As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 796 students and 66.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.9:1. There were 86 students (10.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 20 (2.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[2]
Awards, recognition and rankings
In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", Bernards High was ranked 88th out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 18th among all high schools in New Jersey and fifth among the state's non-magnet schools.[6]
In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 235th in the nation among participating public high schools and 18th among schools in New Jersey.[7] The school was ranked 169th in the nation and 12th in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by The Daily Beast / Newsweek, with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the SAT / ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students.[8]
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 6th in New Jersey and 288th nationwide.[9] The school was ranked 198th in Newsweek's 2009 ranking of the top 1,500 high schools in the United States and was the fourth-ranked school in New Jersey, with 3.023 IB tests taken in 2008 per graduating senior and 49% of all graduating seniors passing at least one IB exam. In 2008, the school was ranked 518th nationwide.[10] In Newsweek's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Bernards High School was listed in 218th place, the sixth-highest ranked school in New Jersey.[11] The school was listed in 141st place, the fourth highest ranked school in New Jersey, in Newsweek's May 8, 2006, issue, listing the Top 1,200 High Schools in The United States.[12]
The school was the 15th-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.[13] The school had been ranked 11th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 32nd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[14] The magazine ranked the school 36th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[15] The school was ranked 50th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.[16] Schooldigger.com ranked the school 52nd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 16 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (92.3%) and language arts literacy (97.4%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[17]
Athletics
The Bernards High School Mountaineers[3] compete in the Skyland Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools covering Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties, and operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[18] Bernards joined the Skyland Conference in the 2006–07 school year, after having been in the Colonial Hills Conference for many years. With 644 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.[19] The football team competes in Division 2A of the Big Central Football Conference, which includes 60 public and private high schools in Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, Union and Warren counties, which are broken down into 10 divisions by size and location.[20] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 484 to 683 students.[21]
The school participates as the host school / lead agency for a joint ice hockey team with Middlesex High School and Somerville High School. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[22]
The boys track team won the spring / outdoor track state championship in Group II in 1937, 1948, 1971, 1981, 1982, 1983 (was later disqualified as team champion), 1984 and 1985, and won in Group I in 1947, 1986.[23]
The boys cross country team won the Group II state title in 1965, 1977, 1985, 1987 and won the Group I title in 1966, 1968–1970, 1972, 1974–1976, 1978–1984, 1998, 2003 and 2004. The program's 23 state titles are the second-most of any school in the state and the 14 consecutive titles won from 1974 to 1987 are the longest streak of any school statewide.[24] The team won the Meet of Champions in 1981, 1982 and 1985. The three MoC titles are tied for third-most of any school in the state.[25]
The girls tennis team won the Group I state championship in 1976 (defeating runner-up Kinnelon High School in the tournament final) and 2003 (vs. Point Pleasant Beach High School), and in Group II in 2005 (vs. Governor Livingston High School).[26] The 1976 team won the Group I title with a 4-1 win against Kinnelon in the final match of the playoffs.[27] After defeating Leonia High School 3-2 in the semifinals, the 2003 team won the Group I title against Point Pleasant Beach by 5-0 in the tournament finals at Mercer County Park.[28]
The girls cross country team won the Group I state championship from 1978 to 1984, 1986 and 1997, and won in Group II in 1985. The program's 12 state championships are second-most in the state and the program holds the longest streak statewide, with 10 consecutive titles won from 1977 to 1986.[30]
The girls spring track team was the Group I state champion in 1982–1985, 1987 and 1993. The program's six group titles are tied for tenth-most in New Jersey.[31]
The boys track team won the indoor track championship in Group I in 1983, 1985 and 1989, and won in Group II in 1986.[32] The girls track team won the Group I title in 1983–1985, 1987, 2009 and 2010, and won in Group II in 1986; the seven titles won by the girls program is the fifth-most of any school in New Jersey.[33]
The field hockey team won the Central Jersey Group I state sectional championship in 1983, 1992 and 1994, and won the Group I state championship in 1994 against runner-up Madison High School.[34]
The girls team won the indoor relay championship in Group II title in 1985, in Group III in 1986 and in Group I in 2009, 2011 and 2012. The boys track team won the Group II in 1985 and in Group III in 1986.[35]
