Jackson Memorial High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Jackson Township, in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, opened in 1963 as part of the Jackson School District. It is the sister high school of Jackson Liberty High School, which opened in late summer 2006.
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As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,499 students and 108.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.8:1. There were 175 students (11.7% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 58 (3.9% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
Before the high school opened, students living in Jackson Township attended Lakewood High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[4]
Jackson High School first opened in September 1963 with 700 students in grades 7-9, though other district school facilities were used on a temporary basis as the building that housed Jackson Junior-Senior High School wasn't completed and opened to students until the spring of 1964.[5] The school was originally a single, one story building with three wings. Around 1970, a second story was added to one wing. In the 1980s, it was expanded to include the nearby middle school which became known as the Clayton building. The original high school building was known as the memorial building in the early 1990s; later it was renamed the Bernie Reider Hall, for a longtime wrestling coach and former principal. The Fine Arts building, added c. 1993, connects the once separate Clayton building, previously a middle school, and the two-story Bernie Reider Hall.
The school was the 115th-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.[6] The school had been ranked 188th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 181st in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[7] The magazine ranked the school 216th in the magazine's September 2008 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[8] Schooldigger.com ranked the school 166th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 22 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (80.8%) and language arts literacy (94.1%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[9]
The Jackson Memorial High School Jaguars[2] compete in Division A South of the Shore Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties along the Jersey Shore.[3][10] The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[11] With 1,186 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range.[12] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 890 to 1,298 students.[13]
The school participates in a joint ice hockey team with Point Pleasant Borough High School in which Jackson Liberty High School is the host school / lead agency. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[14]
Jackson is a powerhouse in many sports and its key rivals are Southern Regional, Toms River South, Toms River North, Toms River East, Brick Memorial and Brick Township.
- Baseball
- Girls basketball
- Boys bowling
- Team championships
- 1975-1976 Overall state champions[24][25]
- 2010-2011 South Jersey Group IV sectional champions
- 2010-2011 Group IV state champions[24]
- 2011-2012 South Jersey Group IV sectional champions
- 2011-2012 Group IV state champions[24]
- 2012-2013 South Jersey Group IV sectional champions
- 2012-2013 Group IV state champions[24][25]
- Individual champions
- Mike Ormsby - 2013 individual state champion[25]
- Donald Kane - 2013 South Jersey individual state sectional champion
- Mike Ormsby - 2011 South Jersey individual state sectional champion
- 2022 Group III state champion[24]
- Girls bowling
- Team championships
- 1975 Overall state champion[26]
- 1978 Overall state champion[26]
- 2015 Group IV state champion[26]
- Boys cross country
- Team championships
- State sectional champions - 2006
- Meet of Champions winners - 2006[27]
- 2006-2007 New Jersey state champions[citation needed]
- Central Jersey Group IV Champions - 2006, 2007[28]
- Girls cross country
- Team championships
- Central Jersey Group IV Champions - 2004, 2005[29]
- Football
- Ice hockey
- Indoor relay
- Team championships
- Girls champion Group IV - 2003, 2005; Group III - 2016[36]
- Boys soccer
- Team championships
- South Jersey Group IV sectional champions - 1986 & 1990
- New Jersey Group IV state champions - 1990 (defeating Kearny High School by a score of 4-0, to finish the season 22-1)[37][38]
- Boys spring track
- Team championships
- 2009-2010 Ocean County champions
- Girls spring track
- Team championships
- 2006 Group IV state champion[39]
- Boys winter track
