Mountain Lakes High School is a four-year comprehensive

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

that serves students in ninth through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

from

Mountain Lakes A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

, in Morris County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the

Mountain Lakes Schools The Mountain Lakes Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Mountain Lakes, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school year, th ...

. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1940. Students from Boonton Township attend the school as part of a

sending/receiving relationship A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts hav ...

with the Boonton Township School District. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 606 students and 59.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.1:1. There were 6 students (1.0% of enrollment) eligible for

free lunch A free lunch is the providing of a meal at no cost, usually as a sales enticement to attract customers and increase revenues from other business. It was once a common tradition in saloons and taverns in many places in the United States, with th ...

and 1 (0.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Mountain Lakes High School
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was ranked 19th in a study by 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. The school had been ranked 7th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 9th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 4th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 5th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 28th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 7 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (94.6%) and language arts literacy (97.9%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', the school was ranked 16th in New Jersey and 679th nationwide. In ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

's'' May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Mountain Lakes High School was listed in 3rd place, the 2nd-highest ranked school in New Jersey. In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

'' ranked the school 538th in the nation among participating public high schools and 44th among schools in New Jersey. The school was ranked 207th in the nation and 17th in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by ''The Daily Beast'' / ''

'', with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of Advanced Placement /

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...

courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

/ ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students. In 2013, a Mountain Lakes High School quiz bowl team won the Tri-State and New Jersey championships of MSG Varsity's TV show, ''The Challenge''.

Athletics

The Mountain Lakes High School LakersMountain Lakes High School
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 17, 2020. compete in the

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference The Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) is a sports league that includes 39 public and private high schools from Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex County and Warren County, New Jersey, Warren County ...

which is comprised of public and private high schools in Morris, Sussex and

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

counties in northwestern

, and operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), having been established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the NJSIAA Prior to the 2010 realignment, the school had been part of the Colonial Hills Conference, which included schools in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

, Morris and

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

counties. With 500 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. The football team competes in the American Blue division of the

North Jersey Super Football Conference The North Jersey Super Football Conference is a football-only athletic league of high schools in New Jersey. The 115-team league was formed in 2016. History The NJSFC consists of nearly all of the football playing members of four conferences that w ...

, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II North for football for 2018–2020. The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint ice hockey team with Boonton High School. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year. Mountain Lakes High School's athletic program features its football, lacrosse and swimming programs.

ShopRite Cup

The school was recognized in 2005–06 with the ShopRite cup for overall athletic achievement based on first-place finishes in girls' cross-country, boys' lacrosse and boys' swimming; second place in boys' golf; third place in girls' basketball, field hockey (tie) and girls' swimming (tie); plus bonus points for having no disqualifications in any of the three sports seasons.

Basketball

The boys' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 1962 (defeating

Dunellen High School Dunellen High School (DHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Dunellen in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Dunell ...

in the final game of the tournament) and 1969 (vs. Ridgefield Memorial High School). The 1962 team finished the season with a 25-0 record after taking the Group I title with an 88-66 win against Dunellen in the tournament finals played in front of some 3,500 at Delaware Valley Garden. The team won the 1969 Group I title with a 76–44 win against Ridgefield in the championship game. In 2006, the girls' basketball team won North I, Group I state sectional title, edging

Pascack Hills High School Pascack Hills High School (PHHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school, one of two secondary schools serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District in Bergen County, Ne ...

43–42 in the tournament final.

Field hockey

The field hockey team won the North I Group I state sectional championship in 1999, 2005, 2011 and 2013.

Tennis

The boys' tennis team won the Group I / II state championship in 1970 (vs

Haddonfield Memorial High School Haddonfield Memorial High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Haddonfield, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary sch ...

), 1971 (vs.

Glen Rock High School Glen Rock High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Glen Rock, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Glen Rock Pub ...

), 1972 (vs.

Metuchen High School Metuchen High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Metuchen in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Metuchen Sch ...

), 1973 (vs.

