Marlboro High School is a four-year comprehensivepublichigh 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 the Freehold Regional High School District (FRHSD). The school serves students from portions of Marlboro Township.[7] Marlboro High School hosts the Business Administration Magnet Program (BAMP), a selective magnet program offered within FRHSD, so there are students attending Marlboro High School from across the county. Students that are a part of the BAMP take advanced classes that are more in-depth than regular classes. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1974.[5]
As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,816 students and 112.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 16.2:1. There were 95 students (5.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 20 (1.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[2]
History
With the original Freehold High School holding double sessions and rapid growth projected in the district, even with the new Southern Freehold Regional High School (to be renamed Howell High School) on the way, voters approved a referendum in December 1963 by a nearly 3-2 margin under which the district would spend $161,000 (equivalent to $1,602,000 in 2023) to acquire sites covering 43 acres (17 ha) in Marlboro and 65 acres (26 ha) in Manalapan that would be used for future high schools.[10]
Due to delays in opening Marlboro High School at the start of the 1968–69 school year, students assigned to the school attended split sessions in the afternoon at Freehold High School.[11]
Constructed at a cost of $3.4 million (equivalent to $29.8 million in 2023), the school opened in late October 1968.[12][13]
In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 421st out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 46th among all high schools in New Jersey and 29th among the state's non-magnet schools.[15]
In Newsweek magazine's report on "America's Top High Schools" for 2014, Marlboro High School was ranked 46th in the nation and 6th in New Jersey, among participating public high schools including some of the nation's top magnet schools.[16]
The school was the 9th-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.[17] The school had been ranked 123rd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 93rd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[18] The magazine ranked the school 117th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[19] The school was ranked 76th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[20]
In its 2014 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 118th in the nation among participating public high schools and 15th among schools in New Jersey, improving from the previous year's 343rd and 26th-place rankings, respectively.[21]
Schooldigger.com ranked the school 34th 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 (93.2%) and language arts literacy (98.6%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[22]
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 71st in New Jersey and 2,049th nationwide.[23]
In 2001, Marlboro High School's Academic Challenge team won runner-up (second place) from an original field of 113 teams in the statewide final competition.[24] The team was honored with a New Jersey Senate floor resolution at the Statehouse in Trenton on June 7, 2001.[25] The Rutgers Academic Challenge was an interscholastic statewide competition for high school teams that promoted academic excellence and team building through hands-on, multidisciplinary activities that engaged their knowledge and critical thinking skills. The competition included segments of problem-solving activities in the areas of mathematics, science, social studies and language arts.[26][27]
In 2006, Principal James Mullevey was named Administrator of the Year by the New Jersey Association of Student Councils (NJASC).[28]
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Marlboro High School's Debate Team was nationally recognized as a consistent powerhouse and frequent invitee to elite, invitation only events. In 1981, the team of Meredith McClintock and Andrea Alterman completed their high school debate careers as one of the top-ranked teams in the nation.[29]
In 2017, the Marlboro High School We The People team defeated East Brunswick High School to win the state We The People title for the first time in school history; East Brunswick had won the state competition 27 of the past 30 years, Marlboro defeating East Brunswick in the 30th year. Subsequently, the team was invited to compete in the 2017 national We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution competition, representing the state of New Jersey in the process.[30]
Business Administration Magnet Program
The Business Administration Magnet Program, currently located at Marlboro High School, offers a four-year program of study to a limited number of academically motivated students who wish to develop their interests in the areas of business and management. The program is focused through the study of targeted courses, which include finance, management, economics, law, and computer technology.
