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Lakeland Regional High School is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school and school district serving students from the Boroughs of Ringwood and Wanaque (including its Haskell neighborhood), communities in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, which have a combined population of about 25,000. It is the only school of the Lakeland Regional High School District.

Students come to the high school from the Ringwood Public School District and the Wanaque Borough Schools. Lakeland Regional High School is accredited by the State of New Jersey.

As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 847 students and 77.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.9:1. There were 73 students (8.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 2 (0.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

The district had been classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth-highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.

The high school has 115 professional staff members, with 60% having advanced degrees. There are 95 teachers, five area supervisors, and four guidance counselors. Lakeland also has a substance awareness coordinator, a complete child study team, a school nurse, a library-media specialist, an athletic trainer and several teacher aides.

History

The name Lakeland Regional High School was chosen at a board of education meeting in February 1956. Voters approved a July 1956 referendum that allocated $38,000 to purchase a 23-acre (9.3 ha) site for the new school. The school was designed to accommodate 800 students and was constructed at a cost of $2 million (equivalent to $21.7 million in 2023). The school opened in September 1958.

Before the district was established, students from Ringwood had attended Butler High School. Students from Wanaque had attended Midland Park High School, with estimates that costs would be reduced by 20% once Lakeland HS was completed.

Awards, recognition and rankings

In the 2000-01 school year, Lakeland Regional High School was recognized as a New Jersey Best Practice School for its S.C.O.P.E., Search, S.T.E.P., and SOAR School-to-Career / Workplace Environment programs.

For the 1994-95 school year, Lakeland Regional High School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.

The school was the 112th-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 87th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 145th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 131st in the magazine's September 2008 issue, and 140th in the September 2006 which surveyed 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 140th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 8 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (83.9%) and language arts literacy (94.5%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).

Curriculum

As a requirement for graduation, Lakeland students must complete 135 credits, demonstrate mastery of basic skills on the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), and meet a variety of local and state distribution requirements.

Advanced Placement Program (AP) Courses include AP English Language and Composition, AP United States History, AP United States Government and Politics, AP Calculus AB, AP Computer Science, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Music Theory, AP European History and AP Spanish Language.

Honors Courses are offered in English, Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-calculus, Calculus, Spanish 4 & 5, French 4, Latin 4, World History, US History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, and Gifted and Talented Senior Seminar.

Specialized Learning Programs, including interdisciplinary projects, are conducted using the high technology multimedia laboratory. Gifted and talented students are offered enrichment opportunities through the various departments and the G & T Coordinator. Other programs include School, Career Orientation and Personal Education (SCOPE), the Career Research Project (SEARCH), Students to Experience Professions (STEP) and (SOAR), the portfolio completion course. A third New Jersey Best Practice was awarded for this School to Career Program.

Electives are offered in most of the core subjects. The school provides practical experiences and a range of studies in the area of communication, transportation, energy and manufacturing. Course offerings are provided in business education and family and consumer sciences. Fine arts electives include music and art offerings.

Athletics

The Lakeland Regional High School Lancers compete in the Big North Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Bergen and Passaic counties and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). For the 2009-10 school year, Lakeland was part of the North Jersey Tri-County Conference, a conference established on an interim basis to facilitate the realignment. Prior to the NJSIAA's realignment of New Jersey high school sports leagues which took effect beginning in 2009, Lakeland was a part of the Suburban Division of the Northern Hills Conference, which included schools in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties. With 696 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 as the host school / lead agency for joint cooperative boys / girls swimming teams with West Milford High School. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.

The baseball team won the North I Group II state sectional title in 1962 and 1968, won the Group II title in 1974 vs. Lawrence High School and the Group III state championship in 1976 vs. Ridge High School. The 1974 team finished the season with a 25-3 record after winning the Group II title with a 5-4 victory in the championship game against a Lawrence team that came into the finals unbeaten in its previous 18 games.

The boys cross country team won the Group II state championship in 1969.

The field hockey team won the North I Group III state sectional championship in 1981.

The boys volleyball team won the overall state championship in 1988 (defeating runner-up St. Joseph High School in the final match of the tournament) and 1992 (vs. Bridgewater-Raritan High School).

The football team won the NJSIAA North I Group II state sectional championship in 2004 and 2010. In 2004, the Lancers won the NJSIAA North I, Group II state championship, defeating Lenape Valley Regional High School in double overtime by a score of 17-14 at Giants Stadium, making it the first football state champions in Lakeland's history. The Lakeland Lancers football team made it to the North I Group II state championship final again in 2008, but lost by a score of 35-6 to first seed Wayne Hills High School, which was riding a 51-game winning streak and was the four-time defending champion, with Lakeland ending the season with a record of 11-1 after losing in the first match between the two teams. In 2010, the Lancers faced Ramsey High School in the North 1, Group II championship game at Kean University. They were victorious, winning the game 20-0 for the second football state title in school history.

