Palmyra High School (New Jersey)

High school in Burlington County, New Jersey, US

Palmyra High School
Address

311 West 5th Street Palmyra, Burlington County, New Jersey 08065 United States
Coordinates	40°00′09″N 75°01′39″W / 40.002526°N 75.02759°W / 40.002526; -75.02759
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1895
School district	Palmyra Public Schools
NCES School ID	341239001188
Principal	Daniel Licata
Faculty	34.3 FTEs
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	388 (as of 2022–23)
Student to teacher ratio	11.3:1
Color(s)	Red and white
Athletics conference	Burlington County Scholastic League (general) West Jersey Football League (football)
Team name	Panthers
Rival	Burlington City High School
Website	www.palmyraschools.com/o/phs

Palmyra High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Palmyra in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Palmyra Public Schools. High school classes began shortly after the completion of the Spring Garden Street School in 1895; this building is on the National Register of Historic Places. With increased enrollment, the school was moved to a former girls school, Berkeley Hall, in 1907, and to its own building in 1909. A large addition was completed in 1922. The 1909 structure was destroyed by fire in 1957, and after a vote that narrowly defeated establishing a regional high school, additions were made to the building in 1958 and 1961.

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 388 students and 34.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1. There were 55 students (14.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 13 (3.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

Students from Beverly and Riverton attend the district's high school as part of sending/receiving relationships. In past years, students from Cinnaminson Township, Delanco Township, Delran Township, Riverside Township, and the Delair portion of Pennsauken Township had also attended Palmyra High School.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 260th-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 222nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 208th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 224th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 275th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.

Schooldigger.com ranked the school 318th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 16 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (94.6%) and language arts literacy (97.9%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).

In 2023, the school was awarded the Lighthouse Award by the Commissioner of Education, Angelica Allen-McMillan for "Increasing Equity in AP/IB Enrollment".

Athletics

The Palmyra High School Panthers compete in the Freedom division of the Burlington County Scholastic League (BCSL), a sports association operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) that is comprised of public and private high schools in Burlington, Mercer and Ocean counties in Central Jersey. With 309 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2022–24 school years as Group I South for most athletic competition purposes. The football team competes in the Classic Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconference and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 185 to 482 students.

The school mascot is currently the Panther, but at the time of the school's inception, its teams were known as the Red Devils. This name was then changed to the Pals, which was used until the 1980s. The school colors have remained the same: red and white.

Students competed in track and field as early as 1903, and in football by 1908. Palmyra's overall record in football, through the 2023 season, is 559 wins, 466 losses, and 49 ties. The team was declared the South Jersey Group II champion in 1946, 1947, 1948, 1951, and 1953; the Group III title was won in 1963, and Group I honors were won in 1971 and 1972. The team won the South Jersey Group I state sectional playoffs in 1978. The Palmyra / Burlington City High School football rivalry for the Fred Wilbert Memorial Trophy, begun in 1908, is one of the oldest in South Jersey; Palmyra leads the series 57-50-12. The game was not played in 2020; the first interruption since 1934, as Burlington City cancelled their fall sports season due to the pandemic. Palmyra won the renewal game in 2021 by the score of 25-20. The Palmyra / Riverside High School rivalry dates from 1928, and Palmyra leads that series 65-23-3; after a 50-24 victory in 2022; Palmyra has won 22 consecutive games in the series (no game was played in 2023). The Palmyra High School football stadium was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1936 and was renovated to include lighting.

The boys track team won the Group II spring / outdoor track state championship in 1942-1945, 1950, 1951, 1954-1956, and won the Group I title in 1979 and 1980. The program's 11 state titles are tied for fifth-most in the state.

The boys' basketball team won the 1956 Group II state title, defeating runner-up Roselle Park High School by a score of 59-38 in the tournament final.

The baseball team won the Group I state championship in 1973, defeating Cedar Grove High School in the tournament final.

The Palmyra boys soccer team won their first South Jersey Group I state sectional championship in 1989 with a 1-0 win in double overtime against a Haddonfield Memorial High School team that came into the title game undefeated. The team was the 2009 State Group I co-champion with Jonathan Dayton High School after the title game ended in a 0-0 tie. The team won the South Jersey title, beating Pitman High School on penalty kicks in a 2-2 tie; they won the state semi-final in the same fashion, defeating Metuchen High School 4-1 on penalty kicks in a scoreless match. The boys won the 2023 South Jersey Group I championship by defeating Schalick, 2-1.

