As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 640 students and 50.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.7:1. There were 65 students (10.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 21 (3.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
Built in 1932 in Colonial Revival style, a product of the New Deal Era, the high school opened to students in September of that year and graduated its first class the following June. Students from Pompton Lakes attended Butler High School before the opening of Pompton Lakes High School. At its opening in 1933, the school received students from Wayne, Oakland, and Midland Park as well as Pompton Lakes. Since then, the school has maintained much of its original structure, with additions of a larger library, another locker room, and an entirely new wing erected in the 1960s.[6]
The school was the 153rd-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.[14] The school had been ranked 85th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 173rd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[15] The magazine ranked the school 156th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[16] The school was ranked 188th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[17] Schooldigger.com ranked the school as 127th out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (a decrease of 2 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).[18]
There are many different clubs that students can participate in at Pompton Lakes High School, including:
Assembly Planning Committee,
Book Club,
Environmental Club,
FBLA,
Health and Wellness Coalition (HAWC),
Health Careers Club,
Interact,
Marching Band,
Spring Musical,
National Honor Society,
Peer Helpers,
Performing Arts Club,
Student Council,
Student Movement Against Cancer (SMAC),
Student Opportunities for Academic Recognition (SOAR),
Yearbook,
Varsity Club,
Volleyball Club and
Zonta club.[3]
Athletics
The Pompton Lakes High School Cardinals[2] participate in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which is comprised of small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties, and was created following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[20][21][22] Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Pompton Lakes was part of the smaller Bergen-Passaic Scholastic League (BPSL).[23] With 453 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.[24] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 254 to 474 students.[25]
Boys sports offered include: football, soccer, lacrosse, cross country, basketball, wrestling, fencing, bowling, winter track, baseball, spring track, and tennis. Girls sports include field hockey, soccer, cross country, tennis, basketball, fencing, winter track, bowling, lacrosse, softball, and spring track.[2]
The field hockey team won the North I Group II state sectional championship in 1975, 1977 and 1997-1999, the North I Group I title in 1986-1988, 1991 and 2008-2010, and won the North I / II Group I title in 1993; the team won the Group II state championship in 1999, defeating Collingswood High School in the final game of the tournament.[26] The field hockey team is a perennial power in northern New Jersey. The team finished with a 17-1-2 record in 1999 after winning the Group II state title with a 3-0 win against Collingswood in the championship game.[27] The Cardinals have won the Passaic County title 14 times,[28] most recently in 2008 when they beat Wayne Hills High School 1-0 in the final.[29] Pompton Lakes won three consecutive sectional titles from 2008–2010, defeating Boonton High School 2-1 in the 2010 final.[30]
The varsity baseball team won the Passaic County Tournament championships in 1978, 1990, 1996, 2013, 2014 and 2017.[31][32] Down 6-0, the 2017 team came back to win the program's sixth PCT title with a 10-6 win against Passaic County Technical Institute in the championship game.[33] The team won the Group I state championship in 2024, with a 14–4 win against Point Pleasant Beach High School in the finals to finish the season with a 26–4 record.[34][35]
The football team won the NJSIAA North I Group I state sectional title in 1982, 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and won the North I Group II state sectional title in 1997.[36] Down 14-0 at halftime, the 1982 team pulled ahead with four touchdowns in the second half to defeat Mahwah High School by a score of 28-14 in the North I Group I sectional championship game and finish the season at 11-0.[37] The 1998 boys football team were the North I, Group II state football champions, beating Westwood Regional High School 7-6 on a snowy field.[38] In 2005, the football team won the North I, Group I title, defeating Hasbrouck Heights High School 27-7 in the championship game played at Giants Stadium.[39][40] The team won the North I Group I state title in 2011 and 2012 with a win over Glen Rock High School and Cedar Grove High School, respectively.[41]