Students are encouraged to apply and practice the academic knowledge gained in the classroom through participation in various competitions sponsored by the Future Business Leaders of America and the Federal Reserve Bank. These co-curricular activities, as well as other opportunities afforded by our close proximity to financial and corporate institutions in the greater metropolitan area, play an integral role in students' personal and academic growth. Students will be prepared to attend a college or university with a foundation secured in human relations skills, rigorous academic training, and an appreciation for both social and ethical responsibility.[31]
Athletics
The Marlboro High School Mustangs[4] compete in Division A North of the Shore Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties, along the Jersey Shore.[3][32] The conference operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[33] With 1,363 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range.[34] 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.[35]
The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint ice hockey team with Holmdel High School. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[36]
The girls indoor track team won the Group IV state championship in 1991.[39]
In 1994, the football team won the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional championship, completing a 10–1 season with a 27–13 victory over Piscataway High School at Giants Stadium.[40][41]
In 2001, his senior year, Ty Jensen was the first Marlboro track and field athlete to win a title in every championship race during a single season. In the 1600 meter run, Jensen was the Monmouth County Champion, Shore Conference Champion, Central Jersey Group IV Champion, Group IV State Champion and the overall Meet of Champions Champion. He still holds the school record for the 1600 meter run with a time of 4:12.[42]
The girls' basketball team won the 2003 Group IV state championship, defeating East Orange Campus High School by a score of 84–69 in the final game of the playoff tournament.[43][44] In 2015, the girls varsity basketball team won the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional championship, defeating Monroe Township High School in overtime by a score of 60–52 in the tournament final.[45]
The gymnastics team won the overall state championship in 1999.[46]
In 2003, the boys' tennis team won the Group IV state championship, defeating Westfield High School in the finals. The team was ranked first in the state for the entire year. Due to international tournaments, the tennis team could not provide their full-strength team to the Tournament of Champions, and lost 3–2 to Newark Academy in the semifinals to end the season with a 29-2 (with both losses coming to Newark Academy).[47][48]
In 2009, the boys' soccer team became A-North Shore Conference champions, the first time in school history. In that same season another school first had been accomplished when the boys' soccer team won the Shore Conference Tournament with a 2–1 win in the tournament final over Christian Brothers Academy, having lost the previous season's final to Freehold Township High School.[49]
In 2011, the hockey team won the Shore Conference Division D title, the first championship of the school's hockey program.[50] The team won the Dowd Cup in 2011.[51]
In 2013, the boys' sprint medley relay team, consisting of Chaz Byrnes, Ruben Cruz, Zac Vignola, and Brandon Mazzarella, became the first ever boys' relay team from the district to win a Group IV state title.[52] Later in that same year, Sprint Medley anchor, Brandon Mazzarella, went on to win the Shore Conference Title in the 800 Meter Run.
Administration
The school's principal is David Bleakley, whose core administration team includes three assistant principals.[1]
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.[7] In order to balance enrollment, district lines are redrawn for the six schools to address issues with capacity and transportation. The other five schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[53]) with their attendance zones for incoming students are:[54][55][56]
Colts Neck High School[57] - 1,432 students from Colts Neck Township (all), Howell (part) and Marlboro (part)
^ abcFRHSD Attendance Boundaries; Which High School Will My Child Attend?, Freehold Regional High School District. Accessed September 24, 2024. "The following is a list of streets, by municipality, that are assigned to a Freehold Regional District high school outside of their hometown."
^Freehold Regional High School District 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 9, 2017. "The Freehold Regional High School District, the largest regional high school District in New Jersey, has six high schools with over 11,000 students and over 1,500 employees and spans 200 square miles. District members include the townships of Colts Neck, Freehold, Howell, Manalapan, and Marlboro, and the boroughs of Englishtown, Farmingdale, and Freehold."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Freehold Regional High School District, June 30, 2018. Accessed January 15, 2020. "Geographically, the District is comprised of the Townships of Colts Neck, Freehold, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro and the Boroughs of Englishtown, Farmingdale and Freehold. Established in 1953, the District's total area is 198 square miles."
^"Voters Okay School Sites Acquisition", The Daily Register, December 4, 1963. Accessed February 24, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The purchase of two school sites in Marlboro and Manalapan by the Freehold Regional Board of Education was approved last night by voters of seven municipalities in the regional school district by a vote of 595 to 437. A $161,000 bond issue, to be amortized in 13 years, will finance the land acquisition. Additional high school facilities to be built on the sites will be needed by September 1967, to avoid resumption of double sessions, the new Southern Freehold Regional high school notwithstanding, educators claim. The board will purchase 43 acres in Marlboro, fronting, 1,100 feet on Rt. 79, south of Rt. 520, from Big Brook, Inc., area developers, at a price not to exceed $101,500. The Manalapan site, 65 acres of the Woodrow Luhrs farm fronting 887 feet on the Englishtown-Millhurst Rd., will be purchased at $59,500."
^"Marlboro High School Late, to Shift Classes", The Daily Register, August 14, 1968. Accessed February 24, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "As a result, students scheduled to attend Marlboro High will attend Freehold Regional High School on split sessions until the new school is ready. Future Marlboro High students will attend the afternoon session (12:45 p.m. to 5:47 p.m.), while those already scheduled to attend Freehold High will attend the morning session (7:20 a.m. to 12:22 p.m.)."
^"Marlboro's New School Opening Set", Asbury Park Press, October 15, 1968. Accessed February 24, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The newly built Marlboro High School is expected to open Oct. 29. Dr. Eugene Errickson, president of the Freehold Regional High School Board of Education, announced the opening date last night."
^Scanlon, Joni. "State champions honored", Rutgers University Focus, June 15, 2001. Accessed June 27, 2011. "Livingston High School, the 2001 state champion of the Rutgers Academic Challenge, runner-up Marlboro High School and third-place Brick Township Memorial High School were honored with a Senate floor resolution at the Statehouse in Trenton June 7."
