Lakeland Regional High School is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school and school district serving students from the Boroughs of Ringwood and Wanaque (including its Haskell neighborhood), communities in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, which have a combined population of about 25,000.District Bylaw 0110 - Identification, Lakeland Regional High School. Accessed September 5, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades nine through twelve in the Lakeland Regional High School District. Composition: The Lakeland Regional High School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Wanaque and the Borough of Ringwood."Lakeland Regional High School 2016-17 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 13, 2018. "In addition to our school programs for students in grades 9-12, students from our sending districts in Wanaque, Haskell, and Ringwood are eligible to attend our instrumental music program for enrichment from 7:30 - 8:50 a.m." It is the only school in the Lakeland Regional High School District.2023–24 Public School Directory, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2024.School Performance Reports for the Lakeland Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.New Jersey School Directory for the Lakeland Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
Students come to the high school from the Ringwood Public School District and the Wanaque Borough Schools. Lakeland Regional High School is accredited by the State of New Jersey.2020-21 School Profile, Lakeland Regional High School. Accessed March 27, 2022.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 823 students and 74.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.0:1. There were 114 students (13.9% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 12 (1.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Lakeland Regional High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
The high school has 115 professional staff members, with 60% having advanced degrees. There are 95 teachers, five area supervisors, and four guidance counselors. Lakeland also has a substance awareness coordinator, a complete child study team, a school nurse, a library-media specialist, an athletic trainer and several teacher aides.
History The name Lakeland Regional High School was chosen at a board of education meeting in February 1956."Pick 'Lakeland' For New Regional HS District; Officers Are Elected", The Morning Call, February 28, 1956. Accessed May 15, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Board voted to name the district the 'Lakeland Regional High School.' The vote on the name was 7-2." Voters approved a July 1956 referendum that allocated $38,000 to purchase a site for the new school."$38,000 Bond Issue Approved At Polls, 180 to 12", The News, July 28, 1956. Accessed May 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Only about five percent of the electorate in Ringwood and Wanaque voted last night for a referendum authorizing an issue of $838,000 in bonds for the purchase of the Beam property off Conklingtown Rd. as a high school site. The referendum carried by a vote of 180 to 12 in both communities.... The property contains 23.48 acres, construction of the high school is not expected to begin before Spring of next year." The school was designed to accommodate 800 students and was constructed at a cost of $2 million (equivalent to $ million in )."Gives Council Facts About Regional HS", The Morning Call, January 12, 1957. Accessed May 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Lakeland Regional Board of Education and the mayor and council of Wanaque agreed last night that a regional high school set up would save about $102 per pupil. The board said that it currently costs $508 Per Pupil going to Midland Park High School.... The projected Lakeland Regional High School is estimated to cost $2,040,000 and will house 800 students. The auditorium and gymnasium are planned to hold 1,000 students to make future expansion available at minimum cost." The school opened in September 1958."Lakeland to Open September 11", Herald News, September 2, 1958. Accessed May 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Classes at Lakeland Regional High School will start on Thursday, September 11, a week later than most local schools. By that time, all classrooms in the new building will be ready. The auditorium, gymnasium and special rooms will be completed shortly." Before the district was established, students from both Ringwood and Wanaque had attended Butler High School.
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.District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 20, 2024.
Awards, recognition and rankings In the 2000-01 school year, Lakeland Regional High School was recognized as a New Jersey Best Practice School for its S.C.O.P.E., Search, S.T.E.P., and SOAR School-to-Career / Workplace Environment programs.New Jersey Department of Education Best Practices Award recipients, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 23, 2006.
For the 1994–95 school year, Lakeland Regional High School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.Star School Award recipient detail, New Jersey Department of Education, Archived December 18, 2006. Accessed November 26, 2009.
The school was the 112th-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 87th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 145th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 27, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 131st in the magazine's September 2008 issue, and 140th in the September 2006 issue, which surveyed 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 140th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 8 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (83.9%) and language arts literacy (94.5%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 5, 2012.
Curriculum As a requirement for graduation, Lakeland students must complete 135 credits, demonstrate mastery of basic skills on the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), and meet a variety of local and state distribution requirements.
Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses include AP English Language and Composition, AP United States History, AP United States Government and Politics, AP Calculus AB, AP Computer Science, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Music Theory, AP European History and AP Spanish Language.Lakeland Regional High School 2013-14 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 14, 2015.
Honors courses are offered in English, Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-calculus, Calculus, Spanish 4 & 5, French 4, Latin 4, World History, US History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, and Gifted and Talented Senior Seminar.
Specialized learning programs, including interdisciplinary projects, are conducted using the high technology multimedia laboratory. Gifted and talented students are offered enrichment opportunities through the various departments and the G & T Coordinator. Other programs include School, Career Orientation and Personal Education (SCOPE); the Career Research Project (SEARCH); Students to Experience Professions (STEP); and SOAR, the portfolio completion course. A third New Jersey Best Practice was awarded for this School to Career Program.
Electives are offered in most of the core subjects. The school provides practical experiences and a range of studies in the area of communication, transportation, energy and manufacturing. Course offerings are provided in business education and family and consumer sciences. Fine arts electives include music and art offerings.
Athletics The Lakeland Regional High School LancersLakeland Regional High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Big North Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Bergen and Passaic counties 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. For the 2009–10 school year, Lakeland was part of the North Jersey Tri-County Conference, a conference established on an interim basis to facilitate the realignment.New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association League Memberships – 2009-2010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 28, 2011. Accessed November 5, 2014. Prior to the NJSIAA's realignment of New Jersey high school sports leagues which took effect beginning in 2009, Lakeland was a part of the Suburban Division of the Northern Hills Conference, which included schools in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties.Home Page, Northern Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 28, 2011. Accessed December 15, 2014. With 696 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 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 the Patriot 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.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."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." The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II North for football for 2024–26, which included schools with 484 to 683 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.