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Pascack Valley Regional High School District

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Grades
  
9-12

Business administrator
  
Pamela Baxley

Student-teacher ratio
  
12.4:1

Number of students
  
2,061

Faculty
  
166.3

Superintendent
  
P. Erik Gundersen

Enrollment
  
2,061 (as of 2013-14)

District Factor Group
  
I

Schools
  
2


The Pascack Valley Regional High School District is a regional public high school district encompassing students from four communities in the Pascack Valley region of Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Hillsdale, Montvale, River Vale and Woodcliff Lake.

Contents

Map of Pascack Valley Regional High School District, NJ, USA

As of the 2013-14 school year, the district's two schools had an enrollment of 2,061 students and 166.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.4:1.

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "I", the second-highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.

History

In 1955, Pascack Valley Regional High School District opened Pascack Valley High School with an enrollment of 650 students from the boroughs of Hillsdale, Montvale, River Vale, and Woodcliff Lake, having bonded $1,250,000 towards the costs of construction. Previously, students from those municipalities attended other local high schools, including Westwood High School and Park Ridge High School, but with increasing enrollment as the suburbs boomed, the towns, with State approval, formed a regional high school district.

During the next several years enrollment increased and so did the faculty and building capacity. Additional classrooms were added and the program of studies was expanded. Increased enrollment in 1963 resulted in double sessions. In September 1964, Pascack Hills High School opened up to students living in Montvale, Woodcliff Lake and a portion of Hillsdale, with a flexible scheduling program that allowed students to select courses using a system run by an analyst from International Telephone and Telegraph using a mainframe computer system. Pascack Valley High School had the balance of Hillsdale students and all of River Vale students. In the early 1990s, western (west of Pascack Road) Hillsdale transitioned from sending to Pascack Hills to Pascack Valley.

By 1970, the enrollment was again up to capacity and building construction was necessary to house 1,800 students. This expansion of Pascack Valley High School provided additional classrooms, expanded department areas, and other facilities such as gymnasium, a new cafeteria and library.

In March 2008, the district announced plans to offer online courses, beginning in the 2008-09 school year, with that school year's seniors being given priority.

Awards and recognition

  • In the 2000-01 school year, Pascack Valley Regional High School was recognized with the Best Practices Award by the New Jersey Department of Education for its "Senior Projects/Senior Alternate Assessment Program".
  • Pascack Hills High School was the 7th-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, after having been ranked 18th in the state out of 328 schools in 2012; Pascack Valley High School was ranked 39th in 2014 and 73rd in 2012.
  • The Pascack Pi-oneers, a district-wide high school robotics team, has won several regional awards.
  • High schools

    Schools in the district (with 2013-14 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:

  • Pascack Hills High School opened in Montvale in 1964 and served 819 students from Montvale and Woodcliff Lake.
  • Glenn M. deMarrais, Principal
  • Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale opened in 1955 and served 1,241 students from Hillsdale and River Vale.
  • Thomas De Maio, Principal
  • Administration

    Core members of the district's administration are:

  • P. Erik Gundersen – Superintendent of Schools
  • Pamela Baxley - Business Administrator / Board Secretary
  • References

    Pascack Valley Regional High School District Wikipedia