Penns Grove 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 sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

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 In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

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 ...

s from Carneys Point Township and Penns Grove in Salem 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 Delawa ...

, United States, operating as part of the

Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District The Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District is a comprehensive regional public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Carneys Point Township and Penns Grove, two communities in Salem County, ...

. A majority of students in grades 9-12 from

Oldmans Township, New Jersey Oldmans Township is a township in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 1,773, reflecting a decline of 25 (−1.4%) from the 1,798 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in tu ...

attend the district's high 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 Oldmans Township School District, with the balance attending

Woodstown High School Woodstown High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Woodstown and Pilesgrove Township, in Salem County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary scho ...

in the

Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District The Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District is a comprehensive regional public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade form five communities in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. The district serves s ...

. The school is located in Carneys Point Township. Penns Grove High school hosts the regional Academy of Chemical and Technological Engineering program, which prepares students for college majors in engineering fields. The Academy of Chemical and Technological Engineering operates in partnership with Rowan University, Salem Community College,

DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

and various other contributors. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 549 students and 50.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 11.0:1. There were 291 students (53.0% 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 28 (5.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Penns Grove High School

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district financ ...

. Accessed December 1, 2022.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 256th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in ''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey. The magazine was started in 1976. It is based in Morristown. In addition to articles of general interest, the publication fe ...

'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 251st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 253rd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 266th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 220th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.

Athletics

The Penns Grove High School Red DevilsPenns Grove High School

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

. Accessed October 20, 2020. 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 Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is roughly coterminous with Cape May County and runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. The so ...

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east o ...

and Salem counties.Member Schools
Tri-County Conference. Accessed November 18, 2020. The conference is overseen by the

(NJSIAA). With 415 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2022–24 school years as Group I South for most athletic competition purposes. The football team competes in the Diamond Division of the 94-team

West Jersey Football League The West Jersey Football League is a 94-school superconference that stretches from Princeton, New Jersey to Wildwood, New Jersey encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Confer ...

superconference and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I South for football for 2022–2024. The girls track team won the indoor track Group II state championship in 1981. The boys team won the Group I title in 1986. The wrestling team won the South Jersey Group II state championship in 1981. The boys track team won the Group II spring track state championship in 1984, and won the Group I title in 1986 and 2013-2015. The boys' track team won the Group I state indoor relay championship in 1986. In 1986, the boys' track team set the New Jersey state record for most consecutive dual meet wins with 117.Tatum, Kevin
"State Track Titles Go To Willingboro And Penns Grove"
''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pen ...

'', June 1, 1986. Accessed June 26, 2011. "Penns Grove, with 33 points in Group 1, won its second state title in three years by outlasting Tri-County Conference foe Kingsway (31). Haddonfield was third with 22 points. 'It took a really tough effort,' said Penns Grove coach Jack Ware, whose team has a state-record 117 straight dual-meet victories.... Penns Grove, which won a Group 2 state title in 1984, had 14 points after Friday's competition and received first-place finishes from discus thrower Russ Willitt and hurdler George Bland yesterday." That same year, the track team not only went 10-0 in its dual meets but won every relay meet entered, won the Salem County Meet (10th straight), Tri-County Conference Meet (10th straight), South Jersey Group 1 sectional meet (10th straight) and its second state group title (its first coming in 1984). The 1988 baseball team won the South Jersey Group I state sectional championship with a 7-5 win against

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 ...

. The team lost by a score of 13-5 to

Glen Ridge High School Glen Ridge High School (GRHS) is a comprehensive six-year public middle school / high school serving students in seventh through twelfth grades from Glen Ridge, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary scho ...

in the Group I championship game. The team had won the Group II state championship in 1958, which was the most recent time that the team had won a sectional title. The boys' cross country team won the Tri-County Diamond Division Championship in 2006 and 2007, the South Jersey Group I sectional title for outdoor track in 2007 and 2008, and a number of relays won by the Outdoor Track team. The football team won the South Jersey Group I state sectional championship in 2012, 2018 and 2019. In 1999 running back James McPherson set the South Jersey single game rushing record. Running back Aaron Hayward posted multiple 1,000 yard seasons and earned a scholarship to Rutgers University. The football team went 9-3 in 2008 reaching the school's first state championship game before falling to rival

Glassboro High School Glassboro High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Glassboro, in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the sole secondary school of the Glassbor ...

