Misplaced Pages

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

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 668 students and 66.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.0:1. There were 25 students (3.7% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 11 (1.6% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered in AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, AP English Literature and Composition, AP European History, AP Latin: Vergil, AP Music Theory, AP Physics B, AP Spanish Language, AP Studio Art, AP United States History, AP United States Government and Politics and AP World History. Honors courses are also available for students. These include Honors Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, English I, English II, English III, English IV, World History, US History I, US History II and many others.

History

In March 1955, the Board of Education began plans for a new high school for the district, after the Butler Public Schools indicated that incoming students from Pequannock Township would not be accepted at Butler High School starting in the 1955-56 school year.

Formally established in 1956, the school building had its formal dedication in January 1958.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 29th-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 25th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 46th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 100th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 78th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.

Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 31st out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase 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 (94.1%) and language arts literacy (97.9%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).

U.S. News & World Report ranked the school 33rd out of all public high schools in New Jersey, and 942nd in the nation, in its 2014 edition of "America's Best High Schools".

In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 237th out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 40th among all high schools in New Jersey and 23rd among the state's non-magnet schools.

In 2013, PTHS was one of nine schools in the nation to have an entire class of 18 or more students attain a 5, the highest possible score, on the College Board's AP Calculus AB exam.

Out of the 175-student Class of 2005, there were ten Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholars, two National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Students and 38 recipients of the President's Education Award.

Athletics

The Pequannock Township High School Golden Panthers compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools located in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties in Northwestern New Jersey, operating under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Prior to the NJSIAA's 2009 realignment, the school had participated in the Suburban Division of the Northern Hills Conference, which included schools located in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties. With 520 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 II North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 484 to 683 students.

The school participates in a joint cooperative ice hockey team with West Milford High School as the host school / lead agency, operating under an agreement scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.

Sports offered at the school include:

Fall sports: Football, Fall cheerleading, boys' and girls soccer, field hockey, cross country and girls' tennis, girls' volleyball

Winter sports: wrestling, boys' and girls' basketball, winter cheerleading, boys' and girls' swimming and ice hockey

Spring sports: Golf, boys' and girls' lacrosse, baseball, softball, boys' and girls' track and field team and boys tennis.

The field hockey team won the North II Group II state sectional championship in 1976, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986 and 1989, won the North I Group II title in 2001 and 2003 and won the North I Group I title in 2019; the team won the Group II state championship in 1983 (defeating Collingswood High School in the tournament final) and 1985 vs. Hopewell Valley Central High School. The 1983 team won the Group II title with a 2-1 win against Collingswood in the championship game. The 1985 team finished the season with a 22-1 record after winning the Group II title after defeating Hopewell Valley in overtime by a score of 2-1 in the playoff finals.

The wrestling team won the North II Group II state sectional title in 1984, 2000 and 2003, the North II Group I title in 1995 and the North I Group I title in 2005

The baseball team won the Group II state championship in 1988 (defeating Delran High School in the finals of the tournament) and 2009 (against Shore Regional High School), and won the Group I title in 2023 (vs. Buena Regional High School). The 1988 team finished the season with a 17-10 record with a 3-0 win in the Group II final against Delran, a team that entered the championship game with a 24-2 record.

The football team won the North II Group II state sectional championship in 1999 and 2000. The team won the North II Group III sectional title in 2000 with a 21-7 win against Dover High School, overcoming an early deficit with three fourth-quarter touchdowns.

The ice hockey team won the Halvorsen Cup in 2008 and 2010.

The softball team won the Group II state title in 2009 (vs. Cranford High School) and 2012 (vs. Robbinsville High School). The 2012 team won the Group II title with a 3-0 win against defending champion Robbinsville in the playoff finals.

The golf team won the 2014 NJSIAA Group I state championship, the first state title in the program's history.

Administration

The school's principal is Richard M. Hayzler. His core administration team includes two assistant principals.

