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Kinnelon High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Kinnelon in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Kinnelon Public Schools.

As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 528 students and 57.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.3:1. There were 22 students (4.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 3 (0.6% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

History

After the Kinnelon and West Milford school districts were notified in August 1959 that their students would no longer be accommodated at Butler High School within two to three years, the two districts joined in discussions with the Bloomingdale School District for the establishment of a regional school district.

By a margin of one percent, equal to 12 votes out of 1,162 cast, voters approved a January 1960 referendum that allocated $2 million (equivalent to $20.1 million in 2023) for the construction of a building on a 54-acre (22 ha) site that would be designed to accommodate a maximum capacity of 840 to 1,000 students, and would open starting with grades 7-10 and adding a grade over the next two years.

With the new high school coming to Kinnelon, the Riverdale School District sought approval in August 1960 from the state for a plan to shift its students out of Butler High School to attend school in Kinnelon for grades 7-12.

The athletic team name of "Colts" and the school colors of green and white were chosen in an April 1962 poll of students from Kinnelon and Riverdale who were in grades 6-9 at Butler High School who would constitute the initial incoming student body at Kinnelon High School.

The school opened in phases starting in October 1962 as sections of the facility were completed and had 620 students in its inaugural year, including 200 from Riverdale, who attended as part of a sending/receiving relationship.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 20th-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 5th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 21st in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 34th in the magazine's September 2008 issue, and 35th in its September 2006 issue, both of which included 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 90th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 62 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (87.5%) and language arts literacy (96.5%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).

In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 473rd out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 49th among all high schools in New Jersey and 32nd among the state's non-magnet schools.

In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 591st in the nation among participating public high schools and 46th among schools in New Jersey.

In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 39th in New Jersey and 1,217th nationwide.

Athletics

The Kinnelon High School Colts compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Prior to the 2009-10 realignment, the school had competed in the Colonial Hills Conference, which included high schools in Essex, Morris and Somerset counties. With 490 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 American 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 I North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 254 to 474 students.

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

The boys cross country team won the Group I state championship in 1967 and won the Group II title in 1970.

The boys' tennis team won the Group I state title in 1980, defeating Mahwah High School in the semifinals by 5-0 and then Bernardsville High School by 3-2 in the tournament final.

The girls' soccer team won the Group I state championship in 2006 (against Metuchen High School in the final game of the tournament) and in 2014 (vs. Shore Regional High School). In 2006, the team won the North I Group I tournament, defeating Cresskill High School by a score of 5-0 in the final game. The team then moved on to win the overall Group I state championship less than two weeks later, defeating Metuchen by a score of 2-1 in the championship game played at The College of New Jersey, winning the school's first state championship in any sport in nearly 40 years. In 2008, the girls soccer team became the first Group II school to win the Morris County Tournament championship. At the time it was considered to be an accomplishment that topped their previous year's state championship because the county tournament presented the challenge of much larger schools than they did during their run to the 2006 Group I state title. The following year, the team shared the county title with West Morris Central High School. In 2014, the girls soccer team defeated Park Ridge High School to win the North I, Group I sectional title. They then defeated the favored Glen Ridge High School squad, winners of the two previous Group I titles, by a score of 2-1 to reach the Group I semifinals. Going into the finals as underdogs again, they beat the 2013 Group I co-champions, Shore Regional by a final score of 2-0 to win the school's second girls soccer state championship. It was a season in which the team had started at 4-4, but went on a 16-1 roll, to finish the season with a school record 20 wins.

The girls' basketball team won the 2007 North I Group I sectional championship with a 48-37 win over Butler High School.

Also in 2008, the boys' soccer team won the North I, Group I championship, the first in the team's history, beating Wallington High School by a 4-1 margin in the sectional title game. The Colts then played then 9h-ranked Harrison to a 0-0 tie in the semi-final game, but Harrison advanced to the state finals on penalty kicks.

In 2008, the Kinnelon ice hockey team beat the Jefferson Township High School Falcons at the Prudential Center to win the Public B state tournament. The win was the team's first ever state championship.

In 2009, the boys' lacrosse team finished the season with a 16-6 record after winning the Group I state championship, defeating Chatham High School by a score of 11-9 in the title game.

The football team, which had been winless in all previous playoff games, won their first state championship in 2012, beating New Milford High School 26-14 to earn the state North I, Group II sectional title. On November 14, 2014, Kinnelon quarterback Kyle Presti set a New Jersey state record, with nine touchdown passes in a 68-42 victory over Sussex Technical High School, breaking the previous record of eight that had been achieved twice since 2010.

