Colts Neck 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., ...

located in Colts Neck Township, in

Monmouth County Monmouth County () is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north by ...

, 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 ...

, serving 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 and operating as one of the six secondary schools of the

Freehold Regional High School District The Freehold Regional High School District is a public regional school district established in 1953, that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from eight communities in western Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The di ...

. The school is located at the corner of County Route 537 and Five Points Road. The school serves students from all of Colts Neck Township and from portions of both Howell Township and Marlboro Township. The school has been accredited by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, also referred to as the Middle States Association or MSA, is an accreditor in the United States. Historically, it has accredited schools in the Mid-Atlantic states region of the northeas ...

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2008; its accredited status extends to July 2025.Colts Neck High School

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed December 18, 2024. As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,413 students and 96.2 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 14.7:1. There were 199 students (14.1% of enrollment) eligible for

free lunch A free lunch is the provision of a meal at no cost, usually as a sales enticement to attract customers and increase revenues from other business. The practice was once common in saloons and taverns in many places in the United States, with the ...

and 52 (3.7% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Colts Neck 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. The school's mascot is the

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...

, which was chosen collectively by the student body in a competition. The school's motto is "Let The Tradition Begin."

History

The earliest proposal for a high school in Colts Neck dates back to a May 1978, referendum that would have included a high school building in the township at a cost of $17 million (equivalent to $ million in ), which was approved by Colts Neck voters but was overwhelmingly rejected by voters in the seven other constituent municipalities. In 1983, there was active consideration of having Colts Neck withdraw from the regional high school system, while the district considered renaming

Marlboro High School Marlboro High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Marlboro Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the six secondary schools of t ...

, which was attended by Colts Neck students, as Marlboro-Colts Neck High School. A site was identified in 1986 as part of a project that would create a new Colts Neck High School that would cost an estimated $30 million (equivalent to $ million in ) and could accommodate 1,300 students and would also expand other district facilities at a total cost of $36 million. In September 1986, voters approved the referendum by a 58%-42% margin, with Colts Neck residents providing much of the margin for passage. By 1988, the costs of construction of the new high school had soared by millions of dollars, exceeding the amount available from the referendum to cover the costs, leading to further delays. In February 1993, a judge ruled that the district had to move forward with construction of the new high school and could not put forth a referendum to undo the 1986 vote. In July 1994, the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases cha ...

refused to hear the case. Construction began in August 1996, with expectations to have the building open in September 1998 to handle 750 incoming students, with an eventual capacity for 1,300. The school opened in September 1998 as the sixth high school in the system, with 380 students in ninth and tenth grades. Since the start of the 2016–17 school year, students in grades 9 through 12 from

Naval Weapons Station Earle Naval Weapons Station Earle, originally known as the Naval Ammunition Depot Earle, is a United States Navy base in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Its distinguishing feature is a pier in Sandy Hook Bay where ammunition can be loaded ...

started attending Colts Neck High School, before which they had attended

Monmouth Regional High School Monmouth Regional High School is a regional, four-year public high school and public school district based in Tinton Falls, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Eatontown, Shr ...

Tinton Falls Tinton Falls is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located within the heart of the Jersey Shore region, the borough is a commercial hub of Central Jersey (it is the site of the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets and differe ...

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 68th-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 103rd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 80th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 109th in the magazine's September 2008 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state."Top New Jersey High Schools 2010: By Rank"
''

'', September 2010, Accessed September 1, 2010. Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 72nd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 61 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (89.4%) and language arts literacy (96.7%) 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 Colts Neck High School CougarsColts Neck 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 Division B North of the Shore Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in Monmouth and

Ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

counties along the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...

.Shore Conference Realignment for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020
Shore Conference. Accessed November 15, 2020. The league operates under the jurisdiction of the

(NJSIAA). With 1,027 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 761 to 1,058 students in that grade range. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 890 to 1,298 students. Since the school opened in 2001, it has won numerous state, sectional, county, conference, and division titles. The school participates with

Raritan High School Raritan High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Hazlet Township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Hazl ...

in a joint ice hockey team in which

Freehold High School Freehold High School, sometimes called Freehold Boro, Freehold Borough High School or Boro to distinguish it from Freehold Township High School, is a four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located within ...

is the host school / lead agency. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.

Girls' soccer

In 2015, the girls' soccer team finished the season with a record of 24–0–1, winning the first Shore Conference title and the first state title for girls' soccer, defeating nationally top ranked

Northern Highlands Regional High School Northern Highlands Regional High School (NHRHS) is a regional public high school and school district in Allendale, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Allendale ...

by a score of 1–0 in the tournament final to win the Group III state championship.

Girls' basketball

The girls' basketball program set a single season record for wins in 2009 and won the Group IV state championship, defeating

Columbia High School Columbia High School may refer to: *Columbia High School (Huntsville, Alabama) *Columbia High School (Georgia) *Columbia High School (Florida) *Columbia High School (Idaho) *Columbia High School (Illinois) *Columbia High School (Mississippi), a Mis ...

by a score of 58–52 in the tournament final.Girls Basketball Championship History: 1919–2024

, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. The team finished the season with a 29–4 record after losing in the finals of the

Tournament of Champions A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

by a score of 56–44 to St. John Vianney High School, which won their sixth Tournament of Champions title. In 2008 they won the Shore Conference Tournament with a 55–47 win over

Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School The Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (often abbreviated RFH) is a regional, four-year comprehensive high school, comprehensive state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school and school district, serving studen ...

in triple overtime, the first public high school to win the conference title since 1989.

Girls bowling

The girls bowling team won the Group II state championship in 2019.

