South Hunterdon Regional High School is a regional public high school serving students in ninth though twelfth grades (formerly seventh through twelfth grade prior to the construction of a new middle school) from three communities in southern Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, as part of the South Hunterdon Regional School District. It has been the smallest public high school in the state.Leeds, Curtis. "South Hunterdon High sets open house; hoping for school 'choice' OK", The Hunterdon County Democrat, January 9, 2011. Accessed January 28, 2011. "South Hunterdon Principal Mark Collins thinks his school will be an attractive option for some students. It's the smallest public high school in the state."Rojas, Cristina. "South Hunterdon, N.J.'s smallest public high school, graduates 55 students in its Class of 2012", Hunterdon County Democrat, June 21. 2012. Accessed June 2, 2016. Students attend the school from Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell Township.South Hunterdon Regional School District 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 2, 2016. "Bordering the Delaware River and located in the culturally rich and rural region of Southern Hunterdon County, South Hunterdon Regional School District serves the communities of Lambertville, Stockton, and West Amwell." The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1977.South Hunterdon Regional High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed August 30, 2020.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 392 students and 49.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.0:1. There were 83 students (21.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 33 (8.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for South Hunterdon Regional High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
South Hunterdon Regional High School's small size and broad extracurricular offerings provides the opportunity for students from outside the district to attend by paying tuition, as some consider the small class sizes and environment to be similar to that of a private school.
History Constructed at a cost of $1.25 million (equivalent to $ million in ), the school opened in September 1960 with an enrollment of 500 students."New School Opening Set", Courier News, August 25, 1960. Accessed November 17, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Hunterdon County's newest high school the South Hunterdon Regional High School will open on Sept. 8. It is expected there will be an enrollment of 500 pupils children from the districts of Lambertville, the Borough of Stockton and West Amwell Township, is the least expensive of the County's four Regional High Schools. 'The $1,250,000 junior-senior high school is an awful lot of school for the money,' said County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth A. Woolf." Prior to the opening of the regional facility, students had attended Lambertville High School, which was then closed down."450 in Hunterdon To Be Graduated", Courier News, May 28, 1959. Accessed November 17, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Two of the graduating classes will be the last to graduate from buildings in Lambertville and Frenchtown. With two new regional schools being built, the 100-year-old Lambertville High School will close its doors permanently and the 34-year-old Frenchtown building will become an elementary school when it reopens next September.... Lambertville, West Amwell Township and Stockton make up the South Hunterdon Regional District, which is erecting a new building at Mt. Airy in West Amwell Township."
In a special election held in September 2013, voters from Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell Township passed referendums to dissolve the South Hunterdon Regional School District and to combine the three existing school districts from each municipality (Lambertville City School District, Stockton Borough School District and West Amwell Township School District), with majorities in each community passing both ballot items.Lambertville Public School District 2013 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 7, 2016. "In September, 2013, the communities of West Amwell, Lambertville and Stockton voted to approve the dissolution of the South Hunterdon Regional High School District and the formation of a new pre K-12 school district." A single combined regional district was created, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, in which property taxes are levied under a formula in which 57% is based on property values and 43% on the number of students. The executive county superintendent appointed an interim board of education for the new regional district, which was responsible for implementing the merger.Tredrea, John. "Lambertville: Schools turn how to make merger work; After historic vote, decisions on buildings, contracts need to be made", The Beacon, October 2, 2013. Accessed October 15, 2013. "Now that the two referendum questions on merging the Stockton, West Amwell, Lambertville and South Hunterdon Regional High School districts into one pre-k to grade 12 district have been overwhelmingly approved, the process of implementing the regionalization can begin."
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 100th-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.Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014. The school had been ranked 21st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 74th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 7, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 58th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed October 4, 2011. The school was ranked 120th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state."Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008. Schooldigger.com ranked the school as tied for 180th out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (an increase of 47 positions from the 2009 rank) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy and mathematics components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2009-2010, Schooldigger.com. Accessed January 18, 2012.
Athletics The South Hunterdon High School EaglesSouth Hunterdon Regional High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Skyland Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools covering Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties in west Central Jersey, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. With 239 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.NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The football team competes in Division 1B of the Big Central Football Conference, which includes 60 public and private high schools in Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, Union and Warren counties, which are broken down into 10 divisions by size and location.Kinney, Mike. "Big Central revises 2020 football schedule for its shortened inaugural season", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 12, 2020. Accessed April 18, 2021. "The newly formed Big Central Football Conference has released a revised 2020 schedule for its inaugural season.... the BCFC is comprised of schools from Middlesex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties." The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 185 to 482 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The South Hunterdon football team won the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I state sectional title in both 1975 and 1979.NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023. The team defeated Keyport High School by a score of 28–0 in the 1975 Central Jersey Group I championship game to win their first title.Frezza, Harry. "South Hunterdon seniors eager for one last - very big - game together", Courier News, December 4, 2014. Accessed November 21, 2016. "South Hunterdon has qualified for playoffs 12 times with four final appearances and two titles (beat Dunellen 28-8 in 1979 and Keyport 28-0 in 1975)." The 1979 team finished the season with a 9–2 record after winning the Central Jersey Group I state sectional title with a 28–8 win against Dunellen High School in the final game of the tournament."Williams No. 1 as Somerville Rolls", New York Daily News, December 2, 1979. Accessed January 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "South Hunterdon 28, Dunellen 8 - Chet Reasoner scored two touchdowns and gained 229 yards in pacing South Hunterdon to the Central Jersey, Group 1 championship in Lambertville.... South Hunterdon, finished with a 9-2 record and Dunellen 7-4."
The field hockey team won the Central Jersey sectional championship in 1974, and won the Central Jersey Group I title in 1975, 1976, 1980-1982 and 1984–1991, and won the combined North I and II Group I title in 2002; the team was Group I champion in 1976 (as co-champion with Chatham Township High School), 1984 (vs. Chatham Borough High School) and 1988 (vs. Belvidere High School).History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023. The 1976 team was declared as the Group I co-champion following a scoreless tie after two overtime periods in the title game against Chatham Township; after flipping a coin, South Hunterdon obtained custody of the trophy for half the year while the trophy would be displayed at Chatham Township for the second half.Budd, Linda. "Glad Girls Are State Co-Champs", The Chatham Press, November 25, 1976. Accessed February 15, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Chatham Township High School Field Hockey Team are co-owners of the Group I State crown by virtue of a 0-0 deadlock with a South Hunterdon squad on Saturday....With a 0-0 tie at game's end, two overtime periods followed. Defenses of both squads were outstanding holding back all attacks at the goal. The decision was made that both teams earned a championship title. South Hunterdon won the toss and so will keep the trophy for six months after which it will be on display in the C.T.H.S. trophy case."