The boys' soccer team won the Group II state championship in 1996 (against runner-up Somerville High School in the tournament final) and won the Group I title in 2005 (vs. Bordentown Regional High School) and 2017 (vs. Glassboro High School).[42] The 1996 boys' soccer team were league and state champions with an overall record of 23-1, with the team's only loss that season coming in the final of the Passaic County tournament to Paterson'sJohn F. Kennedy High School.[43] The 2017 team won the Group I state championship with a 3-2 win against Glassboro High School on a goal scored one minute into overtime.[44]
The 2001 boys' tennis team won the North I, Group II over Rutherford High School 3½-1½ in the tournament final.[45]
In 2001, the softball team won the North I, Group II sectional championship, edging Mahwah High School 1-0.[46] The team repeated in 2002, again winning by a 1-0 score in the final, this time over top-seeded Hawthorne High School, their first sectional championship since their win in 2002.[47] The 2007 team won the title, with a 4-1 win vs. Saddle Brook High School.[48][49] The 2008 team repeated the North I, Group I title, defeating Park Ridge High School 8-3 in the tournament final.[50][51]
The boys' track and field team won the 2006 and 2007 North I, Group I state sectional championships tying Hasbrouck Heights High School in 2006 and winning outright with 65 points in 2007.[52]
The girls' tennis team won the 2007 North I, Group I state sectional championship with a 4-1 win over New Milford High School.[53] The win was the team's first ever state sectional title.[54]
The wrestling team won the North I Group I state sectional championship in 2015.[55]
The school also has a marching band and color guard which competes in USSBA competitions. The Cardinal Marching Band has been a part of PLHS since the 1930s, with up to 100 students participating.
Administration
The school's principal is Scott Wisniewski.[56] His core administration team includes the assistant principal.[57]
In popular culture
Selected for its "beautiful auditorium, a great gymnasium" and other aesthetic qualities, the high school was used extensively as a filming location for the 1997 movie In & Out starring Kevin Kline.[58] Many classrooms and other school facilities were used as the set for the movie, and many students were used as extras.[59]
^Pompton Lakes High School 2016-17 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 20, 2018. "Part of the #1 safest district in the state and #4 safest district in America as ranked by niche.com, PLHS serves both the boroughs of Pompton Lakes and Riverdale. PLHS also hosts some students from other neighboring towns through the state's Interdistrict Public School Choice Program as well as the school's reputable life skills program for students with autism and other disabilities."
^Home Page, Pompton Lakes School District. Accessed October 21, 2024. "The Pompton Lakes schools serve over 1700 students in grades K-12. We have two elementary schools, a middle and a high school. Pompton Lakes enjoys a sending-receiving relationship with the borough of Riverdale; these students attend Pompton Lakes High School."
^Laplaca, Bryan. "Back in the Day: Saddened by Pompton/Riverdale rift", Suburban Trends, July 18, 2010. Accessed May 24, 2011. "Tensions between Riverdale and Pompton Lakes concerning their sending/receiving contract for Pompton Lakes High School are nothing new."
^"Regional High At Polls Jan. 26", The Morning Call, January 14, 1954. Accessed April 6, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes and Oakland voters will go to the polls at a special election Tuesday, Jan. 26 to vote on whether or not they, approve Board of Education plans for a regional high school for the three towns. Wyckoff and Franklin Lakes now send pupils to Ramsey High school and Oakland sends to Pompton Lakes High School."
^"Ramapo Students May Hold Classes at Christian High", Ridgewood Herald-News, July 5, 1956. Accessed October 21, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Their Problem; The Ramapo Regional High School, now under construction in Franklin Lakes, is intended to serve the communities of Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes, and Oakland. I) It has been indicated by the Glenwal Company, general contractor for construction of this high school, that the school will not be ready for occupancy on Sept. 10, 1956.... In the past the Wyckoff and Franklin Lakes students attended Ramsey High School, while the Oakland students attended Pompton Lakes High School."
^Staff. "CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department", Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
^Staff. "Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test", The Washington Post, September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
^Mattura, Greg. "Small-school NJIC may debut its own league championship", The Record, January 9, 2017. Accessed August 30, 2020. "The small-school North Jersey Interscholastic Conference may debut its own boys basketball tournament this season, one season after introducing its girls hoops championship. The NJIC is comprised of schools from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties and the event offered to the 36 boys teams would serve as an alternative to likely competing against larger programs in a county tournament."