- Team championships
- 2010 Group III state champions[40]
- 2010 Central Jersey Group III sectional champions[41]
- Girls winter track
- Team championships
- Group IV state championship - 2005, 2006[42]
- Wrestling
- Team championships
- Central Jersey Group IV state sectional champions - 2004-2007, 2010, 2011, 2015-2017, 2019.[43]
- Group IV state champion - 2007, 2010, 2011[43]
The Jackson Memorial Jaguar Band has performed at many events including:
2013 New Year's Day (Tournament of Roses Parade) in Pasadena
Presidential Inaugural Parade for George W. Bush,
Cherry Blossom Parade: Washington DC,
Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade,
NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade,
D-Day Invasion Ceremony: Normandy-France,
Hula Bowl Halftime and pregame: Waikiki-Hawaii,
4 Ticker Tape parades for the New York Yankees,
2 Ticker Tape parades for the New York Giants (NFL),
Opening Night performance for "42nd Street": Ford Theater-NYC,
Opening Night performance for "The Music Man" NYC,
Performance at the Funeral of Levon Helm: Woodstock-NY,
Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special,
Radio City Music Hall: Performance for Dolly Parton
The Jackson Jaguar Marching Band won the USBands Group 6A National Championship Title in 2013 with a score of 96.3, their first national championship. They won first place in the percussion and music category then second in colorguard, general effect, and marching.[44] In 2017, the band won the state title and won the national 6A championship, with a score of 92.375.[45]
Kevin DiEugenio is the principal of Jackson Memorial High School. His core administration team includes three assistant principals.[46]
- Scotty Cranmer (born 1987), professional BMX rider who has won nine X Games medals[47]
- Joey DeZart (born 1998), professional soccer player who currently plays as a midfielder for Orlando City in Major League Soccer[48]
- Erin Gleason (born 1977), short track speed skater who competed in three events at the 1998 Winter Olympics[49]
- E. J. Nduka (born 1988), professional wrestler who competed for WWE[50]
- Anthony Stolarz (born 1994, class of 2012), professional ice hockey goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers[51]
- Tom Tarver, quarterback who played for the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights, after leading Jackson Memorial to a 32-7 record during his high school career[52]
- Matt Thaiss (born 1995, class of 2013), first round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels[53]
- Zakk Wylde (born 1967), guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society[54]
"Board Sets Up 4-Year High At Lakewood", Asbury Park Press, October 29, 1963. Accessed April 6, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Dr. David Zweben, president of the Board, said that the change is based on the knowledge that Jackson Township students who now attend the Lakewood junior and senior high schools will attend the new Jackson High School next year. He said that only those Jackson Township students now in the junior class who will be seniors next year will attend Lakewood High School." Oglesby, Amanda. "Jackson Memorial celebrates 50 years", Asbury Park Press, October 7, 2014. Accessed December 30, 2020. "Fifty years ago, Jackson opened its first high school within the township, giving residents their own high school.... The building's completion drew an end to Jackson's previous educational relationship with Lakewood High School. When it opened its doors in the spring of 1964, its roughly 700 students walked into Jackson Junior Senior High School for the first time, said Bernie Reider, 73, of Jackson, who was a math and science teacher there at the time." "Jackson Memorial baseball's success", Asbury Park Press, June 7, 2014. Accessed May 27, 2016. "Legendary former coach Larry D'Zio Jr.'s 407 career wins are sixth on the Shore's all-time list. D'Zio was the coach when the Jaguars won the Group III state and Ocean County Tournament titles in 1972 and the SCT in 1984." Edelson, Stephen; and Falk, Steven. "NJ baseball: 25 greatest Jersey Shore teams ever, ranked", Asbury Park Pres, June 11, 2020. Accessed December 15, 2020. "20. Jackson Memorial (1972).... They won the NJSIAA Group III championship 2-1 over a Summit team that was led by a sophomore catcher named Willie Wilson, who would go on to be a first-round draft choice of the Kansas City Royals in 1974 and then a star outfielder with the Royals." Staff. "Jackson Memorial wins Group IV crown", Asbury Park Press, June 7, 2014. Accessed August 16, 2015. "The Jaguars, after not having a base runner