Rancocas Valley Regional High School


Rancocas Valley Regional High School is a regional high school and public school district serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from five communities in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. The district encompasses approximately and comprises the communities of Eastampton Township, Hainesport Township, Lumberton Township, Mount Holly Township and Westampton Township. The school is located in Mount Holly Township. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1938.
As of the 2017-18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,052 students and 141.1 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 14.5:1. There were 387 students eligible for free lunch and 110 eligible for reduced-cost lunch.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "DE", the fifth highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 174th-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 255th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 223rd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 242nd in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 243rd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. In recognition of the school’s efforts and the positive outcomes resulting from newly formed programs and initiatives, the Anti-Defamation League designated RVRHS a No Place for Hate school in May 2018.

Facilities and programs

The school was built on the ruins of the West Jersey Collegiate Institute, a private school for boys that was abandoned at the time of the Civil War. Mount Holly High School was founded in 1895, and after a vote to establish a regional high school, Rancocas Valley Regional opened its doors in 1937.
Rancocas Valley Regional High School offers a range of college prep, honors, Advanced Placement courses, business and technology education classes. Students can receive college credits by successfully completing specific high school courses through the Burlington County College Accelerated Program and Seton Hall University Dual Enrollment Program. Rancocas Valley High School offers over 85 clubs and activities.
RVTV is operated out of the school and showcases sporting events, concerts, graduations and student-created programming.

Annex

The Rancocas Valley Regional High School Annex on Smithville Road in Eastampton Township is home to the district's business offices and the Functional Life Skills Integrated Program, a special education program run by the district. Renovations to the Annex facilities were completed in the summer of 2018 to house the new RV PREP education program opening in September 2018. The building formerly housed the Eastampton Middle School.

Athletics

The Rancocas Valley Regional High School Red Devils compete in the Burlington County Scholastic League, which consists of nineteen public and non-public high schools covering Burlington County, Mercer County and Ocean County in central New Jersey, operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. With 1,604 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015-16 school year as South Jersey, Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,082 to 1,934 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the Capitol Division of the 95-team West Jersey Football League superconference and was classified by the NJSIAA as South Jersey Group V for football for 2017-18. Rancocas Valley competes in the BCSL's Liberty Division. The school's mascot is the Red Devil and its colors are red and white.
The boys' cross country team won the Group III state championship in 1960. With a time of 12:34.4, Carl Budden was the top runner at the Group III championship in 1961.
The football team won the NJSIAA South Jersey Group III state sectional championships in 1987. Just two years earlier, in 1985, the team failed to win a single game. Also, during the 1985 season, Tammy Kaye played in seven games, making her the first female to play for the Rancocas Valley football team.
In the 1990s, the boys' basketball team won the 1996 Group III state championship with a 71-62 win against Henry Snyder High School and won the 1998 Group IV state championship with a 63-43 win against John F. Kennedy High School in the tournament final. In 2008, boys' basketball team won the Central Group IV state sectional championship with a 70-51 win over Trenton Central High School in the tournament final. The team went on to win the Group IV state championship, the programs' third title, with a 55-43 win against Piscataway High School. In 2011, the boys' basketball team added a sectional championship, by beating Jackson Memorial in the Central Jersey Group 4 title game.
The girls' field hockey team won the South Jersey Group III state sectional title in 1992 and the Central Jersey Group IV title in 2006. The team took the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional title with a 2-1 win against Cherokee High School in the tournament final.
The girls' basketball team won the 2011 Group IV state championship by a 67-52 score in the tournament final against John F. Kennedy High School and won the 2013 Group IV title vs. Eastside High School by a final of 64-45.
In 1998, the boys' spring track team went undefeated for the first time since 1979.
In 2004, the boys' soccer team was Group IV co-champion with Kearny High School in a game that ended in a scoreless tie after regulation and two overtimes. The 2008 boys' soccer team won the Group IV state championship with a 2-0 win over Clifton High School.
The boys' baseball team won the Group IV state championship in 1975 vs. John F. Kennedy High School.
The girls' softball team won state championships in 1977 in Group III vs. Ramapo High School, in 1994 in Group III with a 12-0 win vs. Passaic Valley Regional High School and in 2005 in Group IV with a 2-0 win vs. J.P. Stevens High School. The softball team won the 2007 Central, Group IV state sectional championship, edging Manalapan High School 1-0 in the tournament final.
The school is represented by an ice hockey team in Varsity Tier I of the South Jersey High School Ice Hockey League.
RV has produced three first-round NFL draft picks in Franco Harris, Irving Fryar and Alonzo Spellman.

Extracurricular activities

Rancocas Valley is the home of the Rancocas Valley Regional High School dance team, which has been in existence since 1999 and is the only high school dance team in South Jersey. The team prepares two elite dances every year for their competitions and to perform at basketball games. The team hosts the Reach For The Stars Dance Show in January of every year for the community. Over the course of the year, the team competes in 4 to 5 competitions. One of those competitions is the New Jersey state championship. In the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2015, the dance team has taken first place in both their Team Performance, and their Kick routine. Every year the team raises money for their trip to Florida to compete in the National Dance Alliance National Dance Competition. The team dances amongst and against the best dance teams in the country. In 2010 the team took 1st place in their Circus-themed High Kick Routine. This was the first National Championship the team has ever won. In 2011 the team took 1st place again with their Time-themed Team Performance routine. In 2014, the team won its third National Championship, by winning the Small Varsity Kick division.
In 2004, the RVRHS marching band won their first Group 3 National Championship Title in Allentown, PA for their piece "Pandora's Box". In 2009, The Marching Band won first place at the USSBA Group 3 Open National Championships with a score of 97.2 and came in first place at the USSBA Group 3 Open State Competition. These mark the highest accolades that the Rancocas Valley Marching Band have ever received. The band also won state championships in 2010 in Group 3 Open with a score of 91.825 and receiving the captions best color guard, best music, best overall effect, and best visual. On October 30, 2010 the band won first place at the Northern States Competition in Allentown, PA with a score of 95.900, also receiving caption awards for best percussion, best colorguard, best music, and best overall effect. They beat many group 3 Open bands from around the region, in states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, Virginia,etc. On November 7, 2010 the band won yet again and took home the title for USSBA Group 3 Open National champions with a score of 97.8. They also received best color guard, best music, and best overall effect. The Red Devil marching band took home a caption of best music, as well as The Cadets award of excellence at New Jersey state championships on October 18, 2014 at High Point Solutions Stadium.

Notable alumni

Some of the notable alumni from Rancocas Valley include:
Core members of the administration for the district and school are:
The district's board of education has nine members who set policy and oversee the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year held as part of the November general election. The seats on the board are allocated to the constituent municipalities based on population, with each district guaranteed a minimum of one seat. Of the nine seats, three are allocated to Lumberton, two each to Mount Holly and Westampton, and one each to Eastampton and Hainesport. The president and vice president are elected from its members at the annual reorganization meeting for a one-year term.