Freehold Township Schools

The Freehold Township Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Freehold Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.^[3]

Freehold Township Schools
Address
384 West Main Street Freehold Township , Monmouth County, New Jersey, 07728 United States
Coordinates	40.242256°N 74.301378°W / 40.242256; -74.301378
District information
Grades	PreK-8
Superintendent	Neal Dickstein
Business administrator	Robert DeVita
Schools	8
Students and staff
Enrollment	3,447 (as of 2022–23)[1]
Faculty	372.3 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio	9.3:1[1]
Other information
District Factor Group	GH
Website	www.freeholdtwp.k12.nj.us
Ind. Per pupil District spending Rank (*) K-8 average  %± vs. average 1A Total Spending $17,912 55 $18,891 −5.2% 1 Budgetary Cost 15,696 74 14,159 10.9% 2 Classroom Instruction 9,460 69 8,659 9.3% 6 Support Services 2,517 68 2,167 16.2% 8 Administrative Cost 1,534 39 1,547 −0.8% 10 Operations & Maintenance 1,888 70 1,612 17.1% 13 Extracurricular Activities 98 45 104 −5.8% 16 Median Teacher Salary 57,755 22 61,136 Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2] *Of K-8 districts with more than 750 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=84

As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 3,447 students and 372.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.3:1.^[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "GH", the third-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.^[4]

Students in ninth through twelfth grades attend either Freehold Township High School or Freehold High School, as part of the Freehold Regional High School District, with school assignment based on their home address.^[5] The district also serves students from Colts Neck Township, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold Borough, Howell Township, Manalapan Township and Marlboro Township.^[6][7] Freehold Township High School is home to the Contemporary Global Studies Learning Center and Freehold High School hosts the Medical Sciences Learning Center; each program admits students on a selective basis from all over the Freehold Regional High School District.^[8] As of the 2022–23 school year, Freehold Township High School had an enrollment of 1,926 students and 130.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.8:1,^[9] while Freehold Borough High School had an enrollment of 1,409 students and 97.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.4:1.^[10]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics^[11]) are:^[12][13][14]

Elementary schools

• Early Childhood Learning Center^[15] with 104 students in PreK.
  • Laura Cecilione, principal^[16]
• C. Richard Applegate Elementary School^[17] with 377 students in grades K–5. The school is named for Charles Richard Applegate.
  • Bradley Millaway, principal^[18]
• Joseph J. Catena Elementary School^[19] with 426 students in grades K–5. The school is named for Joseph J. Catena, their first principal, who served for 38 years. It was built in 1961 and is the oldest school in Freehold that is still being used as an elementary school.
  • Traci Shaw, principal^[20]
• Laura Donovan Elementary School^[21] with 454 students in grades K–5. Built in 1968, the school was named in honor of Laura Donovan who taught in Freehold Township for 54 years.
  • Jennifer Benbrook, principal^[22]
• Marshall W. Errickson Elementary School^[23] with 453 students in grades K–5. Marshall Errickson School was built in 1972. Errickson is split between Eisenhower and Barkalow.
  • Cathleen Areman, principal^[24]
• West Freehold Elementary School^[25] with 456 students in grades K–5. WFS was the first school in the district. It started out as a one room schoolhouse, around the turn-of-the century, located on Wemrock Road, which was before the establishment of the district. In 1936, the WFS was incorporated into the school district was opened on Stilwells Corner Road, next to the present-day Barkalow Middle School. It had gone through many additions and renovations over the next 70 years, to accommodate the growing population. In 2004, The New West Freehold School was built, and many students were re-districted to go to this school. The first graduating class of 2005 buried a time capsule for future generations. The Old West Freehold School went through another renovation, to incorporate the Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) and the district's offices.
  • Tara Lechner, principal^[26]

