Burlington Township 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, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

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 (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

s from Burlington Township in Burlington County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, operating as part of the Burlington Township School District. As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,176 students and 99.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 11.8:1. There were 222 students (18.9% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 80 (6.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Burlington Township High School

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. Accessed December 15, 2024.

History

The school was designed by Frederic P. Wiedersum Associates in 1963 with a staged approach under which the building would have a capacity of 694 when first constructed that could expand to 1,267 when all three stages were completed. The school opened for the 1964-65 school year, with initial portion completed at a cost of $1.6 million (equivalent to $ million in ), with students shifted over from Burlington City High School.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 178th-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 New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United St ...

'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 203rd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 153rd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 140th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 138th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school as 186th out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (a decrease of 6 positions from the 2009 rank) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy and mathematics components of the

High School Proficiency Assessment The High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA, pronounced "hess-pah" (/ˈhɛspə/) or sometimes just "H-S-P-A") was a standardized test that was administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey public high school students in ...

(HSPA).

Athletics

The Burlington Township High School FalconsBurlington Township 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 in the Burlington County Scholastic League, which is comprised of public and private high schools in the Burlington County area, operating under the supervision of the

(NJSIAA). With 880 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2022–24 school years as Group III Central for most athletic competition purposes. The football team competes in the Liberty Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconference and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group III South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 695 to 882 students. Township and student population have drastically increased within the past decade. The school, during the first seven years of competition in the Burlington County League, was considered a "Group I" then "Group II" category. The school's main rivals are Burlington City High School, Delran High School, Florence Township Memorial High School and Holy Cross High School. The boys basketball team won the Group I state championship in 1985 (vs. Bogota High School in the tournament final), 1987 (vs. Newark Tech High School) and 1992 (vs. Newark Tech). The 1985 team finished the season with a record of 31-0 after defeating Bogota by a score of 66–52 in the Group I championship game at the

Brendan Byrne Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. Since closing, ...

. The 1992 team won the Group I title with a 79–61 win in the championship game at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

against Newark Tech. The 2010-11 team won the Central Jersey Group III sectional championship with a 70–64 win over

Colts Neck High School Colts Neck High School is a four-year comprehensive high school, comprehensive state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school located in Colts Neck Township, New Jersey, Colts Neck Township, in Monmouth County, New Je ...

, overcoming a deficit of 13 points in the fourth quarter. The 2011 sectional title was the program's tenth overall and its first since 1992. The football team won the South Jersey Group I state sectional championships in 1976 and 1977. The BTHS football team had won two consecutive Patriot Division titles and were moved up to the Liberty Division, where they pulled through the 2006–07 season with a 1–7 record. The first two games of the 06–07 season were forfeited due to an ineligible running back, overturning two games the team had won. The 1985 softball team finished the season with a 16–5 record after they defeated Saddle Brook High School by a score of 13–12 in extra innings in the final of the playoffs to win the Group I state championship in a game in which Saddle Brook led 7-0 after two innings, then Burlington Township pulled ahead 12-7 before Saddle Brook tied the game in the seventh inning. The boys track team won the spring / outdoor track state championship in Group I in 1996. The girls basketball team won the Group I state championship in 1997, defeating Cresskill High School in the final game of the tournament.Girls Basketball Championship History: 1919–2024

, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. The 2011 boys soccer team won the BCSL Liberty Division for the first time in school history with a 7-1-2 record; the title was also the first in the boys soccer program's history. The BTHS boys bowling team won the BCSL division championship with an 11-1 division record, and went 14-5 overall, and repeated as division champion in 2012. The field hockey team won the Central Jersey Group III state sectional championship in 2019. In 2019, the team defeated Brick Township High School by a score of 5–0 in the final of the Central Jersey Group III tournament to win the program's first sectional title.

Allegations of religious intolerance

On March 22, 2007, Burlington Township High School scheduled a simulated Columbine-like

school shooting A school shooting is an Gun violence, armed attack at an educational institution, such as a primary school, secondary school, high school or university, involving the use of a firearm. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shooti ...

lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

and evacuation where Burlington Township Police detectives posed as

Christian fundamentalists Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British and ...

who became angry (when a student was expelled for praying before class) and began shooting students in order to "seek justice". In response to the news coverage, the Burlington Township School District issued an official statement saying: :"Any perceived insensitivities to our religious community as a result of the emergency exercise are regrettable. It was certainly not the intent to portray any group in a negative manner. We cherish, respect, and celebrate the diversity of cultures and faith that exist within our community." The district respected the right of students and faculty to pray on school grounds.

Administration

The school's principal is Phil Brownridge. His core administration team includes three vice principals.

Notable alumni

* Kevin Baggett (born 1966), head men's basketball coach for

Rider University Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, United States. It consists of three academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which includes Westminster Choir Coll ...

. * Ka'dar Hollman (born 1996, class of 2013), defensive back for the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a Public university, public research university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, ...

and the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. * Rod Streater (born 1988), wide receiver for

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

, and the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. *

Bryan Warrick Bryan Anthony Warrick (born July 22, 1959) is an American retired professional basketball player. He was a point guard and played collegiately at Saint Joseph's University where he was named to the East Coast Conference and Philadelphia Big 5 ...

(born 1959, class of 1978), former professional basketball player who played five seasons in the NBA.

Notable faculty

* Kenneth William Faulkner (born 1947), former boys' basketball coach who led the team to a 521–129 record and NJSIAA Group I state championships in 1985, 1987 and 1992.Carchidi, Sam
"Burlington Twp. Coach Resigns New Duties As A Principal Sparked Ken Faulkner's Move. His Teams Won 521 Games In 24 Years."
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', February 25, 1996. Accessed August 15, 2016. "During Faulkner's 24 seasons of coaching at Burlington Township, the Falcons compiled a 521-129 record and won 13 division titles, seven sectional crowns, and three Group 1 state championships (1985, 1987, 1992).... A former star guard at Riverside High (Class of '66) and Campbell (N.C.) College, Faulkner knew that he was going to retire before this season started."

References

External links

Burlington Township High SchoolBurlington Township School District
*
School Data for the Burlington Township School District

{{Authority control 1964 establishments in New Jersey Burlington Township, New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1964 Public high schools in Burlington County, New Jersey Buildings designed by Frederic P. Wiedersum Associates