| Wood-Ridge Jr./Sr. High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
| 258 Hackensack Street Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, Bergen County, New Jersey, New Jersey 07075 United States | |
| Coordinates | 40°50′55″N 74°04′51″W / 40.848495°N 74.080791°W / 40.848495; -74.080791 |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1922 |
| School district | Wood-Ridge School District |
| NCES School ID | 341830000922 |
| Principal | Ben Suro |
| Faculty | 46.4 FTEs |
| Grades | 7-12 |
| Enrollment | 530 (as of 2022–23) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 11.4:1 |
| Color(s) | Blue and white Black Grey |
| Athletics conference | North Jersey Interscholastic Conference |
| Team name | Blue Devils |
| Publication | The Devil's Advocate |
| Website | www |
Wood-Ridge High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Wood-Ridge, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Wood-Ridge School District. The school was established in 1922.
As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 530 students and 46.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.4:1. There were 61 students (11.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 19 (3.6% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.
Approximately 100 public school students from Moonachie attend Wood-Ridge High School, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Moonachie School District.
Awards, recognition and rankings
The school was the 232nd-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 176th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 137th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 101st in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 143rd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
Athletics
The Wood-Ridge High School Blue Devils participate in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which is comprised of small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson County, Morris County and Passaic County counties, and 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 realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Wood-Ridge was a member of the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL). With 327 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 75 to 476 students in that grade range. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 254 to 474 students.
Interscholastic programs available at the high school include:
|
|
|
Athletic accomplishments
Baseball
- NJC champions - 1960, 1966, 1972 (co-champions), 2016 (co-champions)
- Bergen County Tournament champions - 1972
- BCSL Olympic champions - 1981, 1987
- Sectional champions (North I, Group I), 1960, 1961, 1965 and 1968.
Boys basketball
- State champions (North I Group I) - 1962, 1963, 1977, 1978, 2011, 2019
- Group I state champions - 1979 (finishing 28-1 after a 74-58 tournament final win against Wildwood High School)
- BCSL Olympic champions - 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981
- BCSL National champions - 2003, 2006, 2008
- NJIC Meadowlands champions - 2011
- All Century Bergen County - Jimmy Hawthorne
- All Decade (1970-1979) Bergen County - Fred Ketcho
Girls basketball
- BCSL Olympic champions - 1978, 1979
Bowling
- BCSL Olympic champions - 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2010
- BCSL National champions - 2005
- BCCA Tournament champions - 1986, 1997
Cheerleading (competition)
- Spirit Unlimited National Champions - 2003
- Cheer & Dance Extreme National Grand Champions - 2005
- Americheer International Grand Champions - 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
- Quest For the Best Champions - 2007, 2008
- NJCDCA All-Music State Champions - 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015
Cross country
- BCSL National champions - 1989
Football
- State champions (North I Group I) - 1949, 1970, 1977
- Sectional champions - 1960, 1965
- BCSL Olympic champions - 1972, 1977, 1986
Golf
- BCSL champions - 1976
Girls soccer
- BCSL National champions - 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
- State sectional champions (North I Group II) - 2008 (as joint team with Hasbrouck Heights High School)
Softball
- State champions (North I Group I) - 1976, 1977, 1983, 2010
- BCSL Olympic champions - 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981
- BCSL National champions - 2009
Boys tennis
- BCSL National champions - 2004, 2005, 2009
Girls tennis
- BCSL National champions - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 (Co-Champs), 2010
Boys track and field
- State sectional champions - 2007
- BCSL National champions - 2008
Girls track and field
- BCSL National champions - 2004, 2005
Volleyball
- BCSL Olympic champions - 1989, 1991
- BCSL National champions - 2007 (Co-Champs)
- NJIC Meadowlands Division Champions - 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
- NJIC Conference Tournament Champions - 2018
Wrestling
- BCSL Olympic champions - 1976
- BCSL National champions - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
- District 5 champions - 1981
- District 15 champions - 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007
- State sectional (North II Group I) - 2006, 2007
- Bergen County Tournament champions - 2007
NJSIAA Sportsmanship Award
- 2000-01, 2007–08
Administration
The school's principal is Ben Suro. His core administration team includes the assistant principal and athletic director.
Notable alumni
- Alex Boniello (born 1990), actor best known for his portrayal of the Voice of Moritz in the 2015 Broadway revival of Spring Awakening.
- Leonard T. Connors (1929-2016), politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 1982 to 2008 representing the 9th Legislative District and was the Mayor of Surf City, New Jersey from 1966 to 2015.
- Paul Sarlo (born 1968), construction industry executive and politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2003, where he represents the 36th Legislative District.
- Jennifer Velez (born 1965 or 1966), former Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services.
-
Wood-Ridge High School, February 2009
References
- ^ School data for Wood-Ridge Jr/Sr High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
- ^ Wood-Ridge High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
- Moonachie School District 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed August 10, 2017. "Moonachie is a one school district near the Meadowlands.... We service students from grades Pre-k to 8. We send our high school students to Woodridge High School."
- Gavin, John A. "Council tells district to lower student estimates", The Record, May 17, 2010. Accessed November 25, 2014. "The Borough Council wants the one-school district to lower estimates of how many students will attend Wood-Ridge High School, its receiving school, and predictions about how many students will be placed in special education programs outside the district.... The school had calculated that 104 students would enroll in the high school, Vaccaro said."
- 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 28, 2012.
- Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 10, 2011.
