North Warren Regional High School

North Warren Regional High School is a public high school and regional school district, located in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that serves students in seventh grade through twelfth grade from the four constituent townships of Blairstown (where the school is located), Frelinghuysen, Hardwick and Knowlton.^[5][6][7] It is the only school in the North Warren Regional School District.^[8][9][10] The school opened in September 1970, replacing the former Blairstown High School. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1984; the school is accredited with stipulations until July 2031.^[4] The high school is the lone facility of the North Warren Regional High School District.^[11]

North Warren Regional School District
Address
10 Noe Road Blairstown , Warren County, New Jersey, 07825 United States
Coordinates	40.982175°N 74.990516°W / 40.982175; -74.990516
District information
Grades	7-12
Superintendent	Jeanene Dutt
Business administrator	Jennifer Kerr
Schools	1
Students and staff
Enrollment	619 (as of 2023–24)[1]
Faculty	54.8 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio	11.3:1[1]
Other information
District Factor Group	FG
Website	www.northwarren.org
Ind. Per pupil District spending Rank (*) 7-12 average  %± vs. average 1A Total Spending $17,332 4 $18,891 −8.3% 1 Budgetary Cost 13,962 11 14,586 −4.3% 2 Classroom Instruction 8,184 15 8,339 −1.9% 6 Support Services 1,884 11 2,114 −10.9% 8 Administrative Cost 1,840 37 1,561 17.9% 10 Operations & Maintenance 1,165 1 1,798 −35.2% 13 Extracurricular Activities 889 26 673 32.1% 16 Median Teacher Salary 57,685 3 65,769 Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2] *Of 7-12 districts with any number of students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=47

North Warren Regional High School
Location
Information
Type	Public high school
Motto	"Students of Today, Leaders of Tomorrow"
Established	1970
NCES School ID	340955005844[1]
Principal	Carie Norcross-Murphy
Faculty	54.8 FTEs[1]
Grades	7-12
Enrollment	619 (as of 2023–24)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	11.3:1[1]
Color(s)	Red   white and   blue[3]
Athletics conference	Skyland Conference (general) North Jersey Super Football Conference (football)
Team name	Patriots[3]
Accreditation	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[4]

As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 619 students and 54.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1. There were 52 students (8.4% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 13 (2.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.^[1]

The district had been classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth-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.^[12]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 87th-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.^[13] The school had been ranked 115th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 138th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.^[14] The magazine ranked the school 194th in 2008 out of 316 schools.^[15] The school was ranked 167th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.^[16] Schooldigger.com ranked the school 156th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 47 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 (95.5%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).^[17]

Extracurricular activities

The Marching Patriots

In their 2007 competition season, the Marching Band earned 1st place in New Jersey for group 3A. In their 2008 competition season, the Marching Band earned 3rd place at the USSBA Group 3A championships held at Hershey, Pennsylvania on November 2, 2008.^[18] In their 2009 competition season, the Marching band earned 1st place in New Jersey for group 3A, winning the caption awards for Best Music and Best Visual Effect, as well as taking best in show.^[19] In their 2010 competition season, the Marching band earned 1st place in New Jersey for group 3A, again.^[20]

In 2013, the band had an undefeated season, finishing 7-0 and earned first place in New Jersey Group 3A state championship held at Rutgers University.^[21] The band also earned the title of 2013 USBands Group III A National Champions at Metlife Stadium, receiving an all-time high record score of 96.425.^[22]

In 2017, the band finished in first place in New Jersey Group III Open state championship held at Rutgers University.^[23]

Aurora Indoor Color Guard

From 1989 to 1994 North Warren Regional High School was also home to the award-winning Aurora Indoor Color Guard. Aurora began as a Scholastic Novice guard in the TIDA circuit, moving up to a Scholastic Intermediate guard in 1992, and moving up to a Scholastic Advanced guard in 1993. Also in 1993, performing to "I Melt With You" by Modern English, Aurora placed 8th in the world at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio as a WGI Scholastic A class Finalist. In May 1994, the Aurora indoor color guard performed for the last time, in Wildwood, New Jersey.^{[citation needed]}

Athletics

The North Warren Regional High School Patriots^[3] compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties in northwestern New Jersey, and operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), having been established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).^[24][25] With 407 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.^[26] The football team competes in the National 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.^[27][28] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 254 to 474 students.^[29]

The school participates as the host school / lead agency for joint cooperative boys / girls lacrosse teams with Belvidere High School, while Belvidere is the host school for co-op boys / girls swimming teams. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.^[30][31]

The boys' soccer team won the Group I state championship in 2002 and 2003, defeating Arthur P. Schalick High School in the tournament final both seasons.^[32] The 2002 team finished the season with a record of 16–3–1 after winning the Group I title against Schalick by a score of 4–3 in overtime in the tournament final.^[33] The following year, North Warren again met Schalick in the 2003 Group I state championship and won 2–0 at the end of regulation to finish the season 17–3–1.^[34] In 2004, North Warren made it to the state championship game for the third consecutive time, again meeting Schalick, but fell short and lost by a score of 2–1.

