As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,947 students and 129.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.1:1. There were 170 students (8.7% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 35 (1.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[2]
History
Designed to accommodate an enrollment of 1,000 and constructed at a cost of $1.75 million (equivalent to $17.4 million in 2023), the school opened in September 1963 for students in grades 7-12, including students in grades 9-12 who had previously attended Swedesboro High School, which ended operations after 40 years.[11] Prior to the school's opening, students had attended either Swedesboro High School or Woodstown High School.[12]
Awards, recognition and rankings
The school was the 150th-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 210th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 216th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[14] The magazine ranked the school 218th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[15] The school was ranked 202nd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[16] Schooldigger.com ranked the school 139th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 42 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (85.0%) and language arts literacy (93.5%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[17]
Athletics
The Kingsway Regional High School Dragons[3] compete as one of the member schools in the Tri-County Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools located in Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.[4] The conference is overseen by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[18] With 1,304 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range.[19] The football team competes in the Continental Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconference[20][21] and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 1,333 to 2,324 students.[22] Athletic rivals are Clearview Regional High School and Delsea Regional High School.[citation needed]
The girls spring track team was the Group I state champion in 1986.[23]
In 1993, the boys' outdoor track team won South Jersey Group II sectional championship.[citation needed]
The wrestling team won the Group II state championship in 1997 and 1998, the Group III title in 2007 and the Group IV championship in 2019; the team won the South Jersey Group II state sectional title in 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2002, the South Jersey Group III sectional championship in 2003, 2004, 2007 and the South Jersey Group IV title in 2017, 2019 and 2020[24] In 1997 and 1998, Kingsway won back-to-back Group II state championships in wrestling, in addition to a Group III title in 2007.[25] The 2007 team won the South, Group III state sectional championship with a 62-6 win against Seneca High School.[26] The team moved on to win the Group III Championship, defeating Warren Hills High School 55-15 in the semifinals and Ocean Township High School 33-28 in the tournament final.[27][28] In 2017 the wrestling team defeated Hammonton High School 34-28 in the South Jersey Group IV Championship. In 2019, the wrestling team defeated Clearview Regional High School 47-16 in the South Jersey Group IV championship.[29] The boys then went on and upset NJ.com No. 10 state powerhouse Phillipsburg High School 26-20 in the Group IV state championship, giving the Dragons' their fourth title in program history.[30]
The Kingsway softball team won back-to-back Group II state championships, in 1998 (with a tournament final win vs. Mahwah High School) and 1999 (against Jefferson Township High School), becoming the first female team in school history to win state titles, and won the Group III title in 2008 (vs. John F. Kennedy Memorial High School).[31] The 1998 team won the Group II title with a 4-0 win against Mahwah in the championship game.[32] The team won the Group II title in 1999 against Jefferson Township with a 1-0 no-hitter in the championship game.[33] In 2012 the softball team won the South Jersey Group III state sectional championship with a 2-0 win against Central Regional High School.[34]
The 2001 football team won the South Jersey Group II state sectional title with a 16-14 win in the championship game against a Hammonton High School team that had defeated them three previous times in the sectional playoffs.[35][36]
The field hockey team won the South Jersey Group III state sectional title in 2003, 2004 and 2011.[37] In 2003, the team won the South Jersey, Group III state sectional championship with a 1-0 win against Ocean City High School, the team's first-ever sectional title.[38][39] The 2004 team repeated as sectional champions, defeating Ocean City High School again in the tournament final by a score of 1-0.[40][41] In 2022, the Kingsway field hockey team ended Eastern Regional High School's 23-year streak by a score of 7-0 and went on to win the South Jersey Group IV sectional championship with a 10-0 victory against Toms River High School North in the tournament final.[42][43] The team then went on to win the first field hockey state championship in school history with a 4-1 win over Hillsborough High School.[44]