Leonia High School Leonia High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grade from the Borough of Leonia in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Leonia Public Schools. Student ...

), 1974 (vs.

Shore Regional High School Shore Regional High School is a regional public high school and school district serving students from four communities in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The high school serves students from the constituent municipalities of Monmo ...

), and won the Group I title in 1988 (vs. Metuchen), 1989 (vs. Haddonfield), 1995 and 1996 (vs.

Arthur P. Schalick High School Arthur P. Schalick High School is a comprehensive community four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Pittsgrove Township, in Salem County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary s ...

both years) and 2004 (vs. Point Pleasant Boro High School). The team won the overall state championship in 1962 (vs.

River Dell Regional High School River Dell High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school, part of the River Dell Regional School District, which is shared with the neighboring communities of Oradell and River Edge in Bergen County, New Jersey, Unite ...

), 1963 (vs. Ridgewood High School), 1964 (vs. Kearny High School), 1965 (vs. Montclair High School), 1971 (vs. Christian Brothers Academy) and 1972 (vs. Ramapo); the program's 10 state championships are tied for ninth most in the state, the six Tournament of Champions titles are tied for fourth most and the five consecutive titles from 1970 to 1974 is tied for fifth longest. The girls' tennis team won the Group I state title in 1999 (vs. Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School in the tournament finals) and 2018 (vs.

). The 1999 team won the Group I title at

Mercer County Park The Richard J. Coffee Mercer County Park is a recreational park located in Mercer County, New Jersey – mostly within West Windsor Township, but also with small western sections extending into Hamilton and Lawrence Townships. Originally and st ...

, defeating

Pitman High School Pitman High School is a comprehensive community public high school in Pitman, in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Pitman School District. As of ...

4- in the semifinals and then knocking off Rumson-Fair Haven 5-0 in the championships. The 2018 team defeated

Kinnelon High School Kinnelon High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Kinnelon in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Kin ...

3-2 in the semifinals and went on to win the finals against Shore Regional 4-1.

Football

The football team (the "Herd") won the North I Group I state sectional championship in 1974, 1976, 2002, 2008 and 2009; and the North II Group II titlein both 2013 and 2014. The "Herd" program was founded and developed in 1966 by Doug Wilkins, who served for 44 years as the team's head coach and made the program into one of the most successful in the state; his 328 wins ranks him among the state's top five in victories, in addition to his winning eight state championships, including two undefeated state championship teams in the 1970s. The 1976 team finished the season with an 11-0 record after winning the North II Group I with a 24-14 win against Clifford Scott High School in the championship game. During the years 2000–2010 the team's record was 99–15, which included a 23-game win streak from Thanksgiving 2001 until late November 2003, as well as a 36-game win streak that began at the start of the 2008 season and continued until a loss in the 2010 state sectional final against

Wallington High School Wallington Jr./Sr. High School is a six-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grades from Wallington, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of ...

. In 2002 the football program won the North II, Group I state sectional title over archrival Boonton High School by a score of 23–6 to cap a perfect 12–0 season and earn the program's first state title since 1976. In 2008, the football team won the North I Group I state championship vs.

at Giants Stadium on December 5, 2008, by a score of 35–21 and finished with an overall record of 12–0. Coach Wilkins won his 300th career game in October 2007, in addition to having won over 22 CHC titles, a streak of 20 consecutive seasons of making the NJSIAA playoffs, and did not have a losing season since 1984, retiring in 2010 after having won 328 games and a seventh state championship in his 44 seasons with the school's football program.

Lacrosse

The boys' lacrosse team has won the overall state championship in 1988 (defeating

Westfield High School Westfield High School may refer to: * The Westfield School, Perry, Georgia * Westfield High School (Westfield, Indiana) * Westfield High School (Massachusetts), Westfield, Massachusetts * Westfield Technical Academy, Westfield, Massachusetts * West ...

in the finals), 1989 (vs.