^Scanlon, Joni. "Nine enter Academic Challenge final rounds", Rutgers University Focus, March 30, 2001. Accessed June 27, 2011. "The Academic Challenge was developed by Rutgers faculty and staff in partnership with K-12 educators using New Jersey's core curriculum content standards as its foundation. It provides for a rigorous scholastic competition that allows students to think creatively, strategize in teams and present their ideas as part of a group."
^Elacqua, Peter. "Marlboro H.S. students will compete in national event", Independent, February 23, 2017. Accessed April 26, 2017. "In January, Marlboro's We the People team won its first We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution state competition. The victory was notable because it ended the domination of the contest by two other schools. In the 29 years the event has been held, East Brunswick High School has won 27 times and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School has won twice."
^Baron, Jill. "Marlboro captures crown in Group IV", Asbury Park Press, October 29, 1987. Accessed January 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Mustangs captured the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group IV crown by beating Millville, 3-0, in the semifinals and Ridgewood, 3-2, in the finals."
^Morris, Tim. "Marlboro celebrating its '94 CJ state champions: Players to be introduced at halftime of Manalapan game", Farmingdale News Transcript, November 23, 2004. Accessed October 20, 2007. "But Thursday the former Marlboro High School football coach will gladly do some reminiscing when he and the 1994 Mustang football team get together for the very first time since winning the Central Jersey Group IV championship to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their historic triumph.... Ten years removed from Marlboro's 27-13 win over Piscataway at Giants Stadium, Zdilla said he better understands the significance of Marlboro's championship."
^Morris, Tim. "New mind-set helped Jensen become a state champion Marlboro runner is Male Athlete of the Year", News Transcript, July 3, 2001. Accessed October 1, 2016. "For his championship season that culminated in the Meet of Champions 1,600 -meter title, Jensen is the News Transcript's 2001 Senior Male Athlete of the Year.... Jensen would go on to win the Freehold District, Monmouth County, Shore Conference and Central Jersey Group IV titles, all for the first time."
^Ryan, Chris. "Girls basketball: Shatsky's comeback highlights Marlboro's Central Jersey, Group 4 title", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, March 10, 2015. Accessed August 24, 2016. "Her comeback added another chapter on Tuesday, as the senior point guard poured in 27 points, including the 1,000th of her career on a key free throw down the stretch in overtime, to lead Marlboro to a 60-52 victory over Monroe in the Central Jersey, Group 4 final."
^Stratton, Brad. "2003 Group IV Champions; Mustangs live up to hype, finish with 29-win season", Asbury Park Press, June 26, 2003. Accessed January 17, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Mustangs lived up to the preseason hype, decimating their Shore Conference competition and running over some of the top teams in the state on their way to a Group IV tide. In the end it took Newark Academy, the team that won the Tournament of Champions title and boasted the best doubles team in the state, to derail the Marlboro Express. The Mustangs finished the year 29-2, their only two losses coming to Newark Academy."
^Morris, Tim. "Mustangs rally to win first conference crown: Two late goals help Marlboro sink CBA in soccer tournament", News Transcript, November 4, 2009. Accessed June 27, 2011. "The Mustangs certainly proved that by scoring a pair of goals in less than two minutes to stun CBA, 2-1, and win the program's first Shore Conference Tournament title. It was an especially sweet victory for all of the Marlboro seniors who lost in the championship game last year to Freehold Township."
^Morris, Tim. "Marlboro ice hockey team wins first division crown", News Transcript, February 9, 2011. Accessed December 1, 2011. "With one division game left, the Mustangs had already clinched the Shore Conference D Division title. On Feb. 8 the Mustangs played Point Pleasant Borough High School in their final division game and they were looking to finish division play undefeated. The Mustangs (15-1) were 9-0 in the division with one game to play."
^Morris, Tim. " Historic win for Marlboro; Freehold Twp. wins twice at NJSIAA State Relay Championships", News Transcript, January 23, 2013. Accessed September 22, 2014. "For Mazzarella and teammates Chaz Byrnes, Zac Vignola and Ruben Cruz, the Group IV sprint medley relay state championship came with an added bonus — it made school history. They are the first relay team to win a state title."
^Freehold High School, Freehold Regional High School District. Accessed March 13, 2024.
^Howell High School, Freehold Regional High School District. Accessed March 13, 2024.
^Howell High School, Freehold Regional High School District. Accessed March 13, 2024.
^Manalapan High School, Freehold Regional High School District. Accessed January 15, 2020.
