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, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Paulsboro Public Schools.
As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 322 students and 31.1 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 10.4:1. There were 256 students eligible for free lunch and none eligible for reduced-cost lunch.
Students in grades 9-12 from Greenwich Township attend Paulsboro High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Greenwich Township School District.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 309th-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. The school had been ranked 278th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 265th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 277th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 264th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.

Athletics

The Paulsboro High School Red Raiders compete as a member school in the Colonial Conference, which is composed of small schools whose enrollments generally do not exceed between 750-800 students for grades 9-12, and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. With 263 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015-16 school year as South Jersey, Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 78 to 478 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the Memorial Division of the 95-team West Jersey Football League superconference and was classified by the NJSIAA as South Jersey Group I for football for 2017-18.
The football team won the South Jersey Group I state sectional championship in 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1992-1997, 2000-2002, 2005, 2006 and 2014. In 2016, the team won the 18th sectional title in program history, defeating Salem High School by a score of 29-26 in the South Jersey Group I state sectional tournament final. The team won the program's 19th overall championship, its third title in four seasons and finished the year with a 10-2 record, defeating Penns Grove High School by a score of 34-24 in the playoff final of the South Jersey Group I state sectional tournament.
The boys' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 1996, defeating Science Park High School in the final game of the tournament.

Wrestling dynasty

The wrestling team won the South Jersey Group I state sectional championship every year from 1980 to 2007 and from 2009 to 2014, and won the Group I state championship from 1983-2007 and 2009-2011; the 34 sectional titles, 28 group championships and the 25 consecutive group titles are the most of any school in the state.

1,000 wins

On February 2, 2011, Paulsboro became just the third high school in history to accumulate 1,000 wins. It joined Granite City High School and Vacaville High School in the 1,000-win club. Head coach Paul Morina, who is still the coach as of the 2016–17 season, reached his 606th victory as coach with a win against Haddonfield Memorial High School in January 2015, breaking the South Jersey record; From the time he became coach in 2016 until he set the win record, Morina had won 28 sectional titles and went on to win 25 group championships.

37-year conference unbeaten streak

Paulsboro High School's wrestling team had a streak of 307 consecutive victories against Colonial Conference opponents. The streak started in 1971 when Haddon Township High School had handed them their last conference loss. It would be nearly four decades until Collingswood High School was responsible for halting the streak on January 16, 2008, with a 28–22 decision over the Red Raiders. Paulsboro had won 25 consecutive state championships in Group I until 2008 when they lost early in the state tournament. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, that streak was the longest in the entire nation at the time, and only three other teams have won more state championships overall than Paulsboro.

'The Streak'

Paulsboro High School owns the New Jersey state record for consecutive football victories with 63 running from 1992 and until September 26, 1998, when they lost to longtime rival Woodbury High School by a score of 14-13. The 63 consecutive wins is still the state record, surpassing the next closest streak in South Jersey by 20 games, and besting the previous state record holder by nine.

Controversy

Principal Lucia Pollino was suspended after an incident in which three students were allegedly strip searched while on a senior trip to Walt Disney World in April 2007. A lawsuit has been filed by an attorney representing one of the students asking for $250,000 in damages related to the incident. Superintendent of Schools Frank Scambia said that Pollino would be reassigned to become director of assessments, a position for which she would be compensated with the same salary she had received as principal. The district reached a settlement with Pollino after she sued the district, charging that she had been the victim of gender discrimination in that she had never approved the strip search.

Popular culture

A special premiere of the 2004 Kevin Smith film Jersey Girl was held at the school, which had been the location of several scenes in the film. A street leading out of the school was named Kevin Smith Way.

Administration

The principal is Paul Morina.

Notable alumni