The girls' track team won the Group III state indoor relay championship in 2007 (as co-champion with Ridge High School), 2013 (co-champion with Winslow Township High School) and 2014; the boys' team won the indoor relay title in 2014, 2015 and 2020.[45]
The boys cross-country team won the 2008 Group III Tri-County Championships.[citation needed]
The boys' basketball team won the South Jersey Group III championship for three straight years from 2009 to 2011. The program won its first state sectional title with a 58-42 win against Deptford Township High School in 2009 in the sectional final.[48][49] The team repeated in 2010, by defeating Point Pleasant Boro High School by a score of 64-50.[50][51] The team won its third consecutive title in 2011 by beating Manchester Township High School 49-48, becoming the first South Jersey team to win three consecutive titles since 1987, when Woodrow Wilson High School accomplished the feat.[52][53] kingsway
The boys cross country team won the Group III state championship in 2012, and won the Group IV title in 2017 and 2018.[54] In 2012, the boys cross-country team won the Royal Division, Gloucester County Tournament, Tri-County Conference, South Jersey Group III sectional title and the Group III state championship, the first state title in program history.[55] In 2017 and 2018 the boys' cross-country team won the Tri-County Conference Royal Division title, Tri-County Conference Showcase championship, Gloucester County Championship, Shore Coaches Invitational, South Jersey Group IV, and the State Group IV championship.[56]
The boys track team won the Group III indoor track championship in 2015 (as co-champion).[57]
Extracurricular activities
In November 2005, the Kingsway Dragon Marching Band became the Group II Champion at the Cavalcade of Bands championship at Hersheypark Stadium for its show based on the rock opera Tommy by The Who. The school's marching band achieved 3rd place in 2006 for their show, Jesus Christ Superstar, though outscoring their championship year by 5 points. They placed 5th in the higher-level competition (Group III) playing music based on the movie Gladiator, with their Color Guard in second place for best Color Guard.
From October to November 2011, the Kingsway Dragon Marching Band became Central New Jersey and State Champions under grouping of IA under the direction of Nicholas Kline. In November 2011, they placed second at Nationals held in Allentown, PA. Their show was based on the Broadway musical, Jekyll & Hyde. It was named "In His Eyes....the Madness of Hyde" portraying the irrational and wicked side of Mr. Hyde. More than half of the marching band were new members.
The school's marching band won the USBands Group II A national championship in 2015 with their program Voodoo in the Bayou.[58]
The marching band was the Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Invitational Class A winner in Group 4 in 2018.[59]
Administration
The school's principal is Stefanie Fox-Manno.[60] The core administration team includes the four assistant principals.[61]
^Inside Kingsway, Kingsway Regional High School. Accessed April 7, 2022.
^The Flame, Kingsway Regional High School. Accessed April 7, 2022.
^Yearbook Club, Kingsway Regional High School. Accessed April 7, 2022.
^Kingsway Regional School District 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 27, 2016. "Kingsway is situated in a predominately rural/suburban area, with more than 20,000 people residing within its 52 square mile border. The District includes the Borough of Swedesboro and the Townships of South Harrison, East Greenwich, and Woolwich. Though not part of the District, students from Logan Township attend Kingsway High School through a send/receive relationship as paid tuition students."
^Kingsway Regional School DistrictArchived May 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Logan Township School District. Accessed May 24, 2011. "Logan Township high school students (grades 9-12) are educated at the Kingsway Regional High School located on Kings Highway in Woolwich Township. The regional district also provides services to students in Swedesboro and Woolwich, East Greenwich, and South Harrison Townships."
^Student Enrollment, Kingsway Regional School District. Accessed May 5, 2020. "Kingsway Regional is comprised of the Borough of Swedesboro and the Townships of South Harrison, East Greenwich and Woolwich. Though not part of the District, students from Logan Township attend Kingsway Regional High School through a send/receive relationship as paid tuition students."
^"Kingsway School Will Open Sept. 5", Courier-Post, August 20, 1963. Accessed April 28, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "The $1,750,000 Kingsway Regional Junior-Senior High School will open Sept. 5 with an expected enrollment of 670 pupils, Robert S. Costill, superintendent, said. With a tradition and history passed on from the 40-year-old Swedesboro High School, which it replaces, Kingsway will start operations with sophomore, junior and senior classes inherited from Swedesboro High School. Children from Swedesboro, Woolwich, East Greenwich, South Harrison and Logan Townships will attend the new facility during the 1963-64 term, Costill said."