^Coyne, Bob. "The world's his stage", Asbury Park Press, March 9, 1991. Accessed May 24, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "At an age when most kids are still dreaming of becoming firemen, cops or astronauts when they grow up, David Chalian was already on the road to discovering what he wanted to do as his life's work. "In elementary school, in the second grade, I got this part," the 17-year-old Marlboro High School senior explained."
^Idec, Keith. "Mamma's Boy bucks trend", The Record, July 15, 2009. Accessed January 16, 2012. "Two years after they moved to New Jersey, the summer before Douglin's senior year at Marlboro High School, he was involved in a car accident in which he suffered a career-threatening neck injury."
^Boyd, Alesha Williams. "Kids find reading can be fun", Asbury Park Press, March 3, 2010. Accessed March 3, 2011. "At 5 feet tall, Josh said he may be the shortest in his sophomore class at Marlboro High School, but he's already well on his way to being a big star."
^Morris, Tim. "Former Reds pitcher finds joy in coaching", Central Jersey Archives, July 28, 2011. Accessed February 4, 2020. "Glauber, a former Marlboro High School baseball standout who pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in 1998 and 2000, enjoyed his stint with the travel team so much this summer that he now thinks he might like to coach at the high school level someday."
^Murphy, Susan, "Monmouth County Native 'Makes It' on Broadway; Named Associate Choreographer for Hamilton Among Many Other Roles", CM Community Magazine, May 2016. Accessed November 27, 2018. "Former Colts neck resident Stephanie Klemons is the Associate Choreographer and Dance captain for Broadway's smash-hit musical Hamilton, which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama on April 18, 2016.... Klemons, 33 years of age, attended Colts Neck schools and graduated from Marlboro High School in 2000."
^Green, Paula. "Forensic teams build poise, confidence", Asbury Park Press, July 23, 1982. Accessed May 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Other Monmouth County students who qualified for the competition were Alan Deutschman, Jeff Kwatinetz and Andrew Strear, all of Marlboro High School, and Steve Goldstein, Robin Josey, Victor Miller and Tom Pickering, all of Matawan-Aberdeen Regional High School, Aberdeen Township."
^Staff. "For Champs, Little Margin For Error", The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 1, 1994. Accessed March 3, 2011. "Macik, from Marlboro High in New Jersey, is a prime example of the sort of not- quite-blue-chip prospect who comes into an Ivy League program and evolves into an impact player."
^Wentworth, Bridget. "Marlboro's Mergenthaler, teammate protest after disappointing sailing result", The Star-Ledger, August 11, 2008. Accessed January 15, 2020. "Marlboro High graduate Sarah Mergenthaler and her teammate, Amanda Clark, finished 12th in both races of the women's 470 two-person dinghy event this morning, leaving them in 13th place, according to the Associated Press."
^Ramer, Larry. "'Average Joe' using fame to boost charity efforts", News Transcript, April 21, 2004. Accessed November 27, 2018. "Life seems to be going well for one of Marlboro High School's most famous alumni, Adam Mesh."
^Stewart, Larry. "Nantz Shanked Shot on Course, but Not in Broadcast Booth", Los Angeles Times, March 29, 1991. Accessed September 22, 2014. "Jim stayed behind in Colts Neck, N.J., near Marlboro, living with a friend. He didn't want to miss his senior year at Marlboro High, where he became co-captain of the basketball team and captain of the golf team."
^Considine, Bob. "Take Five With Melissa Rauch", Inside Jersey, May 2011. Accessed July 15, 2013. "I also had a terrific theater teacher at Marlboro High School who taught me a great deal and was very encouraging. There wasn't a ton to do in Marlboro, so for me, it was either hang outside the Wawa or put on a show."
^Tesoriero, Tobi Drucker. 'Felicia Stoler: Spreading Health With A Little TLC"Archived November 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, living Marlboro, July 1, 2007. Accessed November 15, 2008. "Stoler calls both Holmdel and Marlboro home. She grew up in Marlboro, where she attended the Delfino (Central School), Marlboro Middle School, and Marlboro High School (her family owns a home in town). Now she, along with her 9-year-old daughter Isabella and 6-year- old son Zachary, live in Holmdel."
^Morton, Rebecca. "'Vampire Diaries' to give Marlboro native star turn", Sentinel, September 10, 2009. Accessed June 4, 2017. "Wesley attended Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft and Marlboro High School for a period during his high school years."
^Edelson, Stephen. "New: Shore's greatest girls basketball players - One last look", Asbury Park Press, February 8, 2017. Accessed October 2, 2017. "Even though she was only at Marlboro for three years, transferring to Highlands Regional for her senior season, Zoll earned a reputation as one of the finest playmakers ever to grace the hardwood at the Jersey Shore."