for the first 3 1/3 innings, strung together three hits for two runs in the top of the fourth and recorded a 2-0 win. It is Jackson Memorial's first state championship since 1972, when it won Group III under legendary former coach Larry D'Zio Jr., and its second state championship overall." Witkowski, Wayne. "Jaguars' bowlers win third straight Group IV title", Tri-Town News, March 14, 2013. Accessed August 23, 2015. "I t was no surprise to knowledgeable bowling fans around the Shore that Jackson Memorial High School's boys bowling team would enjoy another great season. Few, however, expected it to be the greatest in school history. The Jaguars not only won the NJSIAA Group IV championship for the third straight year, but they also won their first Shore Conference title since 2002. Their only other Group IV title prior to the current three-peat was in 1976." Edelson, Stephen. "HS Football: Jersey Shore's greatest teams of the 2000s", Asbury Park Press, November 1, 2016. Accessed December 15, 2020. "2001 Jackson (12-0) While it marked the Jaguars second-straight perfect season, this was the senior-laden team that dominated from start to finish, extending the longest winning streak in the state at the time to 25 games by pummeling South Jersey power Cherokee, 24-0, in the South Group IV championship game." Falk, Steven. "Football: A look back at a wild ending between Jackson Memorial and Brick Memorial", Asbury Park Press, December 5, 2015. Accessed December 15, 2020. "Corey Lavin remembers what he told senior fullback Joe Reggio just before the Jackson Memorial offense broke the huddle with three seconds remaining in the NJSIAA Central Group IV championship game against Brick Memorial on Dec. 5, 2005 at then Rutgers Stadium.... On a play that was nowhere near the original play call, Lavin's 4-yard touchdown pass to a leaping and well-covered Reggio as time expired gave Jackson Memorial a dramatic 30-28 win and enabled it to conclude a 12-0 season." LoGiudice, Daniel. "NJ boys soccer: 30 greatest Jersey Shore teams ever", Asbury Park Press, June 16, 2020. Accessed December 8, 2020. "1990 Jackson (22-1) - Long before Jackson split into two schools, Memorial and Liberty, in 2006, the Jaguars had a dominant squad under head coach Mike Costa. The Jaguars won the Group IV title in their first ever group final by shutting out 12-time champions Kearney 4-0." Alexander, Dan. "A Good Weekend at Jackson Memorial", WOBM-FM, November 11, 2013. Accessed September 1, 2015. "It was a great weekend of achievement at Jackson Memorial High School as the Marching Jaguars won the US Bands National Championship and the football team earned the Shore Conference Class A South division title." Carino, Jerry. "'Countless hours' pay off as Jackson Memorial marching band wins national title", Asbury Park Press, November 6, 2017. Accessed December 24, 2023. "The Jaguars captured the Group 6-A title at the USBands National Championships in Allentown, Pa. That came on the heels of winning the New Jersey state title at Rutgers the week before — an unprecedented double for the Shore Conference’s most decorated band.... This marked the second national title for Jackson Memorial, which also earned one in 2013." Contact Us, Jackson Memorial High School. Accessed December 24, 2023. McAvoy, Kevin. "Scotty Cranmer: Back in the Saddle", ESPN. Accessed January 23, 2012. "Shortly after, Scotty walked through the doors of his old high school, Jackson Memorial, and spoke to the students about the importance of setting goals." Denman, Elliott. "Dream Comes True", Asbury Park Press, February 12, 1988 via Newspapers.com. Accessed November 13, 2019. "Ferry, 21, was a Jackson Memorial High School classmate of Erin Gleason, and a member of the U.S. Olympic bobsled development team." LaGorce, Tammy. "Music; Thor, With an Electric Hammer", The New York Times, November 27, 2005. Accessed August 22, 2018. "But the frustrating part for Zakk Wylde -- born in Jersey City, raised in Jackson and possessed of a gift for heavy-metal noise that regularly earns him the cover of any magazine with guitar in its title -- is that the six-string inner circle rarely widens.... 'I was in Sayreville at this place called Close Encounters with my buddies in Stone Henge,' a band formed with friends from Jackson Memorial High School in the mid-80's, Mr. Wylde said in a recent phone interview from Columbus, Ohio, where he was touring in support of Mafia (Artemis), a Black Label disc that entered the Billboard Independent Album chart at No. 1 last March."
- Erbe, E. Robert (1999). Cranberries, Coops, and Courts: A History of Jackson Township.