Delbarton School Delbarton School is a private all-male Catholic Church, Catholic college-preparatory school in Morristown, New Jersey for young men in seventh grade, seventh through twelfth grades. It is an independent school directed by the Benedictine monks ...

), 1993 (vs. West Morris Mendham High School), 1995 (vs. Delbarton) and 1996 (vs.

Hunterdon Central Regional High School Hunterdon Central Regional High School is a comprehensive, four-year public high school, and regional school district that serves students from five municipalities in east central Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. Students hail from ...

). The team won the Group I state title in 2004 (vs. Summit High School), 2006 (vs. Summit), 2007 (vs.

Madison High School Madison High School may refer to: * Madison County High School (Alabama), Gurley, Alabama * Madison High School (Idaho), Rexburg, Idaho * Madison Consolidated High School, Madison, Indiana * Madison High School (Kansas), Madison, Kansas * Kentuc ...

), 2008 (vs. Chatham High School), 2013 (vs.

Rumson-Fair Haven High School The Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (often abbreviated RFH) is a regional, four-year comprehensive public high school and school district in the eastern United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from the suburba ...

), 2014 (vs. Arthur L. Johnson High School), 2016 (vs. Madison), 2018 (vs.

Manasquan High School Manasquan High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Manasquan, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone high school of the Manas ...

) and 2019 (vs. Manasquan); with 14 state championships, the program has won the most state titles of any public school and is ranked second behind

. The team won the Tournament of Champions in 2007, 2008 and 2019, defeating Delbarton all three seasons. The 2007 boys lacrosse team won the NJSIAA Group I state championship with an 8–6 win over

. The team moved on to win the Tournament of Champions, defeating

9–5 in the semifinals, and took the state title with a 13–11 victory over

, thereby, becoming state champions. The 2019 team won the Group I state title with an 8-7 win against previously undefeated Manasquan in a game that was suspended in the middle of the second quarter due to a lightning storm and was completed two days later, and went on to win the Tournament of Champions with a 7-6 victory in triple overtime against Summit in the semifinals and a 12-5 defeat of Delbarton in the finals at Kean University to finish the season with a 19-2 record. On April 25, 2009, Tim Flynn became the first head coach in New Jersey, and only sixth coach in the nation, to reach 500 career wins. Flynn has been coaching Mountain Lakes High School for more than 39 years, with a record of 647-141, the most in the state, through the 2018 season. The girls' lacrosse team won the Group I state championship in 2009 (defeating

in the tournament final) and 2014 (vs.

Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child is a Catholic private school in Summit, in Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is coeducational from pre-kindergarten to grade 6 and all-girls for seventh grade to twelfth grade. The school operates u ...

). The 2007 girls lacrosse team won the North, Group I state sectional title, edging Chatham High School 14–13 in the tournament final.

Swimming

The boys' swimming team won the Division B state championship in 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, and the Public B title in 1995, 1996, 2005–2009. The boys' 12 titles are the eighth-most of any school in the state. The girls' team won the Division B title in 1991 and the Public B title in 2008 and 2010. The boys' swimming team won the 2007 North II – B state sectional championship with a 112–58 win over Chatham High School. The team moved on to win the 2007 Group B state championship, edging

86–84. The team won their fourth consecutive title in 2008, matching a feat that had not been accomplished by a public school since the 1970s. The boys swim team won the state championship every season since the 2004–05 season, until losing to Haddonfield in 2010. The girls' swim team won the state title in the 2007–08 season over Chatham High School, making Mountain Lakes swimming to be the first high school to ever have both the boys and the girls win states.

Soccer

The girls' soccer won the Group I state championship in 2019, defeating

by a score of 4–2 in the tournament final, to win the program's first state championship in its first finals appearance.

Administration

The school's principal is Richard Mangili. His core administrative team includes the assistant principal, Raymond Searles, Jr.About MLHS & Contact Info
Mountain Lakes High School. Accessed January 26, 2022.

Notable alumni

Jo Becker Jo Becker is an American journalist and author and a three-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. She works as an investigative reporter for ''The New York Times''. Work Becker worked for the '' St. Petersburg Times'', the ''Concord Monitor'' an ...

