge", Basking Ridge, NJ, Patch, March 21, 2023. Accessed March 28, 2023. "Malone who grew up in North Jersey had always had a dream of rock and roll stardom. At 16 years old, Malone eventually got paid for his first show, 40 years ago, at his alma mater Jefferson Township High School."
44. Varsallone, Jim. "Mae Young Classic alternate Purrazzo helps lead ROH Women of Honor", Miami Herald, August 25, 2017. Accessed August 21, 2018. "Born in Livingston and raised in Jefferson, New Jersey, Purrazzo is also attractive and vied for the title of Miss New Jersey USA.... Purrazzo is a graduate of Jefferson Township High School."
45. Biography, YeoDoug.com. Accessed March 28, 2023. "Bass Trombonist Douglas Yeo was born in Monterey, California and grew up in Queens and Valley Stream, New York (where he began playing the trombone at the age of nine in the Hewlett-Woodmere school system), and Oak Ridge, New Jersey (where he graduated from Jefferson Township High School in 1973)."

External links

• Jefferson Township High School
• Jefferson Township Public Schools
• School Performance Report for Jefferson Township High School, New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Jefferson Township Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
• Jefferson Township High School Student and Alumni Page

v t e Education in Morris County, New Jersey
School districts	K-6 Mine Hill Township K-8 Boonton Township Chester Borough / Township Denville Township East Hanover Florham Park Hanover Township Harding Township Lincoln Park Long Hill Township Mendham Borough Mendham Township Morris Plains Mount Arlington Netcong Riverdale Rockaway Borough Rockaway Township Washington Township Wharton K-12 Boonton Town Butler School District of the Chathams Dover Jefferson Township Kinnelon Madison Montville Township Morris School District Mount Olive Township Mountain Lakes Parsippany-Troy Hills Pequannock Township Randolph Township Roxbury 9-12 Hanover Park Regional Morris County Vocational Morris Hills Regional West Morris Regional None Victory Gardens (to Dover)
Public high schools	Academy for Math/Sci./Engr. Boonton Butler Chatham Dover Hanover Park Jefferson Township Kinnelon Madison Montville Township Morris Hills Morris Knolls Morris Tech Morristown Mount Olive Mountain Lakes Parsippany Parsippany Hills Pequannock Township Randolph Roxbury West Morris Central West Morris Mendham Whippany Park Defunct Chatham Borough Chatham Township Netcong
Private	Academy of Saint Elizabeth Craig School Delbarton Morris Catholic Morristown–Beard Parsippany Christian Trinity Christian Villa Walsh
Tertiary	County College of Morris
School districts by county: Atlantic Bergen Burlington Camden Cape May Cumberland Essex Gloucester Hudson Hunterdon Mercer Middlesex Monmouth Morris Ocean Passaic Salem Somerset Sussex Union Warren High schools by county Atlantic Bergen Burlington Camden Cape May Cumberland Essex Gloucester Hudson Hunterdon Mercer Middlesex Monmouth Morris Ocean Passaic Salem Somerset Sussex Union Warren

• 1964 establishments in New Jersey
• Educational institutions established in 1964
• Jefferson Township, New Jersey
• Public high schools in Morris County, New Jersey