- "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
- Mattura, Greg. "Small-school NJIC may debut its own league championship", The Record, January 9, 2017. Accessed August 30, 2020. "The small-school North Jersey Interscholastic Conference may debut its own boys basketball tournament this season, one season after introducing its girls hoops championship. The NJIC is comprised of schools from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties and the event offered to the 36 boys teams would serve as an alternative to likely competing against larger programs in a county tournament."
- Member Schools, North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Accessed August 30, 2020.
- League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
- 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 24, 2011. Accessed November 25, 2014.
- NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
- NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
- Armonaitis, Chip."Hasbrouck Heights' Ryan, Wood-Ridge's Labenski, Rendzio Inducted Into NJSCA Hall of Fame", TAPinto, March 2, 2019. Accessed November 8, 2020. "Serving as the head baseball coach for 16 years, the Labenski compiled a 227-140 record, with winning the Bergen County title as a Group 1 school in 1972 arguably being his greatest accomplishment. Labenski captured the North 1, Group 1 Championship in 1965, the North Jersey Conference title in 1966 and 1968. In 1968 he doubled up on titles, grabbing his second North 1, Group 1 title in addition to the conference crown."
- Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
- Staff. "Cresskill (51) at Wood-Ridge (65), NJSIAA Tournament, Final Round, North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3", The Star-Ledger, March 8, 2011. Accessed March 29, 2012. "Gary Whritenour dropped in three 3-pointers and finished with 20 points and Mike Gibney scored 18 as Wood-Ridge defeated Cresskill, 65-51, in the North Section 1, Group 1 final yesterday in Wood-Ridge."
- "Wilson's late-game heroics lead Wood-Ridge to North 1, Group 1 crown", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, March 5, 2019, updated August 22, 2019. Accessed November 8, 2020. "Wood-Ridge, the fourth seed, was in the midst of completing a fourth-quarter comeback to win its first North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 title since 2011, but sophomore guard Moshe Wilson couldn't stop looking at the tournament trophy on the stage behind the basket at Paterson Charter."
- History of NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
- Benevento, Don. "Wildwood ousted in NJSIAA final", Courier-Post, March 17, 1979. Accessed March 2, 2021. "Oh, the Wildwood High School basketball team made it to the door, but the Wizard turned them away. Coming through a long trail of upsets during the entire tournament season, the Warriors finally met the wicked witch in Wood-Ridge which stopped the Wildwood drive by scoring a 74-58 decision to capture the NJSIAA Group 1 championship here Friday in Elizabeth High School.... The 28-1 Blue Devils used a patterned offense to run off to a 6-0 lead and Wildwood (17-8) was never able to get on top after that."
- NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
- Tartaglia, Greg. "GRHS Girls Soccer: Glen Rock gives its all before falling", Glen Rock Gazette, November 20, 2009. Accessed August 28, 2012. "The Panthers (18-3) were making their second straight appearance in the North 1, Group 2 championship game, haven fallen to Hasbrouck Heights/Wood-Ridge in the 2008 finals."
- Staff. "Wood-Ridge 4, Saddle Brook 2 (High school Softball scores and results)", The Star-Ledger, May 27, 2010. Accessed March 29, 2012. "Danielle Natoli hit a two-run homer in the third inning and Taylor Timpson drove in Keri Focarino in the sixth to propel Wood-Ridge past Saddle Brook, 4-2, in the NJSIAA/Star-Ledger North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 final in Saddle Brook."
- Administration, Wood-Ridge High School. Accessed November 11, 2021.
- Feldberg, Robert. "Bergen County native shares role with deaf partner in Broadway's 'Spring Awakening'", The Record, September 20, 2015. Accessed October 18, 2015. "Theater is a collaborative art, but rarely do actors form a partnership as unusual as the one created by Alex Boniello, who was raised in Wood-Ridge, and Daniel N. Durant.... Boniello, who got the acting bug at Wood-Ridge High School before going on to study drama at Wagner College, joined the cast after the production had gotten under way in its Los Angeles debut, so, he said, he had to quickly play catch-up."
- Staff. Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 2004 Edition, p. 258. Lawyers Diary and Manual, LLC. ISBN 9781577411871. Accessed December 14, 2016. "Senator Connors was born in Jersey City April 11, 1929. A graduate of Wood-Ridge High School, he served in the Air Force from 1947 to 1949."
- Cooper, Darren. "Cooper: Sarlo stepping in to clean-up position", The Record, January 23, 2018. Accessed September 27, 2019. "Athletics has always played a big role in Sarlo’s life. He played three sports at Wood-Ridge High School and is a member of that institutions Hall of Fame."
- "Jennifer Velez earns top spot in the NJBIZ Health Care Power 50", NJBIZ, March 24, 2014. Accessed September 27, 2019. "Velez’s teenage years were spent in a Moonachie trailer park. She went to Wood-Ridge High School, where her classmates almost never talked about college. Her neighbor across the street was a prostitute."
External links
- Wood-Ridge High School
- Wood-Ridge School District
- Wood-Ridge High School Handbook
- School Performance Report for Wood-Ridge High School, New Jersey Department of Education
- School Data for the Wood-Ridge School District, National Center for Education Statistics
- Wood-Ridge Junior Football & Cheering
- Wood-Ridge Junior Wrestling
| North Jersey Interscholastic Conference (NJSIAA) | |
|---|---|
| Colonial Division A | |
| Colonial Division B | |
| Meadowlands Division A | |
| Meadowlands Division B | |
| Patriot Division A | |
| Patriot Division B | |