Girls field hockey

The 2017 field hockey team won the North II Group III state sectional championship with a 2–0 victory against

.History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships

. Accessed May 1, 2023.

Cross country / track & field

The

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

and track program (in particular distance running) has been one of the school's most successful teams. The girls' cross country team has been nationally ranked three times, during the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons. The team also qualified for Nike Team Nationals in 2006 and finished 4th with

Ashley Higginson Ashley Higginson (born March 17, 1989) is an American middle-distance runner who has made the U.S. team for the 2013 World Championships in Athletics in the 3000 meter steeplechase. Life and career Born in Staten Island, New York, Higginson grew ...

(1st place), Briana Jackucewicz, Allison Donaghy, Kristen O'Dowd, Erin Donaghy, Allie Flott, Morgan Clark, and Allison Linnell (Linnell attended MAST.) This 2006 girls' team had wins at the 2006 Shore Conference, Monmouth County, Central Jersey Group IV, NJ Group IV, and NJ Meet of Champions. The cross country program also has produced three Foot Locker finalists (Briana Jackucewicz, Craig Forys, and Ashley Higginson). The girls won state group cross country team titles in Group I in 2000, in Group III in 2005 and 2016–2018, and in Group IV in 2006. The boys won the state Group III title in 2016. The indoor and outdoor track and field program has also been extremely successful having won six national titles, the boys indoor distance medley relay 2005, girls indoor 4 x Relay 2006 & 2007, boys indoor 2 mile (Craig Forys) 2007, girls indoor and outdoor 2 mile (Ashley Higginson) 2007. The track program also has produced numerous state champions and has held numerous state records, the most notable being the boys' 4 x 800 relay set in 2005 with a time of 7:39.54. Craig Forys set the New Jersey State 3000 meters and two-mile (3.2 km) records and Ashley Higginson set the New Jersey State 2 mile, 5000 meter and 2000 meter steeplechase records. The boys have won state group team titles in indoor track in Group III in 2016 and 2017. The girls spring / outdoor track team won the Group III state championship in 2021.NJSIAA Girls Spring Track Summary of Group Titles

. Accessed May 1, 2023.

Boys' basketball

In the 2015–16 season, the boys' basketball team captured its first state title, defeating crosstown rival

Freehold Township High School Freehold Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Freehold Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The school serves st ...

by a score of 45–44 in the Central Jersey Group IV tournament final.

Boys' soccer

The team won the Group I championship in 2000, defeating runner-up

Whippany Park High School Whippany Park High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Hanover Township in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as one of the two secondary scho ...

by a score of 4–2 in the tournament final.

Softball

The softball team won the Group III state championship in 2021, defeating

Cranford High School Cranford High School is a four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in Cranford, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and operating as the lone secondary school of the Cranford Townshi ...

in the tournament final.

Administration

The school's principal is Brian P. Donahue. His core administration team includes two assistant principals.

Other high schools in the district

Attendance at each of the district's high schools is based on where the student lives in relation to the district's high schools. While many students attend the school in their hometown, others attend a school located outside their own municipality.FRHSD Attendance Boundaries; Which High School Will My Child Attend?
Freehold Regional High School District. Accessed December 17, 2024. "The following is a list of streets, by municipality, that are assigned to a Freehold Regional District high school outside of their hometown." In order to balance enrollment, district lines are redrawn for the six schools to address issues with overcrowding and spending in regards to transportation. The other five schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the

) with their attendance zones for incoming students are: *

with 1,407 students from Freehold (all) and Freehold Township (part) *

with 1,902 students from Freehold Township (part), Howell (part), Manalapan (part) * Howell High School with 1,905 students from Farmingdale (all) and Howell (part) *

Manalapan High School Manalapan High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Manalapan Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The school serves stude ...

with 1,740 students from Englishtown (all) and Manalapan (part) *

with 1,742 students from Marlboro (part)

Notable alumni

Jake Areman Jake E. Areman (born March 9, 1996) is an American retired soccer player. Raised in Freehold Township, New Jersey, Areman played prep soccer at Colts Neck High School. Career College and amateur Areman played college soccer at the University o ...

(born 1996),

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who plays for the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

in the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

Anthony DeSclafani Anthony James DeSclafani (born April 18, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Gia ...

(born 1990), MLB pitcher for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

(born 1989), middle-distance runner who won the gold medal in the 3000 meter

steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...

at the

2015 Pan American Games The 2015 Pan American Games (), officially the XVII Pan American Games () and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games (Toronto 2015), were a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Pan American Games, ...

Otandeka Laki Otandeka Kanyesigye Laki (born 24 January 1996) is a Ugandan association football, footballer who plays as a Winger (association football), winger and a Striker (association football), striker for Doncaster Rovers Belles L.F.C., Doncaster Rovers ...

(born 1996),

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a winger and a striker for the Uganda women's national team * Frankie Tagliaferri (born 1999), professional

player who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for the

North Carolina Courage The North Carolina Courage are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acqui ...

in the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

Frankie Tagliaferri

Penn State Nittany Lions women's soccer The Penn State Nittany Lions women's soccer team is an intercollegiate varsity team, varsity sports team at Pennsylvania State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Nittan ...

. Accessed November 30, 2023. "Hometown: Colts Neck, N.J. High School: Colts Neck."

References

External links

Colts Neck High School website

Freehold Regional High School District website

Colts Neck High School N.J.R.O.T.C website
*
School Data for the Freehold Regional High School District

{{Authority control Colts Neck Township, New Jersey Howell Township, New Jersey Marlboro Township, New Jersey 1998 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1998 Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools Public high schools in Monmouth County, New Jersey Magnet schools in New Jersey