The wrestling team won the North I Group I state sectional championship in 2006 and 2007^[35]

Notable alumni

• David T. Little (born 1978), composer, record producer, and drummer known for his operatic, orchestral, and chamber works, most notably his operas JFK, Soldier Songs, and Dog Days.^[36]

Administration

Core members of the administration are:^[37][38]

District

• Jeanene Dutt, superintendent
• Jennifer Kerr, business administrator and board secretary

School

• Carie Norcross-Murphy, principal

Board of education

The district's nine-member board of education 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.^[39][40] Seats on the board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with four seats assigned to Blairstown Township, two to Frelinghuysen Township, two to Knowlton Township and one to Hardwick Township.^[41]

References

1. School data for North Warren Regional School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
3. North Warren Regional High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
4. North Warren High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed December 21, 2024.
5. North Warren Regional Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, North Warren Regional High School. Accessed June 3, 2020. "Purpose The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades seven through twelve in the North Warren Regional High School District. Composition The North Warren Regional High School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Blairstown Township, Frelinghuysen Township, Knowlton Township and Hardwick Township."
6. North Warren Regional High School 2014 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 3, 2020. "The North Warren Regional School District is home to approximately 950 students from the communities of Blairstown, Frelinghuysen, Hardwick, and Knowlton."
7. Home Page, North Warren Regional School District. Accessed June 3, 2020. "North Warren Regional is a public secondary school district, serving students in grades 7-12 in the townships of Blairstown, Frelinghuysen, Hardwick, and Knowlton. The district covers 96.8 square miles bordering the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in scenic Warren County."
8. 2023–2024 Public School Directory, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2024.
9. School Performance Reports for the North Warren Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
10. New Jersey School Directory for the North Warren Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
11. New Jersey School Directory for the North Warren Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
12. District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 21, 2024.
13. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
14. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 9, 2012.
15. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 16, 2011.
16. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
17. New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011^{[permanent dead link‍]}, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 5, 2012.
18. http://bandstuff.org/event_html/E247.php%5B‍%5D
19. RECAP USSBA - NEW JERSEY state championship 1A AT PARLIN, NJ, USSBA, October 25, 2009. Accessed February 4, 2012.
20. Recap USSBA - New Jersey State Championships 1A, 3A, 6A Part 2 at Union, NJ, USSBA, October 24, 2010. Accessed February 4, 2012.
21. Cummins, Emily. "North Warren Regional Marching Band takes home title of National Champions", NJ.com, November 20, 2013. Accessed November 12, 2017. "North Warren Regional Marching Band completed its winning season, with a record of 7-0, by taking home the title of the US Bands Group 3A 2013 National Champions held at MetLife Stadium in Rutherford on Saturday Nov. 9.... Under the direction of Band Director Stephen Zuccheri and Guard Instructor MJ Lippincott, the 75 member band not only holds the new title of National Champions, which has not been held by the North Warren Regional Marching Band since 2000, but also achieved the title of US Bands Division 3A 2013 NJ State Champions that took place at Rutgers University in October."
22. Carlson, Joe. "North Warren marching band tops in the nation", New Jersey Herald, November 20, 2013. Accessed November 12, 2017. "The 1977 power ballad by Queen is played by marching bands across the country each year when teams win championships. But for the North Warren Regional High School marching band, the song signifies who they are, the 2013 USBands Group III A National Champions.... During the competition — which was judged by 10 judges — North Warren scored a 96.425, the highest score achieved in the band's competition history — which goes back to when Zucherri started at the school 23 years ago — and took home additional awards for Best Effect and Best Visual Performance."
23. "North Warren Regional High School band wins N.J. State Championship", New Jersey Herald, November 18, 2017. Accessed October 1, 2022. "North Warren Regional High School's marching band took first place in the Oct. 28 Group III Open division of the U.S. Bands New Jersey State Championship Competition held at Rutgers University."
24. 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."
25. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
26. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
27. 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."
28. 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."
29. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
30. NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
31. NJSIAA Spring Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
32. NJSIAA History of Boys Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
33. Radano Michael. "Gutsy Schalick battles back before falling in overtime", Courier-Post, November 24, 2002. Accessed January 11, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Schalick High School boys' soccer team traveled to Kean University for the Group 1 state final for the second straight year.... North Warren's Chris O'Donoghue beat Schalick defender Bill Willis and keeper Justin Burt to a long ball that came out of the back, and scored with 43.9 seconds left in the first overtime to beat Schalick 4-3 on Saturday.... Despite leads of 2-0 and 3-1, North Warren (16-3-1) failed to put Schalick away."
34. Narducci, Marc. "Schalick boys come up short in final The Cougars lost, 2-0, to North Warren in a replay of last year's Group 1 state soccer championship.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 23, 2003. Accessed November 8, 2016. "The Cougars' season ended yesterday with a 2-0 loss to North Warren in the state Group 1 championship game at Kean University. Schalick completed its season 21-2-1, the same record it posted last season. The Cougars' season ended for the second straight year with a loss to talented North Warren (17-3-1).... Last year, Schalick fell, 4-3, in overtime, despite dominating play."
35. NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2021.
36. Cahen, Eva. "Talking With Composers: David T. Little", Schmopera, October 10, 2018. Accessed August 8, 2022. "My school, North Warren Regional High School in Blairstown, New Jersey, had a really great music and theater program. I was very fortunate. I spent a lot of time on stage performing, singing, and dancing, in classical musicals like Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls, and The Sound of Music."
37. Staff Directory, North Warren Regional School District. Accessed December 27, 2022.
38. New Jersey School Directory for Warren County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
39. 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.
40. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the North Warren Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed May 1, 2024. "The North Warren Regional School District is a Type II district located in the County of Warren, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The board is comprised of nine members elected to three-year terms. The purpose of the district is to educate students in grades 7-12." See "Roster of Officials" on page 15.
41. Board of Education, North Warren Regional High School. Accessed June 2, 2020. "The Board of Education is an elected council who, in compliance with State, and Federal laws, establish the policies, and regulations, by which the school is governed. The Board of Education is comprised of nine residents, each elected for a three-year term."

External links

• North Warren Regional High School
• School Performance Report for North Warren Regional High School, New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the North Warren Regional High School, National Center for Education Statistics
• North Warren Regional High School Marching Band