The girls tennis team won the Group I state championship in 2017, defeating Mountain Lakes High School by 4-1 in the tournament final.

Administration

The school's principal is Gary T. Suda. His administration team includes two vice principals.

Notable alumni

• Kurt Allerman (born 1955, class of 1973), linebacker who played for nine seasons in the NFL, for the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions.
• Laura Benanti (born 1979, class of 1997), television, film and Tony-winning Broadway actress.
• Bryan Gallego (born 1993, class of 2011) professional soccer player.
• Oz Griebel (1949–2020), banker, lawyer, and political candidate who ran for Governor of Connecticut
• Stearns Matthews (born 1984), cabaret singer, recording artist, director, teacher and pianist.
• William A. Pailes (born 1952, class of 1970), astronaut who carried a school pennant into space aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-51-J in 1985.
• Elise Testone (born 1983), singer and American Idol contestant.

References

1. ^ School data for Kinnelon High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
2. ^ Kinnelon High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
3. "2 School Boards To Tell H. S. Stand", Herald News, August 19, 1959. Accessed April 8, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Simultaneous statements will be released by the Kinnelon and West Milford Boards of Education on a proposed regional high school. Four members of the Kinnelon board met with the West Milford board last week after West Milford was notified to withdraw its students from Butler High School by September, 1961. Kinnelon has been asked to withdraw by September, 1962. West Milford's proposal for a regional high school will also be discussed with Bloomingdale. The Kinnelon board has adopted a formal resolution ending its relationship with Butler, effective September, 1962."
4. "Record Turnout of Voters Okays HS Referendum by 12 Ballots", The News, January 22, 1960. Accessed April 8, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The high school referendum squeaked through yesterday by 12 votes.... The tally was 587 yes and 575 no. The referendum provides for a bond issue of $1,980,000. The proposed Junior-senior high school is scheduled for completion in 1962. It will include the seventh through 10th grades, and some elementary classes. The 11th grade will be added in 1963 and the 12th in 1964. Its optimum capacity will, be 842 students, but 1,000 could be accommodated if need be. The 54-acre site is located diagonally across from the Kiel School."
5. "Board Seeks State Okay To Transfer HS Pupils", The News, August 30, 1960. Accessed April 8, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Board of Education by unanimous vote has asked the N.J. Commissioner of Education, Dr. Franklin Raubinger for permission to transfer its high school students from Butler to Kinnelon, in 1962.... At a special meeting last week. the Kinnelon Board of Education approved Riverdale's request leading to sending-receiving arrangement between the two boards which would Include grade seven to 12."
6. "Students Choose 'The Colts,' Colors of New Kinnelon H.S.", The News, April 18, 1962. Accessed April 8, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Green and white are the colors of the new Kinnelon High School and its nickname is The Colts. The vote was taken by Riverdale and Kinnelon sixth, seventh and eighth grade students, and ninth graders attending Butler High School, who will attend the new Kinnelon High School in September."
7. Becker, Alton W. "More Than 600 at Dedication Of New Kinnelon High School", Herald News, June 3, 1963. Accessed April 8, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "More than 600 persons toured the new $2 million Kinnelon High School during dedication ceremonies yesterday afternoon.... The high school has a capacity of 800. At present, it is occupied by about 620 students, approximately 420 from Kinnelon and 200 from Riverdale. A portion of the main classroom section was opened in mid-October and other sections were occupied as completed until the entire classroom area was in use in late November."
8. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
9. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 28, 2012.
10. "2010 Top High Schools in New Jersey", New Jersey Monthly, September 2010, posted August 30, 2010. Accessed August 30, 2010.
11. New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 1, 2012.
12. Staff. "America's Best High Schools 2016", Newsweek. Accessed November 11, 2016.
13. Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools" Archived May 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 9, 2013.
14. Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Kinnelon High School", The Washington Post. Accessed September 8, 2011.
15. 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."
16. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
17. Home Page, Colonial Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of November 19, 2010. Accessed November 25, 2014.
18. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