^History, Kingsway Regional School District. Accessed April 13, 2021. "Kingsway opened its doors for the first time on September 5, 1963… When our first Superintendent – Bob Costill – welcomed 675 7th – 12th grade students and 34 teachers to the new Kingsway.... Over the course of the 1963-64 school year members of the senior body, initially angry to have been pulled away from their beloved Swedesboro and Woodstown High Schools, began to embrace the new Kingsway and would become the first 89 seniors to walk across this auditorium stage (what is now Eitel Theater) to receive their high school diploma that following June."
^Home Page, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023. "The WJFL is a 94-school super conference that stretches from Princeton to Wildwood encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Conference, the Tri-County Conference, the Colonial Conference, and the Cape Atlantic League. The WJFL is made up of sixteen divisions with divisional alignments based on school size, geography and a strength-of-program component."
^Watson, Andre. "Kingsway reigns supreme", Courier-Post, February 12, 2007. Accessed August 18, 2007. "Kingsway defeated Ocean Township 33-28 to win its third state championship in program history. The Dragons, ranked No. 3 in the Courier-Post Top 20, won back-to-back Group 2 state crowns in 1997-98."
^Evans, Bill. "Kinner's win seals No. 19 Kingsway's upset over No. 10 Phillipsburg in state Group 4 final", NJ Advanced Media for NJ.com, February 10, 2019, updated August 22, 2019. Accessed September 8, 2020. "Kinner's 8-1 decision in the final bout gave Kingsway a 26-20 win over No. 10 and state power Phillipsburg, ending the Stateliners' run of NJSIAA/Rothman Orthopaedics Group 4 state titles at 5. It was Kingsway's fourth state title and first since 2007."
^"No. 1 Immaculate Heart beats Bishop Eustace in Parochial A", Asbury Park Press, June 6, 1999. Accessed November 30, 2020. "Kingsway 1, Jefferson 0 - Junior right-hander Wendi Miller pitched her first no-hitter of the season and catcher Marsha Kelley doubled in a run, as No. 7 Kingsway (24-5) defended its Group II title at Toms River East."
^McGurk, Tom. "Kingsway jolts Hammonton to win Group 2", The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 2, 2001. Accessed March 20, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "While the pregame talk centered on the Hammonton defense, it was the Kingsway football team's defense that grasped the opportunity to shine. The Dragons produced four turnovers and held off a late charge in the closing seconds to put the finishing touches on a 16-14 upset win against Hammonton yesterday in the South Jersey Group 2 championship. The title was the first for Kingsway, which avenged three playoff losses to Hammonton, including the last two seasons."
^Lawrence, Ryan. "Kingsway solves Ocean City defense, earns new banner for gym", Courier-Post, November 16, 2003. Accessed August 18, 2007. "They can add another one to the wall after Saturday, a banner that's never graced the gym of the Woolwich Township high school -- South Jersey Group 3 field hockey champion. With 11 minutes, 30 seconds left in regulation, senior Jessie Roos sent a blistering shot off a penalty corner past Ocean City goalie Gwen Hunter to end a scoreless tie and lead top-seeded Kingsway, No. 5 in the Courier-Post Top 20, to a 1-0 win -- and the first sectional title in the program's history."
^Lawrence, Ryan. "Kingsway holds on for crown", Courier-Post, November 14, 2004. Accessed August 19, 2007. "But in a tightly contested battle against Ocean City, a rematch of last year's South Jersey Group 3 final, the perfect play was good enough for the Dragons on a cold, blustery Saturday afternoon.... The goal helped give Kingsway a 1-0 win and a second straight sectional title."