Notable alumni

• Bobby Czyz (born 1962), former world light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion boxer
• Vincent Czyz (born 1963), writer and critic of speculative fiction.
• Jeff Livesey (born 1966), baseball coach
• Eric Schubert (born 1962), former placekicker who played in the NFL for the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and New England Patriots.
• Darren Soto (born 1978), attorney and politician from Orlando, Florida, who is the U.S. representative for Florida's 9th congressional district.
• Fred Strickland (born 1966), 12-year NFL linebacker (1988–1999)
• Mark Trakh (born 1955), head coach of the USC Trojans women's basketball team.
• Benny Yurco (born 1981), musician and record producer who has been a member of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Administration

Core members of the district / school administration include:

• Hugh Beattie, superintendent
• Kathryn Davenport, business administrator and board secretary

In the wake of a $340,000 cut in state aid, the district eliminated the position of principal for the 2019-20 school year in a cost-saving measure. (This is ongoing as of 2022.)

Board of education

The district's board of education, comprised of nine members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year held (since 2012) as part of the November general election. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.

References

1. ^ School data for Lakeland Regional High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
3. ^ Lakeland Regional High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
4. Clubs and Activities, Lakeland Regional High School. Accessed March 27, 2022.
5. District Bylaw 0110 - Identification, Lakeland Regional High School. Accessed September 5, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades nine through twelve in the Lakeland Regional High School District. Composition: The Lakeland Regional High School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Wanaque and the Borough of Ringwood."
6. Lakeland Regional High School 2016-17 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 13, 2018. "In addition to our school programs for students in grades 9-12, students from our sending districts in Wanaque, Haskell, and Ringwood are eligible to attend our instrumental music program for enrichment from 7:30 - 8:50 a.m."
7. 2023–24 Public School Directory, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2024.
8. School Performance Reports for the Lakeland Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
9. New Jersey School Directory for the Lakeland Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
10. 2020-21 School Profile, Lakeland Regional High School. Accessed March 27, 2022.
11. District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 20, 2024.
12. "Pick 'Lakeland' For New Regional HS District; Officers Are Elected", The Morning Call, February 28, 1956. Accessed May 15, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Board voted to name the district the 'Lakeland Regional High School.' The vote on the name was 7-2."
13. "$38,000 Bond Issue Approved At Polls, 180 to 12", The News, July 28, 1956. Accessed May 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Only about five percent of the electorate in Ringwood and Wanaque voted last night for a referendum authorizing an issue of $838,000 in bonds for the purchase of the Beam property off Conklingtown Rd. as a high school site. The referendum carried by a vote of 180 to 12 in both communities.... The property contains 23.48 acres, construction of the high school is not expected to begin before Spring of next year."
14. ^ "Gives Council Facts About Regional HS", The Morning Call, January 12, 1957. Accessed May 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Lakeland Regional Board of Education and the mayor and council of Wanaque agreed last night that a regional high school set up would save about $102 per pupil. The board said that it currently costs $508 Per Pupil going to Midland Park High School.... The projected Lakeland Regional High School is estimated to cost $2,040,000 and will house 800 students. The auditorium and gymnasium are planned to hold 1,000 students to make future expansion available at minimum cost."
15. "Lakeland to Open September 11", Herald News, September 2, 1958. Accessed May 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Classes at Lakeland Regional High School will start on Thursday, September 11, a week later than most local schools. By that time, all classrooms in the new building will be ready. The auditorium, gymnasium and special rooms will be completed shortly."
16. Gnader, Ann. "Wanaque Elementary School opened 45 years ago", The Record, August 17, 2017. Accessed September 13, 2017. "Before Lakeland Regional High School for Wanaque and Ringwood students was built, after eighth grade graduation the students from the two towns went to Butler High School."
17. New Jersey Department of Education Best Practices Award recipients, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 23, 2006.
18. Star School Award recipient detail, New Jersey Department of Education, Archived December 18, 2006. Accessed November 26, 2009.
19. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
20. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 27, 2012.
21. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
22. New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 5, 2012.
23. Lakeland Regional High School 2013-14 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 14, 2015.
24. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
25. 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 28, 2011. Accessed November 5, 2014.
26. Home Page, Northern Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 28, 2011. Accessed December 15, 2014.
27. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
28. 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."
29. 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."
30. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
31. NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
32. Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated June 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
33. Bailey, Brian. "Double Play Ignites Lakeland Chant: We're No. 1", Herald News, June 10, 1974. Accessed January 14, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "There was joy In the infield, Saturday, after Lakeland Regional, of Wanaque, pulled a game-ending double play and won the Group Two state title with a 5-4 victory over Lawrence, ending an 18-game Lawrence win streak.... Lakeland won its first Group Two baseball state title and ended with a record-setting 25-3 record, Saturday."