19. 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."
20. 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."
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 Boys Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
24. History of Boys' Team Tennis Championship Tournament, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
25. "Ridgewood falls in Group 4 final", The Record, May 25, 1980. Accessed January 14, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Kinnelon's 3-2 victory over Bernardsville gave the Colts the Group 1 crown and an undefeated season with 16 victories. Jim Hanlon and Jim Shawyer won in singles and Chris Chalk and Jim Clatyon in doubles for Kinnelon, which advanced into the championship meet by turning back Mahwah, 5-0, in the semifinals."
26. NJSIAA History of Girls Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
27. 2006 Girls Soccer Tournament - North I, Group I Girls Varsity Soccer State Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 10, 2006.
28. Kitchin, Mark. "Kinnelon duo shows toughness in final", Daily Record, November 24, 2006. Accessed November 25, 2014.
29. Morett, Chris. "Kinnelon (0) at Randolph (2), Morris County Tournament, Final Round - Girls Soccer", The Star-Ledger, November 12, 2011. Accessed March 2, 2012. "Randolph took the field in the Morris County Tournament as the historical power, boasting more county tournament titles than any other school but in the midst of a drought since 2000. Its opponent Kinnelon won back-to-back championships in 2008 and 2009. Kinnelon also was part of the reason for Randolph's dry spell, defeating Randolph in the 2008 final and bouncing Randolph in the quarterfinals last year."
30. Kitchin, Mark. "West Morris turned things around", Daily Record, December 17, 2009. Accessed March 1, 2012. "The Wolfpack earned victories against Morris Hills, Mendham (in double overtime) and Roxbury before rallying to a draw with Kinnelon in the championship game."
31. Schneider, Jeremy. "Girls Soccer: Group 1 semifinal preview — Glen Ridge vs. Kinnelon", NJ Advance Media For NJ.com, November 18, 2013. Accessed November 25, 2014. 'Glen Ridge has long been one of the strongest programs in Group 1, and it has won at least a share of the state title in the past two seasons."
32. Olivero, Antonio. "Girls Soccer: Group 1 final preview, Shore vs. Kinnelon", NJ Advance Media For NJ.com, November 21, 2014. Accessed November 27, 2014.
33. Meisel, Dave. "H.S. girls soccer: Kinnelon seniors cap careers with title", The Record, November 22, 2014. Accessed November 25, 2014. "Unlike in any of the Colts' games in this tournament, Kinnelon dominated Shore Regional for 80 minutes at Kean University and took the Group 1 title, 2-0, completing a 20-win season."
34. 2007 Girls Basketball - North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 25, 2007.
35. Staff. "Kinnelon 4, Wallington 1 (High school Boys Soccer scores & results)", The Star-Ledger, November 14, 2008. Accessed November 26, 2014. "Devin Cavagnaro scored three goals when Kinnelon defeated Wallington, 4-1, yesterday for the championship of the NJSIAA/MAC Testing North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 tournament yesterday in Kinnelon. The sectional title was the first in program history for Kinnelon (18-4), which has won seven straight and 16 of its last 17 games."
36. Reilly, Sean. "Harrison 1, Kinnelon 0 (High school Boys Soccer scores & results)", The Star-Ledger, November 18, 2008. Accessed November 26, 2014. "Diaz made the game-ending save in the seventh round and also connected twice as his team's shooter, in the third and seventh round, as Harrison, No. 9 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, gained a 1-0 victory over Kinnelon in the semifinals of the NJSIAA/MAC Testing Group 1 tournament last night at Ridge High in Basking Ridge."
37. NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
38. 2008 Ice Hockey Tournament - Public B, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed March 23, 2008.
39. Hague, Jim. "Kinnelon captures state championship", Daily Record, March 23, 2008. Accessed March 23, 2008. "It marked the first state championship for Kinnelon (24-2-2), which only initiated a hockey program less than a decade ago."
40. NJSIAA Boys Lacrosse Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023. As of date accessed, 2009 Group I runner-up appears to be incorrectly listed as Mountain Lakes High School.
41. "2009 Boys' Lacrosse Awards", Jersey Sports Now, December 31, 2020. "2009 Boys' Lacrosse Awards... So when the two teams met once again in the state Group I semifinals, most observers expected the Lakers to emerge victorious. Again, the Colts defied the experts, posting a stunning 8-6 win. Days later Kinnelon won another dramatic game, topping Chatham 11-9 in the Group I final to win its first ever state lacrosse title."
42. Kitchin, Mark. "Kelly's quick study has been his Kinnelon players' gain", Daily Record, June 21, 2009. Accessed December 31, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Like his players, the 2009 All Daily Record Boys Lacrosse Coach of the Year worked extremely hard to make this season's success possible. Kinnelon finished with a 16-6 record and captured its first Group I title."