. The team was also able to win their first home playoff game in school history in the semifinals. The 2012 Red Devils football team won the South Jersey Group I state sectional championship, the program's first, defeating

Woodbury Junior-Senior High School Woodbury Junior-Senior High School (WHS) is a comprehensive community middle school and public high school that serves students in sixth through twelfth grades from Woodbury, in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Woo ...

by a score of 30-14 in the title game. The team finished the season with a perfect 12-0 record and set state records by scoring 621 points, breaking a previous record of 599 that had been set by

Bergen Catholic High School Bergen Catholic High School is an all-male Roman Catholic high school in Oradell, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Coll ...

in 1998, and scoring an average of 51.7 points per game, breaking the record of 51.5 set by

Don Bosco Preparatory High School , motto_translation = To Increase in Knowledge and Grace , accreditation = Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools , rival = Bergen Catholic High SchoolSaint Joseph Regional High School , mascot = , ma ...

in 2003. Under Head Football Coach John Emel, Penns Grove became the first football team in South Jersey to finish a perfect 13-0. The team won the South Jersey Group I title in 2018 with a 14-7 win against Salem High School in the playoff finals and went on to finish the season with a 13-0 record and win the South Central Group I title with a 35-26 win against

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

. The 2019nteam won their second straight section title with a 30-0 win against

Paulsboro High School Paulsboro High School is a comprehensive community six-year public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Paulsboro, in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the sole secondary school of t ...

in the South Jersey Group I championship game. The girls' outdoor track and field team won the Group I state championship in 2013 and 2014.

Marching band

The school's marching band was

Tournament of Bands The Tournament of Bands (TOB) is one of the largest competitive band organizations in the United States and is one of several major circuits in the mid-Atlantic states (other circuits include Cavalcade of Bands and USBands). TOB was founded in 197 ...

Chapter One Champions in 1973-1975, 1977 and 1979 (Group 1). The marching band was Atlantic Coast Champion in Group 1 (1975, 1977 and 1979) and Atlantic Coast Champion in Group 2 in 1976. The band also won the

Cavalcade of Bands The Cavalcade of Bands is one of many competitive band organizations in the United States and is one of several major circuits in the mid-Atlantic states (other circuits include Tournament of Bands and USBands). Cavalcade was founded in the late ...

Group 1 Open Championship in 2006.

Administration

The school's principal is Lory O'Brien. Her administration team includes two assistant principals.

Notable alumni

Kenneth A. Black Jr. Kenneth Algernon Black Jr. (December 23, 1932 – January 29, 2019) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from District 3A from 1968 to 1974. Born in Swedesboro, New Jersey and raised in Penns ...

(1932–2019), politician who served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

from District 3A from 1968 to 1974 *

Don Bragg Donald George Bragg (May 15, 1935 – February 16, 2019) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the pole vault and won a gold medal in that event at the 1960 Summer Olympics.pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the M ...

at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. * Roy Elsh (1892–1978), professional baseball player *

William J. Hughes William John Hughes (October 17, 1932 – October 30, 2019) was an American politician and diplomat who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1995, representing New Jersey's Second Congressional Distric ...

(1932-2019), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1995 who was appointed by President Bill Clinton as United States Ambassador to Panama, a post he held until October 1998 leading up to the historic turnover of the Panama Canal to Panamanian control.Dunn, Phil
"Voices surfacing urging Penns Grove Middle School be renovated, not razed"
''

Today's Sunbeam ''Today's Sunbeam'' was a daily newspaper in Salem, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1819, it ceased publication in 2012 when it merged with its sister papers the ''Gloucester County Times'' and '' The News of Cumberland County'' to form the ...

'', January 15, 2011. Accessed June 26, 2011. "Many graduates of the school have gone on to positions of prominence on a national level, notably: Longtime U.S. Congressman and Ambassador to Panama William J. Hughes, actor Bruce Willis, and Olympic athletes Dave Romansky and Don Bragg." * Lavar Scott (born 2003), professional

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It or ...

driver who competes in the

ARCA Menards Series East The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly Busch East Series, Busch North Series, Camping World East Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) an ...

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

(born 1955), actor best known for his role of

John McClane John McClane is a fictional character and main protagonist of the ''Die Hard'' film series, based on Joe Leland from Roderick Thorp's action novel, '' Nothing Lasts Forever''. McClane was portrayed in all five films by actor Bruce Willis, and ...

in the '' Die Hard'' series.

Notable faculty

Curly Ogden Warren Harvey "Curly" Ogden (January 24, 1901 – August 6, 1964) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1922 to 1926 for the Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators. Early life and ed ...

(1901-1964), former pitcher for the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakla ...

and Washington Senators who coached at Penns Grove for 18 years.Lee, Bill
''The Baseball Nerology: The Post-Baseball Lives and Deaths of More Than 7,600 Baseball Players and Others''
p. 303.

McFarland & Company McFarland & Company, Inc., is an American independent book publisher based in Jefferson, North Carolina, that specializes in academic and reference works, as well as general-interest adult nonfiction. Its president is Rhonda Herman. Its forme ...

, 2009. . Accessed November 25, 2017. "Curly Ogden... He taught and coached 18 years at Penns Grove (NJ) High School."

References

External links

*
Penns Grove - Carneys Point Regional School District
*
School Data for the Penns Grove - Carneys Point Regional School District

{{Authority control Carneys Point Township, New Jersey Oldmans Township, New Jersey Penns Grove, New Jersey 1908 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1908 Public high schools in Salem County, New Jersey