^Graves, Jody. "Collingswood offense shut down in loss to Pompton", Courier-Post, November 22, 1999. Accessed February 4, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "When the final whistle sounded to end Sunday's Group 2 state championship game, the Collingswood High School field hockey team was on the wrong side of a 3-0 score.... With the win, Pompton avenged last year's tough 1-0 loss to Moorestown in the final.... Pompton (17-1-2) was allowed to take the corner with no time remaining in the half due to a rule change this season which allows the offensive team to take the corner until either a goal is scored or the defense is able to clear the ball."
^Tartaglia, Greg. "Baseball: Ferrara reverses Pompton Lakes' fortunes in Passaic final", The Record, May 17, 2017. Accessed February 26, 2021. "Ferrara hit the tiebreaking three-run homer that capped the No. 6 seed Cardinals’ nine-run outburst in the sixth, erasing a 6-0 deficit in a 10-6 victory over No. 4 Passaic Tech. Pompton Lakes (13-7) captured its sixth Passaic championship all-time, and Ferrara received the Bill Vacca Award as the MVP of the county’s final four."
^Mattura, Greg. "Pompton Lakes baseball blasts Point Pleasant Beach to win Group 1 state title", The Record, June 8, 2024. Accessed September 4, 2024. "Pompton Lakes needed just five innings to register a 10-run win, 14-4, over Point Pleasant Beach in Saturday's Group 1 state-championship game at Veterans Park.... Pompton Lakes (26-4) closed the season on a seven-game winning streak to earn its first NJSIAA title."
^Henning, Rich. "Pompton rallies for win; Mahwah loses 14-0 advantage", The Record, December 5, 1982. Accessed March 5, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Mahwah and Pompton Lakes reversed roles for nearly three quarters. Mahwah, a team with only four seniors, played the part of the veteran club while Pompton Lakes, with seniors at virtually every position, made the mistakes one expects from a young team. Pompton Lakes took control in the final 15 minutes, however, showing awesome scoring power in gaining a Group 1 28-14 victory in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 1, Section 1 championship."
^Czerwinski, Mark J. "Missed chances doomed Heights", The Record, December 4, 2005. Accessed June 6, 2016. "Hasbrouck Heights simply couldn't put its signature on Saturday's North 1, Group 1 title game. 'The ball didn't bounce our way,' senior running back Jeff Seidel said after the 27-7 loss to Pompton Lakes at Giants Stadium."
^Idec, Keith. "Football: Pompton runs past Glen Rock to North 1, Group 1 title", The Record, December 2, 2011. Accessed February 14, 2012. "Moments earlier, the top-seeded Cardinals shut out third-seeded Glen Rock, 20-0, to win the North 1, Group 1 championship at MetLife Stadium. Led by senior tailback Nieko Torres, who rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries, and a dominant defense, Pompton Lakes won its fourth sectional title, its first since 2005."
^Gantaifis, Nick. "Boys soccer: Tradition-rich Pompton Lakes on the cusp of history", The Record, November 19, 2017. Accessed October 26, 2020. "The 1996 team, coached by Glenn Schechter, was near perfect, finishing with a 23-1 record with the only loss a 1-0 decision to Kennedy in the Passaic County Tournament final."
^Deakyne, Brian. "Carlo Gonzalez ends career with OT goal in Pompton Lakes' Group 1 final (Video)", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 19, 2017, updated August 23, 2019. Accessed October 26, 2020. "A minute into the first overtime, Gonzalez took a free kick from 15 yards out to score the golden goal and lead Pompton Lakes to a 3-2 win over Glassboro in the Group 1 final at Kean University on Sunday night."
^Stapleton, Art. "Pompton Lakes finally beats Saddle Brook", The Record, June 1, 2007. Accessed June 6, 2016. "Pompton Lakes junior Chelsea Ott began pacing around the pitcher's circle the moment the softball finally landed beyond the left field fence in the sixth inning of Tuesday's North 1, Group 1 final.... Ott did just that, striking out the next batter before retiring the side in the seventh to seal Pompton Lakes' 4-1 victory over Saddle Brook for its first sectional championship since 2002."