^"No. 3 Kingsway ends No. 15 Eastern’s 23-year field hockey title streak in SJG4 quarters", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 4, 2022, updated February 15, 2023. Accessed May 11, 2023. "The Eastern Vikings field hockey team gave it a good run. In an NJSIAA South Jersey, Group 4 quarterfinal, Kingsway ended Eastern’s unchallenged 23-year reign over New Jersey high school field hockey with a 7-0 win. Top-seeded Kingsway will host fourth-seeded Washington Township on Monday in the semifinal round."
^Consentino, Matt. "No. 3 Kingsway blanks Toms River North, claims 1st field hockey sectional title since 2011", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 10, 2022, updated February 16, 2023. Accessed May 11, 2023. "Top-seeded Kingsway, No. 3 in the NJ.com Top 20, defeated second-seeded Toms River North 10-0 in the NJSIAA South Jersey, Group 4 final on Thursday to capture its fourth sectional title but first since 2011."
^Bobal, Brian. "Field Hockey: No. 3 Kingsway finally makes history with first-ever state title", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 12, 2022, updated February 15, 2023. Accessed May 11, 2023. "The Dragons, No. 3 in the NJ.com Top 20, defeated No. 9 Hillsborough, 4-1, to win the NJSIAA Group 4 title in Bordentown on Saturday to capture the first state title in school history."
^Staff. "Kingsway 58, Deptford 42 (High school Boys Basketball scores and results)", The Star-Ledger, March 10, 2009. Accessed August 10, 2011. "Rondell Gilmore acored 19 points and Ryan Juhring sank 12 points to lead Kingsway past Deptford, 58-42, in the NJSIAA South Jersey, Group 3 sectional final at Eastern in Voorhees. The sectional title is the first for Kingsway..."
^Narducci, Marc. "Kingsway breaks through with first sectional crown", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 11, 2009. Accessed August 10, 2011. "When Kingsway entered the fourth quarter with a four-point lead over Deptford in yesterday's South Jersey Group 3 boys' basketball final at Eastern, Dragons coach George Passante felt confident, and for good reason. Kingsway had enough experience winning close games this year, and it showed in its 58-42 win over Deptford, which gave the Dragons their first sectional title."
^Melchiorre, Chris. "Kingsway wastes no time", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 9, 2010. Accessed August 10, 2011. "The run that Kingsway went on in the first three minutes of yesterday's NJSIAA South Jersey Group 3 championship told the story of its 64-50 win over Point Pleasant Boro.... But aside from another strong run midway through the third quarter, the Panthers (19-7) were outran and overpowered by Kingsway (26-2) in its second consecutive group championship."
^Iezzi, Bill. "Kingsway wins third straight S.J. Group 3 basketball title", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 9, 2011. Accessed August 10, 2011. "Kingsway's 5-foot-11 senior guard had played on the Dragons' South Jersey Group 3 championship basketball teams as a sophomore and junior.However, in going for sectional title No. 3 on Tuesday night at home against the Manchester Township Hawks, Grigsby & Co. were knocking on history's door. Woodrow Wilson was the last area team to win three in a row, between 1985 and 1987."
^Coleman, Anthony. "South Jersey boys, girls X-C: Kingsway boys defend state title in a 'special' effort", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 10, 2018. Accessed September 3, 2019. "Wow! "I have exactly the same response," head coach Christian Lynch said after the Kingsway High boys' cross country team shockingly won its second consecutive NJSIAA Group 4 Championships title Saturday at Holmdel Park in Holmdel."
^Whittaker, Celeste E. "Kingsway's Bryant gets it done at Purdue", Courier-Post, September 30, 2006. Accessed September 24, 2012. "'They're definitely a quality team, year-in and year-out, they've always got the athletes,' said Bryant, a Kingsway Regional High School graduate, known for his speed and explosiveness."
^Evans, Bill. "Kingsway grad gets chance with hometown team", Gloucester County Times, November 16, 2010. Accessed September 24, 2012. "It wasn't just the desire to pitch for his hometown team that led Kingsway Regional High School graduate Dan Meyer to agree to terms with the Philadelphia Phillies on a one-year contract over the weekend though that was part of it. "