The 2006 girls' soccer team won the South Jersey, Group I state sectional title with a 1-0 win against Woodstown High School in the tournament final, the team's first-ever title.

The girls' basketball team won the 2007 South Jersey, Group I state sectional championship with a 46-37 win over Wildwood High School in the tournament final. The team won their semifinal game in the Group I state championship tournament, defeating Highland Park High School 49-43, before falling to University High School in the championship game.

The girls soccer team won the 2022 South Jersey Group I title, defeating Audubon High School in the tournament final by a score of 4-1 at the Palmyra stadium.

Administration

The school's principal is Daniel Licata.

Notable alumni

Al Bunge (born 1937), National Basketball Association first round pick (seventh pick overall) of the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1960 NBA draft
Deron Cherry (born 1959, class of 1977), played in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs 1981-1991 and was a six-time Pro Bowler at Safety
Kelvin Harmon (born 1997), wide receiver for the Washington Redskins
Derek Holloway (born 1961, class of 1979), retired football player, who was a wide receiver in the NFL for the Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Clarence Benjamin Jones (born 1931, class of 1949), lawyer and former personal counsel, advisor, draft speech writer and close friend of Martin Luther King Jr. The Dr. Clarence B. Jones Institute for Social Advocacy was dedicated in his honor in June 2017
Quron Pratt (born 1991, class of 2010), signed by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014
Ernest F. Schuck (1929-2009), politician who served for seven years as mayor of Barrington, New Jersey and eight years in the New Jersey General Assembly, from 1974 to 1982, where he represented the 5th Legislative District
Hal Wagner (1915-1979, class of 1934), MLB catcher from 1937-1949