The wrestling team won the Central Jersey Group I state sectional title in 1987, 1989 and 1990[36]
The boys soccer team won the Group I state title in 1989 (against playoff finals opponent David Brearley High School) and won in Group II in 2006 (vs. Haddonfield Memorial High School), 2011 (vs. Holmdel High School), 2016 (vs. Newton High School) and 2019 (vs. Delran High School).[37] The 2006-07 Bernards boys soccer team won the Skyland Conference championship in their inaugural year there. The team won the Group II state championship with a 2–1 win over Ramsey High School in the semifinals and a 3–2 win against Haddonfield Memorial High School in the finals.[38]
The girls basketball team won the Central Jersey Group 1 championship in 1997 with a 66-32 against Highland Park High School in the finals.[39]
The ice hockey team won the McInnis Cup in 2001.[40]
The boys fencing team was the overall state championship in 2006 and 2008, was épée team winner in 2006, 2008, 2015, 2017 and 2018, and was sabre team winner in 2007. With six, the program has won the second-most squad titles of any school.[41] The team finished 1st in 2006 and 1st in 2008.[42]
The girls fencing team won the overall state title in 2007, was épée team winner in 2008, sabre team winner in 2010, 2013 and 2018–2020, and foil team winner in 2014. The program's six squad titles are the third-most in the state.[43] The team defeated Columbia High School by a score of 16-11 in 2007 to take the program's first state title.[44]
The girls' track team was successful in the 1980s, but had been dismantled in 1989 because of budget deficits. The program was resurrected in 2000 and the team has won multiple conference titles and championships. They won the Indoor NJSIAA State Group I Relays along with the Indoor NJSIAA North I Group I Sectional Championships and the Indoor NJSIAA State Group I Championships in 2009 and 2010, the seventh group title won by the program in its history.[45][46][47] The girls' track team had four All-Americans in 2010, with its 4x800 team taking 5th place at the New Balance Nationals track meet, with the 7th fastest time in the nation, breaking the Somerset County record and was the fastest time in New Jersey that year.[48]
The 2017 girls lacrosse team finished the season with a record of 20-3 after winning the Group II state championship, defeating Haddonfield Memorial High School by score of 15-5 in the tournament final.[49][50]
The football team won the North II Group II state sectional title in 2023, the program's first, with a 23-17 overtime win in the tournament final against Lakeland Regional High School, bringing the team's record to 12-0.[51]
Extracurricular activities
In the second semester of 2006–07, the Bernards Mountaineers Marching Band was invited to travel to perform in the state's second-largest Mardi Gras parade in Houma, Louisiana, a community that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, to recognize the five truckloads of supplies that had been sent by Bernards residents to aid the community in its recovery efforts.[52]
History
The following historical synopsis derives from Among the Blue Hills...Bernardsville...a History, published by the Bernardsville History Book Committee, 1991. "On January 26, 1926, a Citizen's Committee was chosen to work with the Board of Education.....The Committee reported that the two existing buildings contained sixteen classrooms, for two classes of each of the eight grades. It was believed that this would be adequate for some time. In order to provide for the special equipment and facilities needed for a high school program, the building of a new high school would be the logical solution....The building was completed and occupied in 1927."[53]
From the school's certification in February 2002 until the end of the 2008-2009 school year, the school offered students the opportunity to participate in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB), a comprehensive two-year curriculum pursued by students during junior and senior years. Students took a course of studies in six academic areas. Successful completion of an IB Diploma could lead students to earn college credit. Enrollment was highly selective and honors credit was earned. Students had to take a variety of internal and external assessments. The school had to end the program due to the incoming budget cuts in the next fiscal year from the then new governorship of Chris Christie. According to NJ.com, many residents were satisfied with the budget cuts.[54] However, others felt the budget decisions were painful, and then-superintendent Peter Miller said, "I feel like I'm getting the rug pulled out from underneath me," and that the school "had the money available."[55] The school was one of only 16 schools in New Jersey to offer the IB program at the time.[56]Advanced Placement (AP) courses are still offered, which may also lead to college credit.
Administration
The school's principal is Scott Neigel, who was appointed to the position in 2012.[57] Core members of the school's administration include the two assistant principals.[1]
^Kinney, Mike. "Big Central revises 2020 football schedule for its shortened inaugural season", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 12, 2020. Accessed April 18, 2021. "The newly formed Big Central Football Conference has released a revised 2020 schedule for its inaugural season.... the BCFC is comprised of schools from Middlesex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties."
^"Bernards Girls Ease To State Tennis Title", Bernardsville News, June 2, 1976. Accessed December 29, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Bernards High's girls tennis team won its first State Group 1 championship last Friday in Princeton, outclassing Kinnelon High, 4-1, in the title match."