^Pompton Lakes captures crown, The Star-Ledger, October 13, 2007. Accessed October 25, 2007. "Pompton Lakes took home its first sectional crown, defeating New Milford, 4-1, in the NJSIAA/Star-Ledger North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 championship yesterday at Northern Highlands in Allendale."
^Ferguson, Lauren Kidd. "Pompton Lakes Remembers When Debbie Reynolds Came To Town", Teaneck Daily Voice, December 30, 2016. Accessed December 31, 2016. "The late actress — who died Dec. 28, just a day after her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher — visited Pompton Lakes High School when it was transformed into the fictional Greenleaf High School for the filming of the movie, In & Out....'It has a beautiful auditorium, a great gymnasium, and a wonderful English classroom with a small proscenium stage,' Joe Iberti, the location manager for the production, told The Record at the time."
^Zimmer, David M. "Jackie Dubrovich of Riverdale wins gold medal with U.S. women's fencing team", The Record, August 1, 2024. Accessed October 21, 2024. "New Jersey's Jackie Dubrovich is bringing home an unprecedented Olympic gold medal in team fencing.... Dubrovic, a Pompton Lakes High School graduate who was Columbia University's 2016 female athlete of the year, suffered a repeat of her Games debut in 2021 when she was knocked out in the round of 32 during the individual foil competition earlier this week."
^"Carolyn Hoffman Wed in Pompton", The News, March 8, 1949. Accessed February 7, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The marriage of Miss Carolyn Mae Hoffman, daughter of Mrs. Carolyn Hoffman of 438 Van Dyke St. and Harvey C. Ellsworth, of 81 Lakeside Ave., Pompton Lakes, took place Saturday at the Pompton Reformed Church.... The bridegroom, a graduate of Pompton Lakes High School, is a student at New York University, and is employed in the university store."
^Fox, Ron. "Where's What's-His-Name", The Record, May 1, 1993. Accessed August 13, 2008. "At Pompton Lakes High School, Charlie Getty was All-State in football and track, and a State bronze medalist in wrestling."
^Carol Habben, NJSports.com. Accessed July 22, 2019. "She also played softball for Pompton Lakes High School after the family moved to Passaic County."
^"Pompton High Graduates", The Morning Call, June 22, 1936. Accessed may 4, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The following 32 Midland Park students were graduated at Pompton Lakes High school Friday night... The honor students from. Midland Park are Fred Kornet, Jr, and Cornelius Alfred Roughgarden."
^"Robert A. Roe, 90, Former Congressman And Wayne Mayor", The Beacon, July 14, 2014. Accessed November 16, 2021. "Born in Lyndhurst, he grew up in Wayne, where he was a parishioner of Holy Cross in the Mountain View section of the township. He was graduated from Pompton Lakes High School and attended Oregon State University in Corvallis, where he majored in engineering and later attended Washington State University in Pullman where he, majored in political science."
^Wolf, Gregory H. Carl Sawatski, Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed June 7, 2020. "A short, stocky youngster, Carl played football and basketball at Pompton Lakes High School, dabbled in boxing at the Diamond Gloves in Paterson, New Jersey, and competed as a third baseman in American Legion baseball in the summer."
^Lovewell, Mark Alan. "Travis Tuck: A Life Lived on the Wind", Vineyard Gazette, November 21, 2002. Accessed May 14, 2020. "After graduating from Pompton Lakes High School in New Jersey in 1960, Mr. Tuck enlisted in the Air Force."
^Graziano, Dan. "N.J. native Michael Weiner in line to become head of MLBPA"Archived August 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, NewJerseyNewsroom.com, June 26, 2009. Accessed May 24, 2011. "Weiner's New Jersey roots run deep. He was born on Dec. 21, 1961 in Paterson, where his mother and father were raised and went to high school. The family moved to Pompton Lakes when Weiner was two years old, and he went to high school there."