43. Bernstein, Jason. "Football: Kinnelon wins first title with 26-14 victory over New Milford", The Star-Ledger, December 8, 2012. Accessed November 25, 2014. "Kinnelon used the two-way ability of Robbins, the sure hands of fellow four-year starter Sean Walsh, and an opportunistic defense to earn its first ever state championship with a 26-14 victory over New Milford in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 final at Kean University in Union. Kinnelon (9-3) had never won a state playoff game before this year."
44. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
45. Kratch, James. "Football: Kinnelon's Kyle Presti breaks state record with 9 TD passes in consolation game win", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 15, 2014. Accessed November 26, 2014. "Kinnelon quarterback Kyle Presti made history on Saturday in the Colts' 68-42 consolation game victory over Sussex Tech, setting a new state record for touchdown passes in a single game. Presti completed 22-of-31 passes for 501 yards and nine touchdowns, breaking the previous state record of eight touchdown passes in a game."
46. Girls Tennis Championship History: 1971–2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed September 1, 2024.
47. Havsy, Jane. "Kinnelon claims first NJSIAA tennis title", Daily Record, October 19, 2017. Accessed January 18, 2021. "Agatha Malinowski had been to the NJSIAA Group I final before. In fact, so had most of the Kinnelon High School tennis team. But on Thursday, the Colts made history with a 4-1 defeat of neighboring Mountain Lakes. It is Kinnelon’s first NJSIAA tennis title, claiming Group I. The Colts had lost in the first Group I championship in 1976, as well to New Providence a year ago."
48. 2021-2022 Students Handbook, Kinnelon High School. Accessed April 8, 2022.
49. Laplaca, Bryan. "Back in the Day - May 8, 1977: Locals drafted by NFL", Suburban Trends, May 14, 2012. Accessed February 2, 2017. "Kurt Allerman of Kinnelon was picked in the third round by the St. Louis Cardinals and Ed Fulton of Sparta was selected in the same round."
50. Lefkowitz, David. "Playbill On-Line's Brief Encounter with Laura Benanti", Playbill, May 11, 1999. Accessed May 9, 2013. "Just a year ago, if you looked at the bio for Laura Benanti in the Playbill for The Sound of Music, you'd have seen this: '(Ensemble / understudy Maria). 1997 graduate, Kinnelon High School.'"
51. Cohn-Sheehan, Ariana. "Kinnelon Athletes Sign Letters of Intent; Three Kinnelon High School students sign letters of intent to play sports in college.", Tri-Boro Patch, February 4, 2011. Accessed August 7, 2015. "From left to right, Kyle Robbins agreed to play football at College of the Holy Cross, Hannah Steadman agreed to play soccer at University of Tennessee on a full scholarship, and Bryan Gallego agreed to play soccer at the University of Akron on a full scholarship."
52. Curley, Bob. "Curly-Cues", The News, May 19, 1971. Accessed May 14, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "This seems to be the case of Dick (Oz) Griebel, who was far from being a ball of fire as a pitcher at Kinnelon High School in 1966 and 1967. Griebel had a 5-6 career record with the Colts.... The next year Dartmouth took the NCAA District title with the 5-11, 175 pounder from Smoke Rise again serving in relief."
53. "30th Annual OLM Christmas Concert", Tri-Boro, NJ Patch, November 13, 2013. Accessed January 27, 2020. "Special Guest Artist this year is Kinnelon's own, Stearns Matthews, an accomplished cabaret artist, jazz singer and stage actor. Not only remembered for his outstanding roles in many Kinnelon High School theatrical productions and Smoke Rise Village Inn performances, Mr. Matthews is also known for standout appearances in musical productions in the North Jersey area with Allegro Productions, the Barn Theatre and Studio Players."
54. William A. Pailes, NASA. Accessed August 28, 2012. "Born June 26, 1952, in Hackensack, New Jersey, but considers Kinnelon, New Jersey, to be his hometown.... Graduated from Kinnelon High School, Kinnelon, New Jersey, 1970."
55. Kolton, Tara. "Kinnelon grad singing her way to the top", Suburban Trends, February 20, 2012. Accessed April 3, 2012. "Kinnelon native Elise Testone has made it to the top 40 finalists of American Idol's season 11. Testone, a 2001 graduate of Kinnelon High School (KHS), endured several tough rounds of cuts in Hollywood to make it to Idol's top 40 during the Las Vegas round, which aired on Thursday night on FOX."

External links

• Kinnelon High School
• Kinnelon Public Schools
• School Performance Report for Kinnelon High School, New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Kinnelon Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics

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

• Kinnelon, New Jersey
• 1962 establishments in New Jersey
• Educational institutions established in 1962
• Public high schools in Morris County, New Jersey