^Staff. "Pingry, Bernards take group championships", Courier News, October 24, 2003. Accessed March 3, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Bernards High School and Pingry School tennis teams reached the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament of Champions by winning group titles Thursday at Mercer County Park. On the strength of fresliman first singles player Lindsay Clark and wins by both doubles teams, Bernards avenged a sweep in last year's tournament and eliminated a tough Leonia squad 3-2 in the Group I semifinals.... Bernards proceeded to dismantle Point Pleasant Beach 5-0 in the Group I final to earn a spot in the Tournament of Champions."
^Carino, Jerry. "Bernards too tough for Owls", Home News Tribune, March 11, 1997. Accessed January 25, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Highland Park huffed and puffed but they couldn't blow heavily-favored Bernards down in yesterday's Central Jersey Group I girls basketball final. The second-seeded Owls were simply no match for the top-seeded Mountaineers, who used their significant height advantage to pound out a 66-32 victory."
^Sherman, Jason. "Fencing: Bernards girls capture 1st state crown", Courier News, March 10, 2007. Accessed June 28, 2011. "After four straight runner-up finishes, the second-seeded Mountaineers captured their first NJSIAA championship Thursday night with a 16-11 victory over top-seeded Columbia at Morris Hills High School."
^Bevensee, Rich. "Bernards girls break Somerset County 4x800 relay record", The Star-Ledger, June 19, 2010. Accessed June 28, 2011. "The Bernards girls 4x800 relay – Dana Giordano (2:13.6), Elizabeth Sharkey (2:19.8), Isabel Henderson (2:16.2) and Kristin Smoot (2:10.8) – finished fifth overall in 9:00.38, a new Somerset County record, at the New Balance Nationals at Aggie Stadium on the North Carolina A&T campus."
^Knego, Lauren. "Bernards girls lacrosse wins first Group II title", Courier News, June 3, 2017. Accessed January 28, 2021. "For the Bernards High School girls lacrosse team, Saturday's NJSIAA Group II title was a long time coming. Bernards (20-3) won its first Group title in program history with a 15-5 victory over Haddonfield (18-3) and set a new school record for wins with 20."
^Frezza, Harry Jr. "Football: Bernards' overtime win over Lakeland nets first-ever sectional championship", The Record, November 11, 2023. Accessed November 12, 2023. "The moment the Bernards High School football program had been building toward for years finally arrived Friday night.... Unbeaten Bernards scored its first-ever sectional championship with a memorable 23-17 overtime win over Lakeland on Friday night at Olcott Field. The Lancers were fresh off ending Caldwell’s state-leading 37-game win streak in the section semis with a 32-28 triumph and the Lancers seemed poised to end Bernards’ perfect season. Senior quarterback Connor Laverty’s seven-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted Bernards (12-0) to a North Section 2 Group 2 title."
^Richards, Kara L. "Students travelings community hit by Katrina; La. town thanks Bernards teens for donations with invite to Mardi Gras", Courier News, January 29, 2007. Accessed February 16, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "About 30 Bernards High School students will parade through the streets of a community their neighbors helped through Hurricane Katrina. Houma, La., invited the Bernards High School students to play in Louisiana's second-largest Mardi Gras celebration, which is tamer than the one about 50 miles away in New Orleans. It's a thank-you from Houma for all the help Bernards has given to the city after Katrina devastated the Gulf region, said Al LiCata, executive director of the Bernards Township Chamber of Commerce. The chamber sent five 18-wheeler, 53-foot trucks filled with food and supplies to Houma to aid in the relief effort."
^Among the Blue Hills...Bernardsville...a History, published by the Bernardsville History Book Committee, 1991.
^Staff. "New Bernards High School principal to take the reins", The Bernardsville News, May 11, 2012. Accessed October 30, 2016. "A new principal has been chosen to lead Bernards High School. Scott Neigel, currently an assistant principal at Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights, was appointed by the Somerset Hills Regional Board of Education at a special meeting on Thursday, May 3."
^Hatala, Greg. "Glimpse of History: Arm-in-arm at commencement", The Star-Ledger, June 23, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2019. "Some of the school's notable alumni include Tony Award-winning actor Roger Bart ('80), John Geils Jr. of the J. Geils Band ('64) and Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep ('67)."