References

^ School data for Palmyra High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
^ Palmyra High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
^ Cooper, et al., Life on the Delaware - A History of Palmyra, New Jersey 1976.
High School Sending Districts, Burlington County Library System. Accessed January 24, 2008.
Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 29, 2012.
Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 13, 2011.
"Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed May 22, 2012.
"New Jersey Department of Education Announces Five Local Educational Agencies to Receive Lighthouse Awards", New Jersey Department of Education, press release September 7, 2023. Accessed January 25, 2024. "The 2023 Lighthouse Award recipients, and their award category, are as follows: Burlington Palmyra Public School District Increasing Equity in AP/IB Enrollment"
Member Schools, Burlington County Scholastic League. Accessed September 15, 2022.
League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
NJSIAA General Classifications - Public Schools 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
Palmyra Panthers, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023.
Home Page, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023. "The WJFL is a 94-school super conference that stretches from Princeton to Wildwood encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Conference, the Tri-County Conference, the Colonial Conference, and the Cape Atlantic League. The WJFL is made up of sixteen divisions with divisional alignments based on school size, geography and a strength-of-program component."
NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
Athletics, Palmyra Public Schools. Accessed August 29, 2012. "In 1907 the Red Devils, Palmyra's football team, began its rivalry with Burlington City. This is the oldest school rivalry in Burlington County. Now we are known as the Palmyra Panthers, but the rivalry still exists as does Palmyra High School's fierce determination and drive to achieve both scholastic and athletic excellence."
NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
Lewis, John A. "High school football scouting report", Burlington County Times, November 12, 2020. Accessed November 21, 2020. "Palmyra at Riverside, 6 p.m.... This will be the 89th meeting of these teams, who battle annually for the Fred Wilbert Memorial Trophy. Palmyra has won the last 19 games and holds a 62-23-3 lead in the series."
Palmyra High School Stadium, The Living New Deal. Accessed September 16, 2022. "Palmyra High School’s football stadium was originally constructed by the WPA in 1936, with a full grandstand, quarter mile cinder track, and football field with accompanying locker rooms."
NJSIAA Boys Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
Burrows, Walt. "Palmyra Lone S.J. Team to Carry Off State Court Title, Jars Roselle Park; Captures First Group 2 Crown Easily, 59-38", Courier-Post, March 19, 1956. Accessed January 30, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Displaying real championship class, Palmyra High School captured its first state title in Group 2 here last Saturday night when it blasted Roselle Park by a 59-38 count in a game played at the University gym."
Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
Carchidi, Sam. "Palmyra Wins Soccer Title In A Stunner Stops Haddonfield, 1-0, In Group 1 Play", The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 11, 1989. Accessed August 18, 2014. "After nearly 90 tense, scoreless minutes, yesterday's South Jersey Group 1 boys' soccer final appeared headed toward the dreaded penalty-kick shootout.... And Palmyra, on a stunning goal by Shaun Iversen with 30 seconds left in the second overtime, got its first soccer championship in the school's history, shocking previously undefeated Haddonfield, 1-0."
NJSIAA History of Boys Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
Chappine, Phil; and Lewis, John A. "Defense does its share as Panthers make history", Burlington County Times, November 22, 2009. Accessed May 22, 2012. "NJSIAA Group 1 Boys Soccer Championship: Palmyra 0, Jonathan Dayton 0. Stat of the Game: Palmyra went over 220 minutes without allowing a goal to end the season."
Rimback, Tom. "4 county teams earn S.J. soccer titles Shawnee executes perfectly; Palmyra captures first crown", Burlington County Times, November 11, 2006. Accessed August 18, 2007. "Chelsea Grace took a pass from Rachel Minton and scored from 25-yard out to give the Palmyra Panthers all the offense they would need to secure their first South Jersey Group 1 girls soccer crown. Palmyra (14-4-3 record) went on to beat Woodstown."
2006 Girls Soccer Tournament - South, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 18, 2007.
2007 Girls Basketball - South, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 18, 2007.
2007 Girls Basketball - Public Group Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 18, 2007.
Narducci, Marc. "Total team effort leads Palmyra girls soccer past Audubon in SJ Group 1 championship", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 5, 2022. Accessed November 8, 2022. "It all added up to a 4-1 win over second seeded Audubon in the South Jersey Group 1 girls soccer championship. Palmyra (18-1-2) advances to Tuesday’s state Group 1 semifinal at Point Pleasant Beach, the Central Jersey champion."
Principal's Page, Palmyra High School. Accessed September 22, 2024.
Kenney, Bob. "'Pop' Vernon clinics still going strong", Courier-Post, March 28, 1982. Accessed August 17, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "He took a lanky youngster from nearby Delanco, Allen Bunge, and helped him become a star. The 6-9 Bunge led Riverside's biggest rival, Palmyra, to a state title in '56 and later was an All-American at Maryland and a first round NBA draft choice."
Deron Cherry Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Database Football. Accessed January 24, 2008.
Henry, Larry. "PHS graduate Kelvin Harmon excelling for North Carolina State Football", The Palmyra Sun, September 20, 2017. Accessed October 28, 2018. "In 2015, Kelvin Harmon was a senior at Palmyra High School taking the football field for one final season before his high school graduation."
Derek Holloway profile Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, database Football. Accessed August 6, 2007.
Johnson, Thomas A. "Man in the News", The New York Times, April 29, 1971. Accessed December 9, 2017. "When Mr. Jones was a boy the family moved to Palmyra, N. J., and he Went to Palmyra High School."
Invitation to Dedication of the Dr. Clarence B. Jones Institute for Social Advocacy Archived December 10, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Palmyra High School. Accessed December 9, 2017. "Clarence Benjamin Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 8, 1931 and attended Palmyra High School in New Jersey from 1945 to 1949."
Callahan, Kevin. "Palmyra native Quron Pratt ready to live dream with Eagles", Courier-Post, August 8, 2014. Accessed June 27, 2015. "Pratt was a four-year letter winner at Palmyra High School where he set the school's record with 22 interceptions as a defensive back."
Staff. "Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 1979 edition", p. 221. Fitzgerald's, 1979. Accessed September 30, 2016. "Assemblyman Schuck was born in Bridgeboro, March 1, 1929. He was graduated at Palmyra High School and attended Rutgers University College."
Nowlin, Bill. Hal Wagner, Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed September 19, 2018. "Hal Wagner seems to have attended both Riverton High School and Palmyra High, graduating from Palmyra High in 1934, with letters in baseball and basketball."

External links

Education in Burlington County, New Jersey

School
districts

K-6	Chesterfield Township Mansfield Township North Hanover Township Springfield Township
K-8	Beverly City Delanco Township Eastampton Township Edgewater Park Township Evesham Township Hainesport Township Lumberton Township Medford Lakes Medford Township Mount Holly Township Mount Laurel Township New Hanover Township Riverton Shamong Township Southampton Township Tabernacle Township Westampton Township Woodland Township
K-12	Bordentown Regional Burlington County Special Services Burlington City Burlington Township Cinnaminson Township Delran Township Florence Township Maple Shade Township Moorestown Township Palmyra Pemberton Township Riverside Township Willingboro Township
7-12	Northern Burlington Regional
9-12	Burlington County Institute of Technology Lenape Regional Rancocas Valley Regional
None	Bass River Township Pemberton Borough (to Pemberton Township) Washington Township