Notable alumni

• Michael T. Cahill, Dean of Brooklyn Law School.
• Susan Misner (born 1971), actress and dancer

References

1. ^ School data for Pequannock Township High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
2. ^ Pequannock Township High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
3. Activities and Clubs, Pequannock Township High School. Accessed June 1, 2022.
4. Pequannock Township High School 2013-14 School Performance Report, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 29, 2015.
5. "Preliminary Plans Ready For Pequannock High School; Consultants to Talk Over Its Proposals With Representatives of 3 Town Boards", Herald News, March 22, 1955. Accessed January 20, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Board of Education will know more about its high school plans after Monday night when the Township Joint Study Committee meets with the professional consultants.... Unless things are changed, the Butler High School will not accept Pequannock freshmen in September, 1956. Students attending the high school before that date would be allowed to continue."
6. About, Pequannock Township High School. Accessed January 20, 2022. "Pequannock Township High School was established in 1956 and serves a student body of 700 students."
7. "Pequannock High School Dedication Ceremonies Set For 2 P.M. Next Sunday; Open House Follows", Herald News, December 30, 1957. Accessed January 20, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Plans for the dedication of the new Pequannock Township High School have been completed. They include the formal dedication and open house next Sunday, from 2 to 6 p.m."
8. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
9. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 28, 2012.
10. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 25, 2012.
11. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
12. New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed February 26, 2012.
13. "Pequannock Township High School Overview", U.S. News & World Report, April 21, 2014. Accessed April 22, 2014.
14. "America's Best High Schools 2016", Newsweek. Accessed November 11, 2016.
15. Janoski, Steve. "Pequannock teacher gets an A grade for teaching AP calculus", Suburban Trends, September 2, 2013. Accessed September 30, 2016.
16. 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."
17. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
18. Home Page, Northern Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 28, 2011. Accessed December 15, 2014.
19. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
20. 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."
21. 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."
22. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
23. NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
24. Pequannock Baseball
25. History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
26. Jackson, John. "Athlete of the Week", The Record, December 3, 1985. Accessed February 2, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "As a freshman, she played on the freshman and junior varsity teams before moving up to the varsity and becoming a starter as a sophomore in 1983. With Maloney at first link that year, Pequannock defeated Collingswood, 2-1, to win the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 2 championship. Last week, Maloney assisted on the game-winning goal and made several key defensive plays from her center halfback position to help the Panthers (22-1) beat Hopewell Valley, 2-1, in overtime to win another Group 2 title."
27. NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2021.
28. Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
29. Breeman, Dan. "Pequannock upsets Delran for title, 3-0; Conoscenti's pitching wins Group II", The Record, June 12, 1988. Accessed January 17, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Pequannock High School baseball team added the final chapter to its Cinderella story yesterday when the Golden Panthers upset Delran in the state Group II championship game 3-0 behind the four-hit pitching of senior Mike Conoscenti."
30. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
31. Bierman, Fred. "High School Football; For Warren Hills and Coach, the Long Wait Pays Off in a State Title", The New York Times, December 3, 2000. Accessed December 2, 2020. "Pequannock scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to come from behind and defeat Dover, 21-7, in the Section II, Group II title game."
32. NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
33. Softball Championship History 1972–2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated July 2023. Accessed April 1, 2024.
34. Borders, Andrew. "Robbinsville High softball blanked in state final", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 10, 2012, updated March 30, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2020. "A year after beating Nielsen and Pequannock for the Group II state title, Robbinsville was shoved out of the senior pitcher’s way.... In a 3-0 Pequannock win, Nielsen made the Ravens look like neither of those things."
35. Hague, Jim. "Morristown, Pequannock golf teams win TOC titles", Daily Record, May 19, 2014. Accessed March 27, 2019. "Pequannock also won its respective Group title, taking home the overall Group I state trophy. It was also the first time that Pequannock captured a state golf title."
36. Leadership Team, Pequannock Township High School. Accessed December 29, 2022.
37. "Pequannock High's Finest Alums Are Honored", Home Town News, November 21, 2018. Accessed August 18, 2019. "Professor Michael T. Cahill was the next to be honored. Following high school graduation, Cahill received a B.A. from Yale University and J.D. and M.P.P. degrees from the University of Michigan, graduating magna cum laude and working on the Michigan Law Review."
38. Londner, Carey. "Dance troupe is a 'cultural treasure'", Herald News, September 27, 1987. Accessed June 24, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Two of the company's 16-year-old performers, Susan Misner and Cathy Peine, agreed. 'I've gotten a lot of discipline', said Misner, a Pequannock Township High School junior."

External links

• Pequannock Township High School
• Pequannock Township School District
• School Performance Report for Pequannock Township High School, New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Pequannock Township School District, 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

• Pequannock Township, New Jersey
• 1956 establishments in New Jersey
• Educational institutions established in 1956
• Public high schools in Morris County, New Jersey