Middle schools

• Clifton T. Barkalow Middle School^[27] with 605 students in grades 6–8, gets most students in Laura Donovan and West Freehold. Barkalow was the first middle school in the district when it was built in 1964.
  • Anne Kuras, principal^[28]
• Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School^[29] with 578 students in grades 6–8, gets most students from Applegate and Catena. It first opened its doors in 1971. It is located directly next door to the Joseph J. Catena School.
  • Lori Gambino, principal^[30]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:^[31][32]

• Neal Dickstein, superintendent
• Robert DeVita, business administrator and board secretary^[33]

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.^[34][35][36]

References

1. District information for Freehold Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
3. Freehold Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 -Identification, Freehold Township Schools, updated February 2020. Accessed December 11, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through 8 in the Freehold Township School District. Composition: The Freehold Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Freehold Township."
4. District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 11, 2024.
5. FRHSD Attendance Boundaries; Which High School Will My Child Attend?, Freehold Regional High School District. Accessed December 11, 2024. "The following is a list of streets, by municipality, that are assigned to a Freehold Regional District high school outside of their hometown."
6. Freehold Regional High School District 2016 Report Card Narrative Archived December 10, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 31, 2020. "The Freehold Regional High School District, the largest regional high school District in New Jersey, has six high schools with over 11,000 students and over 1,500 employees and spans 200 square miles. District members include the townships of Colts Neck, Freehold, Howell, Manalapan, and Marlboro, and the boroughs of Englishtown, Farmingdale, and Freehold."
7. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for Freehold Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education, June 30, 2019. Accessed May 31, 2020. "Geographically, the District is comprised of the Townships of Colts Neck, Freehold, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro and the Boroughs of Englishtown, Farmingdale and Freehold. Established in 1953, the District's total area is 198 square miles. As of the October 2019 student count, there were 10,587 resident students."
8. Specialized Learning Centers Archived November 30, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, Freehold Regional High School District. Accessed May 31, 2020.
9. School data for Freehold Township High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
10. School data for Freehold Borough High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
11. School Data for the Freehold Township Elementary and Middle Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
12. County School List E-G, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2024.
13. School Performance Reports for the Freehold Township Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
14. New Jersey School Directory for Freehold Township Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
15. Early Childhood Learning Center, Freehold Township Schools. Accessed May 31, 2020.
16. School Info, Early Childhood Learning Center. Accessed December 11, 2024.
17. C. Richard Applegate Elementary School, Freehold Township Schools. Accessed December 11, 2024.
18. School Info, C. Richard Applegate Elementary School. Accessed December 11, 2024.
19. Joseph J. Catena Elementary School, Freehold Township Schools. Accessed May 31, 2020.
20. School Info, Joseph J. Catena Elementary School. Accessed December 11, 2024.
21. Laura Donovan Elementary School, Freehold Township Schools. Accessed December 11, 2024.
22. School Info, Laura Donovan Elementary School. Accessed December 11, 2024.
23. Marshall W. Errickson Elementary School, Freehold Township Schools. Accessed December 11, 2024.
24. School Info, Marshall W. Errickson Elementary School. Accessed December 11, 2024.
25. West Freehold Elementary School, Freehold Township Schools. Accessed December 11, 2024.
26. School Info, West Freehold Elementary School. Accessed December 11, 2024.
27. Clifton T. Barkalow Middle School, Freehold Township Schools. Accessed December 11, 2024.
28. School Info, Clifton T. Barkalow Middle School. Accessed December 11, 2024.
29. Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School, Freehold Township Schools. Accessed December 11, 2024.
30. School Info, Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School. Accessed December 11, 2024.
31. Administration, Freehold Township Schools. Accessed December 11, 2024.
32. New Jersey School Directory for Monmouth County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
33. Business office, Freehold Township Schools. Accessed December 11, 2024.
34. 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.
35. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Freehold Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 11, 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."
36. Board of Education Members, Freehold Township Schools. Accessed December 11, 2024.

External links

• Freehold Township Schools website
• School Performance Reports for the Freehold Township Schools, New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Freehold Township Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
• Freehold Boro High School
• Freehold Township High School
• Freehold Regional High School District
• School Performance Reports for the Freehold Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education