34. "Lakeland stuns Lawrence for Group 2 championship", The Record, June 9, 1974. Accessed February 7, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Lakeland snapped two 18-game winning streaks yesterday in winning the State Group 2 baseball championship with a 5-4 victory over Lawrence Township. Lawrence, which took a 24-1 record into the title game, had won its last 18 starts and starting and losing' pitcher Kirk Louderback had not lost a decision in 18 games over a two-year period.... Dick Shutte's Lakeland club finished its best season ever with a 25-3 record."
35. NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
36. History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
37. NJSIAA Boys Volleyball State History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
38. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
39. "Passaic County Freeholders Honor Lakeland Regional High School Champs", Passaic County, New Jersey press release dated April 26, 2005.
40. Reilly, Sean. "Wayne Hills runs away from Lakeland, 35-6", The Star-Ledger, December 6, 2008. Accessed March 5, 2012.
41. Staff. "Wayne Hills 35, Lakeland 6 (High school Football scores & results)", The Star-Ledger, December 6, 2008. Accessed March 5, 2012. "Senior tailback/defensive back Ronnie Driesse had an outstanding afternoon in his final scholastic game as he rushed 28 times for 213 yards and two touchdowns and intercepted two passes, returning one for a score, as Wayne Hills, No. 4 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, defeated No. 11 Lakeland, 35-6, in a battle of unbeaten teams in the NJSIAA/Gatorade North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 championship yesterday at Giants Stadium. It was the first game ever between Wayne Hills (12-0) and Lakeland (11-1), both of Passaic County, and marked the fifth consecutive sectional title for Wayne Hills."
42. "Lakeland blanks Ramsey to win state title" Archived July 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Jersey Sports Now, December 4, 2010.
43. Berger, Phil. "Players; Bobby Czyz Fights Back", The New York Times, August 5, 1986. Accessed October 2, 2013. "When Bobby Czyz first appeared on television screens in the early 1980s he was depicted as a boxing Galahad: a good-looking, clean-cut kid who graduated sixth in a class of 335 students at Lakeland Regional High School in Wanaque, N.J., and just the sort of boxer that middle America could take to heart."
44. "Boxing commentator arrested", Herald News, February 25, 2003. "Boxing commentator and former two-time world champion Bobby Czyz, a Lakeland High School graduate and former Wanaque resident, has been charged with drunken driving."
45. "Lakeland graduates 331", The Record, June 19, 1981. Accessed April 23, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Lakeland Regional High School held its outdoor commencement last night, graduating 165 boys and 166 girls. Suzanne Heerschap was valedictorian, and Vincent Czyz was salutatorian."
46. Gramlich, Barry. "Lakeland's Livesey Sees His Future", The Record, June 13, 1993. Accessed November 18, 2013. "Realizing his day in the big leagues may never come, Jeff Livesey plays to coach. 'I'd love to play in the big leagues; I work toward that everyday,' says Livesey, a former three-time All-Passaic County catcher at Lakeland High School."
47. Eric Schubert, Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed January 9, 2020. "High School: Lakeland Regional (NJ)"
48. Cody, Alice Roche. "Contract woes hurt students' college chances; Lakeland teachers rebuff requests for evaluations", The Record, February 2, 1996. Accessed March 27, 2022. "For three years, Darren Soto has aspired to attend Yale University for economics because of its superior business program. Now, the high school senior's dream is slipping away through no doing of his own. Four of his teachers at Lakeland Regional High School have refused to write the Ringwood youth's recommendations, because they are battling the Board of Education over their contract."
49. Fred Strickland player profile Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Washington Redskins. Accessed April 11, 2007.
50. Mark Trakh, USC Trojans women's basketball. Accessed September 24, 2017. "Trakh played basketball and baseball at Lakeland Regional High in Wanaque, N.J."
51. Staff, Lakeland Regional High School. Accessed January 9, 2020.
52. New Jersey School Directory for Passaic County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
53. Passaic County 2022–23 Public School Directory, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 1, 2023.
54. Zimmer, David M. "Lakeland High School cuts principal position to save money after aid cut", The Record, August 2, 2019. Accessed August 4, 2019. "Lakeland Regional High School is heading into the school year without a principal after school board members eliminated the position as a cost saving measure. The late-July elimination resulted in the departure of Matthew Certo, the school’s principal since 2014. Joseph Walker, the board’s vice president, said the decision was made to save money as the high school district attempts to cope with a cut in March of more than 7% in state aid for the 2019-20 school year."
55. New Jersey Boards of Education by District Election Types - 2018 School Election, New Jersey Department of Education, updated February 16, 2018. Accessed January 26, 2020.
56. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Lakeland Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 14, 2024. "The Board is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The Board consists of elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District. A superintendent is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District." See "Roster of Officials" on page 15.
57. Board Members, Lakeland Regional High School. Accessed September 6, 2020.

External links

• Lakeland Regional High School
• School Performance Reports for the Lakeland Regional High School, New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Lakeland Regional High School, National Center for Education Statistics

v t e School districts of Passaic County, New Jersey
K-8	Bloomingdale Haledon Little Falls North Haledon Prospect Park Ringwood Totowa Wanaque Woodland Park
K-12	Clifton Hawthorne Passaic Paterson Pompton Lakes Wayne West Milford
9-12	Lakeland Regional Manchester Regional Passaic County Vocational Passaic Valley Regional
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

• 1958 establishments in New Jersey
• New Jersey District Factor Group FG
• Public high schools in Passaic County, New Jersey
• School districts established in 1958
• School districts in Passaic County, New Jersey
• Ringwood, New Jersey
• Wanaque, New Jersey