(class of 1985), author, journalist and investigative reporter for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' who is a three-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. *

Liz Claiborne Anne Elisabeth Jane Claiborne (March 31, 1929 – June 26, 2007) was an American fashion designer and businesswoman. Her success was built upon stylish yet affordable apparel for career women featuring colorfully tailored separates that co ...

(1929–2007), fashion designer and businesswoman who was the first woman to become chair and CEO of a Fortune 500 company. *

Laura Dreyfuss Laura Catherine Dreyfuss (born August 22, 1988) is an American actress and singer, known for her roles as Zoe Murphy in the Broadway musical ''Dear Evan Hansen'', Madison McCarthy on the FOX musical series '' Glee'' and McAfee Westbrook on the ...

(born 1988), actress who appeared in the Broadway musical ''

Dear Evan Hansen ''Dear Evan Hansen'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important role for himself in a tr ...

'', in the role of Zoe Murphy, the love interest of the title character. *

Richard M. Freeland Richard Middleton Freeland (born May 13, 1941, in Orange, New Jersey) was president of Northeastern University from 1996 to 2006 and served as the Commissioner of Higher Education for Massachusetts from 2008 until 2015. Freeland grew up in Mount ...

(born 1941, class of 1959), education administrator who served as president of Northeastern University and as the commissioner of higher education for Massachusetts. *

Peter Meinke Peter Meinke (born 1932 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American poet and author. He has published 18 books of poems and short stories. ''The Piano Tuner'', won the 1986 Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. His poetry has received many awards, ...

(born 1932, class of 1950), poet and author. * Lindsey Munday (born 1984, class of 2002), former collegiate

women's lacrosse Women's lacrosse (or girls' lacrosse), sometimes shortened to lax, is a sport with twelve players on the field at a time (including the goalkeeper). Originally played by indigenous peoples of the Americas, the modern women's game was introduce ...

player who is serving as the head coach of the

USC Trojans women's lacrosse The USC Trojans women's lacrosse team is an NCAA Division I college lacrosse team representing the University of Southern California as part of the Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates i ...

team. * Claire McCusker Murray (born 1982, class of 2000), principal deputy associate attorney general and acting associate attorney general in the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

. *

Bernard Shir-Cliff Bernard W. Shir-Cliff (November 7, 1924-February 28, 2017) was an editor for Ballantine Books, Contemporary Books, Warner Books and other publishers, who also translated books and later became a well-known literary agent. As a senior editor at War ...

(1924–2017), editor for Ballantine Books, Contemporary Books, Warner Books and other publishers. * Travis Tripucka (born 1989), football

long snapper In American football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a center on special teams whose duty is to snap the football over a longer distance, typically around 15 yards during punts, and 7–8 yards during field goals and extra point att ...

. * Brittany Underwood (born 1988), actress and singer best known for her role as teenager

Langston Wilde Langston Wilde is a fictional character from ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live'' portrayed by Brittany Underwood from May 17, 2006, to April 12, 2011. Langston is Dorian Lord's adoptive daughter and very similar to her. In January 2011, it was a ...

on the daytime soap opera '' One Life to Live''. *

Adam Zucker Adam M. Zucker (born October 27, 1976) is a sportscaster who works for CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network. He has been with CBS Sports Network since 2003 as the College Sports Television anchor. Early life and education Zucker is a native of Mo ...

(born 1976, class of 1994), sportscaster for

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...

and

CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American pay television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports Television also known a ...

.Alumni Hall of Fame: Adam Zucker Class of 1994
Mountain Lakes High School. Accessed September 8, 2019.

References

External links

Mountain Lakes High SchoolMountain Lakes School District
*
School Data for the Mountain Lakes Schools
National Center for Education Statistics
Mountain Lakes Alumni Association
{{Authority control Boonton Township, New Jersey Mountain Lakes, New Jersey Public high schools in Morris County, New Jersey Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools 1936 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1936