As of the 2019–20 school year, the district, comprised of nine schools, had an enrollment of 4,819 students and 396.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.2:1.[1]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "CD", the sixth-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.[4]
Students from Merchantville had attended the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship that began in 1972, when the borough's high school was closed.[5] For years, the Merchantville district had sought to end the relationship with the Pennsauken district.[6] In the wake of a 2015 decision by the New Jersey Department of Education, Merchantville students began attending Haddon Heights High School starting in the 2015–2016 school year, as part of a transition that will be fully in place in the 2018–2019 school year.[7][8]
Governance
In 1996 the district stated that a parent survey on school uniforms showed 68% of respondents favoring them.[9]
John Ogunkanmi, business administrator and board secretary
Board of education
The district's board of education, comprised of nine members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year held (since 2012) as part of the November general election. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.[26][27][28]
^Pennsauken Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Pennsauken Township Schools. Accessed May 3, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the Pennsauken School District. Composition: The Pennsauken School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Pennsauken."
^Merchantville School District 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 1, 2016. "In the Spring of 2015, Merchantville School won a ruling to start a send/receive relationship with Haddon Heights. We continue to work closely with Haddon Heights High School to ensure that our students are well prepared to meet their expectations. We will continue to phase in one grade level at a time into Haddon Heights High School until all high school students are enrolled for the 2018-2019 school year."
^Romalino, Carly Q. "Merchantville students head to Haddon Heights", Courier-Post, April 14, 2015. Accessed June 1, 2016. "An administrative law judge in March ruled in favor of Merchantville's request to end its student send-receive agreement with Pennsauken High School.... Hespe's signature, issued Friday, severs the relationship and allows for Merchantville to establish a five-year sending-receiving agreement with Haddon Heights School District."
^About, Pennsauken Township Schools. Accessed May 3, 2020. "The Pennsauken Public School District serves over 5,000 students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 in one early childhood center, four elementary schools, an intermediate school, a middle school, an alternative high school and a comprehensive high school."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Pennsauken Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed May 6, 2024. "The School District is a Type II district located in the County of Camden, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education (the 'Board'). The Board is comprised of nine members elected to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three member's terms expire each year. The Superintendent is appointed by the Board to act as executive officer of the School District. The purpose of the School District is to educate students in grades Pre-K through 12 at its ten schools." See "Roster of Officials" on page 14.
^Board Members, Pennsauken Public Schools. Accessed May 3, 2020.
Notes
^After numerous years as an elementary school, Burling was reorganized as a high school for two consecutive years. The original building is re-opening as an elementary school for the 2021-2022 school year.