Lenape Regional High School District | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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93 Willow Grove Road , Burlington County , New Jersey , 08088United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 39°47′31″N74°45′15″W / 39.792053°N 74.754234°W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
District information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grades | 9-12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Superintendent | Carol L. Birnbohm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Business administrator | Kara L. Huber | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schools | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Students and staff | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Enrollment | 6,659 (as of 2022–23) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Faculty | 570.4 FTEs [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Student–teacher ratio | 11.7:1 [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
District Factor Group | GH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | www | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) is a comprehensive regional public high school district that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from eight municipalities in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The communities in the district are Evesham Township, Medford Lakes, Medford, Mount Laurel, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township. [3] [4] [5] [6] The eight municipalities cover a combined area of 350 square miles (910 km2) which represents roughly one-third of the entire area of Burlington County, the largest county in New Jersey. Each of the eight communities served by the Lenape District has its own elementary school district. [7] Each elementary school district is governed by its own nine-member board of education which oversees the school budget and the education of students in pre-kindergarten / kindergarten through eighth grade.
As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprising four schools, had an enrollment of 6,659 students and 570.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7:1. [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. [8]
The regional district was formed after 93% of voters approved the passage of a referendum in September 1955 by residents of the original seven constituent municipalities—Evesham, Medford, Mount Laurel, Shamong, Southampton and Tabernacle Townships, along with Medford Lakes—to cover the cost of a $2 million (equivalent to $22.7 million in 2023) facility that would serve 1,000 students. [9] [10] Delaware Township (since renamed as Cherry Hill), Maple Shade Township and Woodland Township townships had considered—and turned down—the opportunity to join the nascent regional district. [11]
A plot covering 50 acres (20 ha) in Medford was selected in June 1956 as a site for the district's first high school facility. [12] Lenape High School opened in September 1958 with 548 students in 9th and 10th grades only, before which students from Medford, Medford Lakes and Tabernacle Township had attended Rancocas Valley Regional High School. [13] By the 1961-62 school year, Lenape was on double sessions with approximately 1,500 students. In July 1961, an addition to the original building was started, with a second addition dedicated on January 17, 1965. [14]
A second high school, announced in 1968 with an estimated cost of $3.5 million (equivalent to $30.7 million in 2023), was designed to accommodate a student body of 1,500 and include 26 classrooms, a gym, cafeteria, and a 600-seat auditorium. [15] Shawnee High School opened in 1970 as the second of the district's four high schools. [16] [17]
With overcrowding at both Lenape (with 2,400 students) and Shawnee (1,600) high schools requiring split sessions, voters approved a December 1972 referendum to construct a third high school that would have a capacity of 1,500 students and be constructed on the same model as Shawnee. The ballot item was approved by a 55-45% margin, with voters in favor in Evesham, Medford and Mount Laurel Townships, while it was rejected in Medford Lakes and Shamong, Southampton and Tabernacle Townships. [18] Cherokee High School opened in September 1975 with 750 students in grades 9 and 10, by which time district enrollment had grown to nearly 5,000. The school was constructed at a cost of $7 million (equivalent to $39.6 million in 2023) on a site in Evesham Township covering 71 acres (29 ha). [11] [17] [19]
In 1996, legislation introduced by State Senator C. William Haines and signed into law by Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman would allow the Woodland Township School District to sever its sending/receiving relationship with the Pemberton Township School District and join the Lenape Regional District; Pemberton would not be required to give permission for Woodland Township to leave, but Lenape Regional would have to agree to accept the township's students. Woodland Township had been sending about 30 students a year—and nearly $300,000 in tuition payments—to attend the 1,350-student Pemberton Township High School as part of a relationship that dated back to the 1920s. For years, the Pemberton district had refused Woodland Township's repeated requests to terminate the relationship. [20] In May 1997, the Lenape district agreed to start accepting students from Woodland Township at Lenape High School starting with the 1997-98 school year and to add Woodland Township as the regional district's eight constituent municipality. [21]
A 210,000 square feet (20,000 m2) Cherokee High School South "school-within-a-school" opened in September 2001 for 1,150 students in grades 9-10, which was constructed at a cost of $26.4 million (equivalent to $45.4 million in 2023), at which time the original building was renamed as Cherokee High School North. [22] [14] In 2018, with the retirement of the South principal, Leonard Iannelli, Cherokee eliminated the position, effectively merging the North and South buildings into a single combined school. [23]
Approved by voters in 1997, the 255,000-square-foot (23,700 m2) Seneca High School was expected to be completed by 2000, to be constructed on a 201-acre (81 ha) site designed to accommodate an enrollment of 2,000. The school opened in September 2007 with 860 students from Shamong, Southampton, Tabernacle and Woodland Townships and was completed at a cost of $45.7 million (equivalent to $67.2 million in 2023). Delays caused by lawsuits related to the building site in the Pinelands resulted in budget overruns of $8.7 million. [24]
When the public school students in each of the sending districts graduate from eighth grade, they are sent to one of the four high schools that fall under the jurisdiction of the Lenape Regional High School District. Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics [25] ) are: [14] [26] [17] [27] [28] [29]
Two non-profit foundations support the Lenape District, raising funds to support scholarships for students, facilities improvements and a 1,500-seat regional performing arts center, which is home to the Cherokee's theater program.