^ abZavalick, Charlie. "Rock legend stars at 'Wall of Honor' ceremony J. Geils among nine talented inductees", The Bernardsville News, April 17, 2015. Accessed September 5, 2019. "The late Philip Capice, Class of 1948, was introduced by student Renee Best. Mr. Capice was director of special programs at CBS, helping to develop animated features including Charlie Brown and Dr. Seuss. He went to become executive producer of the Emmy Award winning TV drama series Dallas."
^Staff. "Meryl Streep Before She Was Meryl Streep", 20/20, February 26, 2010. Accessed June 28, 2011. "'Funny story, she went out with J. Geils from the J. Geils Band,' said Castrilli. 'He was a senior at Bernards High School when we were freshmen. And it wasn't a serious dating relationship, but she hung around with him, and he -- seniors were allowed to drive to school. And he drove her. ... So you know, and it was kind of like a -- senior dating a freshman, whoa. It was almost scandalous, you know?'"
^"BHS Graduates' Plans Are Announced", Bernardsville News, July 6, 1972. Accessed November 12, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Bernards High School Principal Torry Froisland recently announced plans for the 201 members of the 1972 graduating class, as reported by the Guidance Department.... Jon Hinck, Univ. of Pennsylvania...
^Schwartz, Lexi. "Celebrity Then And Now: Andrew McCarthy"[usurped], Albany Daily News. Accessed September 5, 2019. "Enjoying a rather ordinary childhood and attending the Pingry School and Bernards High School, McCarthy set his sights on acting after high school graduation and landed his first starring role at 19 years old in the 1983 feature film, Class."
^"Katie Meyler featured at benefit March 16 in Bernardsville", The Bernardsville News, March 9, 2015. Accessed March 24, 2017. "A Bernardsville native, Meyler is a Bernards High School graduate and founder of the More Than Me Foundation, a non-profit organization that educates girls in Liberia. She was named a 2014 Time magazine 'Person of the Year' for her work in this impoverished West African nation, which has been hit hard by the deadly Ebola virus."
^"Bedminster man stars in TVs The Bachelorette", Bernardsville News, September 20, 2022. Accessed February 26, 2023. "Bedminster Twp. – A marriage proposal potentially loomed this week for a former township man who was cast in ABC’s long-running reality television show, The Bachelorette. The man, 29-year-old Erich Schwer, emerged as the last remaining suitor for one of two female leads in this season’s series....Schwer grew up on Ski Hill Dive and was graduated with the Bernards High School Class of 2011."
^"Bernards High Announces Grads' Plans", Bernardsville News, June 26, 1980. Accessed November 12, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Bernards High School Principal Torry Froisland recently announced plans for the 209 members of the 1980 graduating class, as reported by the Guidance Department.... Paul Sracic, Albright College..."
^Baratta, Amy. "Bernards High grad now a leader at ESPN", The Bernardsville News, July 13, 2012. Accessed October 15, 2020. "Former Bernardsville resident Carol Stiff, shown here in her high school yearbook photo, has made her mark in women’s basketball, first as a player at Bernards High School and Southern Connecticut State University, then as a coach at Western Connecticut State University, Rensselaer Polytechnic University and Brown University, and now as a programming executive at ESPN."
^"Detroit Signs John Sullivan", Bernardsville News, July 10, 1958. Accessed July 16, 2019. "Sullivan has been scouted by professional baseball teams for the past three years while at Bernards High School and has been offered a contract by the Pittsburgh Pirates also. ... 'Sully', a June graduate of Bernards High School, won nine letters in three different sports."
^Zavalick, Charlie. "B'ville filmmaker hopes to make horror classic here", Bernardsville News, January 21, 2011. Accessed May 8, 2013. "Weber, a 30-year-old Pine Street resident, can normally be found at the Bernardsville Library where he has worked part-time in technical services for about two years. But the 1998 Bernards High School graduate has aspirations to become a film director and hopes Mary Horror can help jump-start his career."
^Baratta, Amy. "Zombies invading Bernardsville; Local filmmaker working on second horror flick", Bernardsville News, August 24, 2012. Accessed May 8, 2013. "Filmmaker Ryan Scott Weber is at it again. Just nine months after he premiered his first horror flick, locally filmed Mary Horror, at Bernards High School, the 32-year-old borough man has taken to the streets of Bernardsville to film a sequel."
^Gault, Jonathan. "The Wetmore Formula", LetsRun, September 2014. Accessed July 16, 2019. "One of his charges was a sprinter named Mark Wetmore, who graduated from Bernards in 1971."