Public
high schools

Private

Tertiary

Rowan College at Burlington County

School districts by county:

by county: Atlantic; Bergen; Burlington; Camden; Cape May; Cumberland; Essex; Gloucester; Hudson; Hunterdon; Mercer; Middlesex; Monmouth; Morris; Ocean; Passaic; Salem; Somerset; Sussex; Union; Warren

v t e Burlington County Scholastic League (NJSIAA)
Freedom Division	Burlington City Florence Maple Shade New Egypt Palmyra Riverside
Liberty Division	Moorestown Northern Burlington Pemberton Rancocas Valley Trenton Catholic Westampton Tech
Patriot Division	Bordentown Burlington Township Cinnaminson Delran Holy Cross Medford Tech Willingboro

v t e West Jersey Football League (NJSIAA)
American	Cherokee Chiefs (South V) Hammonton Blue Devils (South IV) Kingsway Dragons (South V) Shawnee Renegades (South IV) Washington Township Minutemen (South IV) Williamstown Braves (South V)
Capitol	Burlington Township Falcons (South IV) Hopewell Valley Bulldogs (Central III) Lenape Indians (South V) Notre Dame Irish (Non-Public IV) Rancocas Valley Red Devils (South V) Trenton Tornadoes (Central V)
Classic	Clayton Clippers (South I) Gloucester Catholic Rams (Non-Public II) Gloucester City Lions (South I) Pitman Panthers (NA) Schalick Cougars (South I) Wildwood Warriors (South I)
Colonial	Audubon Green Wave (South I) Collingswood Panthers (South II) Haddonfield Bulldawgs (South II) Overbrook Rams (South II) Sterling Silver Knights (South II) West Deptford Eagles (South II)
Constitution	Camden Catholic Fighting Irish (Non-Public III) Camden Golden Panthers (South II) Cherry Hill West Lions (South IV) Pennsauken Indians (South IV) Seneca Eagles (South III) Winslow Eagles (South IV)
Continental	Atlantic City Vikings (South V) Bridgeton Bulldogs (South V) Egg Harbor Township Eagles (South V) Millville Thunderbolts (South V) St. Augustine Hermits (Non-Public IV) Vineland Fighting Clan (South V)
Diamond	Deptford Spartans (South III) Glassboro Bulldogs (South I) Pennsville Eagles (South I) Penns Grove Red Devils (South I) Salem Rams (South I) Woodstown Wolverines (South I)
Freedom	Burlington City Blue Devils (Central I) Florence Flashes (Central I) Maple Shade Wildcats (Central I) New Egypt Warriors (Central I) Palmyra Panthers (Central I) Riverside Rams (Central I)
Independence	Absegami Braves (South IV) Cedar Creek Pirates (South II) Mainland Mustangs (South IV) Oakcrest Falcons (South III) Ocean City Red Raiders (South III) St. Joseph Wildcats (Non-Public II)
Liberty	Bordentown Scotties (Central II) Cinnaminson Pirates (South II) Delran Bears (South II) Holy Cross Lancers (Non-Public II) Robbinsville Ravens (Central III) Willingboro Chimeras (South II)
Memorial	Gateway Gators (South I) Haddon Heights Garnets (South II) Haddon Township Hawks (South I) Lindenwold Lions (South I) Paulsboro Red Raiders (South I) Woodbury Thundering Herd (South I)
National	Cherry Hill East Cougars (South V) Clearview Pioneers (South IV) Delsea Crusaders (South III) Eastern Vikings (South V) Paul VI Eagles (Non-Public IV) Timber Creek Chargers (South III)
Patriot	Allentown Red Birds (Central IV) Northern Burlington Greyhounds (Central IV) Pemberton Hornets (South IV) Princeton Little Tigers (Central IV) Steinert Spartans (Central III) West Windsor-Plainsboro North Knights (cancelled)
Royal	Bishop Eustace Crusaders (Non-Public III) Cumberland Colts (South III) Eastside Mighty Tigers (South III) Highland Tartans (South IV) Moorestown Quakers (South IV) Triton Mustangs (South III)
United	Buena Chiefs (South I) Holy Spirit Spartans (Non-Public II) Lower Cape May Tigers (South II) Middle Township Panthers (South II) Pleasantville Greyhounds (South II)
Valley	Ewing Blue Devils (Central III) Hamilton West Hornets (Central III) Hightstown Rams (Central IV) Lawrence Cardinals (Central III) Nottingham Northstars (Central IV) West Windsor-Plainsboro South Pirates (Central IV)

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