Core members of the district's administration are: [36] [37]
The district's board of education, comprised of 11 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 either three or four 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. [38] [39] Each of the eight constituent municipalities has at least one seat on the board, with two seats allocated to the three most populous constituent municipalities—Evesham, Medford and Mount Laurel—and the five other municipalities each assigned one seat. [40] [41]
In 1996, the percentage of students who matriculated to community colleges or four-year universities for all schools was at least 80% per school. [42]
Shamong Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 6,460, a decrease of 30 (−0.5%) from the 2010 census count of 6,490, which in turn reflected an increase of 28 (+0.4%) from the 6,462 counted in the 2000 census. The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
Southampton Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 10,317, a decrease of 147 (−1.4%) from the 10,464 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 76 (+0.7%) from the 10,388 counted in the 2000 census. The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
Tabernacle Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 6,776, a decrease of 173 (−2.5%) from the 2010 census count of 6,949, which in turn reflected a decline of 221 (−3.1%) from the 7,170 counted in the 2000 census. The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
Woodland Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 1,544, a decrease of 244 (−13.6%) from the 2010 census count of 1,788, which in turn reflected an increase of 618 (+52.8%) from the 1,170 counted in the 2000 census. The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
Evesham Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-most populous city. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 46,826, an increase of 1,288 (+2.8%) from the 2010 census count of 45,538, which in turn reflected an increase of 3,263 (+7.7%) from the 42,275 counted in the 2000 census. Colloquially, the area is referred to as Marlton, the name of a community within the township.
Medford is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 24,497, an increase of 1,464 (+6.4%) from the 2010 census count of 23,033, which in turn reflected an increase of 780 (+3.5%) from the 22,253 counted in the 2000 census. The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
Cherokee High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of four high schools of the Lenape Regional High School District in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The communities in the district are Evesham Township, Medford Lakes, Medford, Mount Laurel Township, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township. Cherokee serves students from Evesham Township. The school, located in the Marlton section of Evesham Township, has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1978 and is accredited until July 2028.
Shawnee High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Lenape Regional High School District. The district serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Evesham Township, Medford Lakes, Medford Township, Mount Laurel, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township. The school serves students from Medford Lakes and Medford Township. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1975 and is accredited until July 2024.
The Evesham Township School District is a comprehensive public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Evesham Township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
The Mount Laurel Schools is a public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Mount Laurel Township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Mount Laurel Township School District includes eight schools.
The Medford Township Public Schools is a community public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Medford, in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district has five elementary schools serving students in kindergarten through fifth grade, a single school serving sixth graders and a school serving seventh and eighth graders.
Lenape High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Medford Township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the oldest of the four high schools that comprise the Lenape Regional High School District, which serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Evesham Township, Medford Lakes, Medford Township, Mount Laurel Township, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township. Since opening in 1958, the school has served students from Mount Laurel Township. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1963.
Seneca High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Burlington County, New Jersey that operates as part of the Lenape Regional High School District. The district serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township. Seneca High School serves students from four of the communities: Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township. Seneca is the newest of the Lenape Regional High School District's four high schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2008.
The Medford Lakes School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Medford Lakes, in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Pemberton Township School District is a comprehensive community public school district headquartered in Pemberton Township, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. The school district serves Pemberton Township along with Pemberton Borough.
The Tabernacle School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Tabernacle Township, in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
The Shamong Township School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Shamong Township, in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Pemberton Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Pemberton Township, in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Pemberton Township School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2012 as part of the first district in the state to receive accreditation for all of its schools.
The Southampton Township Schools are a community public school district that serves students in Kindergarten through eighth grade from Southampton Township, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
The Woodland Township School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Woodland Township, in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.