These are the 50 best public high schools for sports in NJ

As a father whose 18-year-old chose an expensive out-of-state school, I could have really been a fan of an athletic scholarship. Parents of student-athletes who hear the magic words “free ride” must have the weight of the world taken off their shoulders.

Of course high schools with great sports programs should never be considered important only for scholarships. Even if a student doesn’t participate in collegiate sports, a great sports program can make high school a much more fulfilling and character-building experience just like theater, music, etc.

How good is your kid’s high school when it comes to the sports program they offer? The analytics site Niche.comhas put out their annual ranking of the top public high schools for sports in New Jersey.

The rankings were pieced together through data compiled from U.S. Department of Education along with millions of questionnaire reviews by New Jersey parents and students and ones from other states.

They looked not only at championships won but at how many sports are offered, boys and girls participation, total school enrollment, etc.

Of their pick for the Top 50 public high schools for strong sports programs, 8 of them received an A+. 

For the third year in a row Ramapo High School (Bergen County) was first place. That school offers 30 sports with, as nj.com describes it, “a championship pedigree in almost all of them.”

Take a look at what Niche.com says are the 50 best public high schools in New Jersey for sports.

50. Delsea High School

Franklinville, Gloucester County

49. Colts Neck High School

Colts Neck, Monmouth County

48. Washington Township High School

Sewell, Gloucester County

47. Kearny High School

Kearny, Hudson County

46. Eastern Regional High School

Voorhees, Camden County

45. Phillipsburg High School

Phillipsburg, Warren County

44. Manalapan High School

Englishtown, Monmouth County

43. Southern Regional High School

Manahawkin, Ocean County

42. Parsippany Hills High School

Morris Plains, Morris County

41. Mount Olive High School

Flanders, Morris County

40. Cranford High School

Cranford, Union County

39. Old Bridge High School

Old Bridge, Middlesex County

38. Hopewell Valley High School

Pennington, Mercer County

37. Rancocas Valley High School

Mount Holly, Burlington County

36. Chatham High School

Chatham, Morris County

35. Ocean City High School

Ocean City, Cape May County

34. South Brunswick High School

South Brunswick, Middlesex County

33. Shore Regional High School

West Long Branch, Monmouth County

32. South Plainfield High School

South Plainfield, Middlesex County

31. Morris Knolls High School

Denville, Morris County

30. Westwood High School

Washington Township, Bergen County

29. Rutherford High School

Rutherford, Bergen County

28. North Hunterdon High School

Annandale, Hunterdon County

27. Pascack Valley High School

Hillsdale, Bergen County

26. Lacey Township High School

Lanoka Harbor, Ocean County

25. West Morris Central High School

Chester, Morris County

24. Toms River North High School

Toms River, Ocean County

23. Moorestown High School

Moorestown, Burlington County

22. Winslow High School

Winslow, Camden County

21. Delran High School

Delran, Burlington County

20. Manasquan High School

Manasquan, Monmouth County

19. Passaic Valley High

Little Falls, Passaic County

18. Old Tappan High School

Old Tappan, Bergen County

17. Wall High School

Wall, Monmouth County

16. Cherokee High School

Marlton, Burlington County

15. Shawnee High School

Medford, Burlington County

14. Wayne Valley High

Wayne, Passaic County

13. West Essex High School

North Caldwell, Essex County

12. River Dell Regional High School

Oradell, Bergen County

11. Ridge High School

Basking Ridge, Somerset County

10. Jackson Memorial High School

Jackson, Ocean County

9. Summit High School

Summit, Union County

8. Middletown South High School

Middletown, Monmouth County

7. Haddonfield High School

Haddonfield, Camden County

6. Ridgewood High School

Ridgewood, Bergen County

5. Northern Highlands Regional High School

Allendale, Bergen County

4. Wayne Hills High School

Wayne, Passaic County

3. Cedar Creek High School

Egg Harbor City, Atlantic County

2. Westfield High School

Westfield, Union County

1. Ramapo High School

Franklin Lakes, Bergen County

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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