Phillipsburg High School (New Jersey)


Phillipsburg High School is a comprehensive, four-year public high school located in Phillipsburg, in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. The school was first established in 1871 and is located in the eastern part of the Lehigh Valley, at the Pennsylvania border. For this reason, the school's nickname is the "Stateliners." The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 2000.
The school is part of the Phillipsburg School District, one of 31 former Abbott Districts in the state, which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. The district serves students from Phillipsburg and from five other municipalities: Alpha, Bloomsbury, Greenwich Township, Lopatcong Township and Pohatcong Township, who attend as part of sending/receiving relationships.
The site of the new Phillipsburg High School, which began construction in January 2014, is in Lopatcong Township. The three-story, building, with more than double the floor space of the existing high school and a capacity to accommodate more than 2,100 students, was completed for the 2016-17 school year and was dedicated in September 2016 at ceremonies attended by Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie. Phillipsburg High School's enrollment had been in excess of the school's capacity. To compensate for this, the Phillipsburg School District has purchased or leased 31 trailers.
As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,650 students and 126.5 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 13.0:1. There were 455 students eligible for free lunch and 73 eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 183rd-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 215th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 276th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 275th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 234th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.

New high school

Original plans for a new high school campus stalled due to lack of funds. However, in July 2008, new state funding was secured and on October 5, 2009, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site of the new high school located on Belvidere Road in Lopatcong Township. Then-Governor Jon Corzine was in attendance as well as former Governor James Florio, Phillipsburg School District Superintendent Mark B. Miller and then-State Education Commissioner Lucille Davy.
The new campus had been expected to cost $174.4 million and was planned to hold a school and seven athletic fields. After the initial plans had been put on hold, Governor Chris Christie announced in February 2012 that the plan was back online, with a revised estimate of $675 million for the project. Initial contracts were awarded in 2013, with a projected open date for the 2016-17 school year. After many delays, construction started in January 2014 and the new school opened on September 12, 2016. The class of 2020 will be the first to have never attended the old high school building.

Athletics

The Phillipsburg High School Stateliners compete as a member of NJSIAA Skyland Conference. With 1,260 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015-16 school year as North II, Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,114 to 4,800 students in that grade range. The school was a member of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's defunct East Penn Conference.
The Stateliners have an athletic rivalry with neighboring Easton, Pennsylvania's Easton Area High School, which celebrated its 100th annual football game on Thanksgiving 2006, making it one of the oldest rivalries in the nation. The 100th meeting between the two schools, which Easton won 21-7, was broadcast nationally on ESPN2 on Thanksgiving Day 2006. The game, which typically draws some 15,000 - 20,000 fans before Thanksgiving dinner is served, was broadcast nationally on ESPN in 1988, with games played on Lafayette College's Fisher Field in Easton. In 2009, the 1993 teams from the Easton / Phillipsburg game met again for the Gatorade REPLAY Game to resolve the game, which ended in a 7-7 tie, with more than 13,000 fans watching as Phillipsburg won by a score of 27-12.
The football team won the North II Group III state championship in 1977 and 2008, the North II Group IV in 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2014. Through the conclusion of the 2015 season, the Stateliners have an overall record of 678-317-50 with the 678 wins being the most in New Jersey and 124th in the nation. In 2008, the Stateliners completed a 10-2 season beating Rahway High School by a score of 20-6 in the North II Group III state sectional final to win the program's fourth sectional title. 2008 postseason rankings put the Stateliners at 13th in the state, 1st in West Jersey, and 5th in Group III.
The field hockey team won the Central sectional championship in 1972, won the North II Group III state sectional title in 1977, the North I / II Group IV title in 1998 and the North II Group IV title in 1999.
The wrestling team won the North II Group III state sectional championship in 1980-1984, 1989, 1991-1996, 2003, 2004, won the North II Group IV championship in 1985-1988, 1997-2002, 2005–2008, 2012 and 2014, and won the North I Group IV sectional in 2010 and 2011; the team won the Group III state championship in 1983, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2004 and 2009, and won the Group IV state title in 1986-1988, 1997-2000, 2012 and 2014. The 33 sectional titles and 18 group championships are both the second most of any school in the state. The team won the 2007 North II, Group IV state sectional championship with a 34-25 win against Bridgewater-Raritan High School.
The boys' basketball team won the Group III state championship in 1983, defeating Ewing High School in the tournament final.
In 2005, the boys cross country team won the New Jersey Group IV state championship and placed 3rd at the Meet of Champions. The team finished the season ranked 10th in the Nike Team Nationals Northeast region rankings.

Administration

Core members of the schools administration are: