As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,865 students and 149.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1. There were 256 students (13.7% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 90 (4.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
History
In May 1956, voters approved by a better than 100-1 margin the construction of a building designed to accommodate 1,500 students in a building on a 45-acre (18 ha) site that would cost $1.5 million (equivalent to $16.8 million in 2023).[6] Prior to the opening of Southern Regional, students from Barnegat, Ocean Township, and Long Beach Island attended the former Barnegat High School, while students from Stafford, Eagleswood, Tuckerton, Little Egg Harbor, and Bass River attended the former Tuckerton High School, which currently houses Tuckerton's elementary school.
At first, the school only had two sports; boys' baseball and boys' basketball. Football was added in 1958, and wrestling came two years later. Girls had "Sports Nights" instead of competitive teams. It would not be until the 1960s when women's sports would first appear at Southern. Due to the quick growth of the area, a new wing and expanded gymnasium were added in 1966.[7]
In 1970, Southern Regional Middle School opened its doors to 7th and 8th graders. However, it soon became overcrowded. Starting in 1979, students from Tuckerton, Little Egg Harbor, Bass River, and Eagleswood, would attend the newly opened Pinelands Regional High School in Tuckerton. At the same time, an expansion was built onto the middle school, all ninth graders were moved from the high school to the middle school.
The high school went through several changes throughout the 1990s. In December 1991, maintenance crews installing a heating system sparked the fire that damaged the guidance area and several science labs, which were later remodeled.[8] The school also caught fire two years later after an explosion occurred in the school's main electric panel.[9] While a new wing of classrooms was added to the high school in 1996, a new two-story building was opened in 1998 adjacent to the existing high school, with the old high school building housing ninth and tenth graders known as the "9/10 building", and the new building which houses eleventh and twelfth graders being known as the "11/12 building. At the same time, the middle school went back to housing the seventh and eighth graders.
In 2004, the Barnegat High School opened, starting with only a freshman class. Each year, a new year was added to Barnegat High School. June 2007 marked Southern Regional's last graduating class with students from Barnegat.[10] Barnegat High School became a full 9-12 high school in September 2007 and graduated its first seniors in June 2008.[11] Prior to the termination of the sending relationship with Barnegat, the Southern district had received as much as $30 million for students attending the school.[12]
Awards, recognition and rankings
The school was the 192nd-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.[13] The school had been ranked 236th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 154th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[14] The magazine ranked the school 192nd in 2008 out of 316 schools.[15] The school was ranked 213th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[16] Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 175th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 20 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (79.4%) and language arts literacy (94.2%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[17]
The health and physical education program are required courses. Project Adventure, an outdoor education program, and behind-the-wheel driver education are also offered. Additionally, Southern Regional has an "Honor Unit" Air ForceJunior ROTC program, which concentrates on aerospace science, leadership training, and community service. The special needs of students are addressed as well, through self-contained, resource, adaptive success, and in-class support programs. Mainsail (alternative) and ESL (English as a Second Language) programs are offered for eligible students. In addition to the academic programs, Southern Regional offers students over 70 co-curricular and interscholastic programs.
Athletics
The Southern Regional High School Rams[2] compete in Division A South of the Shore Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties along the Jersey Shore.[3][18] The conference operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[19] With 1,438 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.[20] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 1,333 to 2,324 students.[21]
The school was recognized as the Group IV winner of the NJSIAA ShopRite Cup in 2006–07. The award recognized the school for achieving first place in girls indoor track and field relays, indoor track and field, and girls track and field; second place in wrestling and boys volleyball; and third place in girls volleyball.[22]
The school was also recognized as the Group IV winner of the ShopRite Cup in 2008–09. Southern was recognized for achieving first place in girls volleyball, girls winter track relays, girls winter track, boys volleyball and girls outdoor track, second place in football and wrestling, and third place in boys cross-country and boys outdoor track, plus bonus points for having no disqualifications in the winter and spring seasons.[23]
The wrestling team won the South Jersey Group IV state sectional championship in 1997, 2005–2009, 2011–2014, and the South Jersey Group V title in 2016 and 2018–2020; the team won the Group IV state championship in 2005, and the Group V title in 2016, 2019 and 2020.[24] The team won the 2007 South, Group IV state sectional championship with a 51–12 win against Toms River High School East.[25]
The girls' track team won the Group IV indoor relay state championship in 2007, 2009 and 2010.[26]
The Southern football team had its most successful season in 2007. The team became the winningest team in school history by going 8–3. They also advanced to the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV state playoffs where they won their first playoff game in school history defeating Washington Township High School by 21–7 in the first round before falling to top-seeded Toms River High School North 33–0 in the tournament semifinal.[27][28] The 2008 team became the winningest team in school history by going 10–2. They also advanced to the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV state finals where they lost to Mainland High School 21–14.[citation needed] In 2012, the Southern Regional football team went 9–3 with playoff victories over Washington Township High School and Eastern Regional High School before falling to Williamstown High School by a score of 43–20 in the South Jersey Group V Final.[29]
The girls' outdoor track and field team won the Group IV state championship in 2007–2009.[30]
Southern is also home to one of the most successful volleyball programs in the state. Both the boys and girls volleyball teams, coached by Eric Maxwell, routinely compete for state championships; Maxwell won his 300th boys coaching victory in May 2011.[31] The girls volleyball team won the Group IV state championship in 2008 after defeating Hunterdon Central Regional High School in three sets (25-19, 13–25, 25–20) in the playoff's final match.[32][33][34] The boys volleyball team won the overall state championship in 2009 (defeating St. Peter's Preparatory School in the final match of the tournament), 2010 (vs. St. Peter's), 2013 (vs. St. Joseph High School of Metuchen), 2014 (vs. St. Peter's), 2016 (vs. Harrison High School) and 2017 (vs. Fair Lawn High School). The program's six state titles are ranked second among all schools in the state.[35][36][37]
The boys outdoor track team won the Group IV state championship in 2021.[39]
Extracurricular activities
The school's marching band was Tournament of Bands Chapter One Champions from 2001 to 2005 (Group 4) and 2011 (Group 2). The marching band was also New Jersey State Champions in 2011 for Group 2. The marching band was Atlantic Coast Champions in Group 4 in 2003, 2004 and in 2005 was the co-champion. The marching band was also Atlantic Coast Champions in Group 2 in 2011.[40] Prior to 2017, the marching band also competed in another circuit called Cavalcade of Bands. The marching band was Cavalcade of Bands Champions for the Liberty division in 2010 and 2011. The Jazz Ensemble has also won state championships and has received many top honors. Both the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble have been ranked in the top four bands in the region for the past ten years and have been selected for the State Concert Band Gala every year since its inception. Southern Regional is known for having one of the premier music departments in the state.
The school came in second place in the Consumer Bowl 2007 state championship, a program that evaluates the skills of students as informed consumers.[41]
Administration
The school's principal is Joseph Medica. His core administration team includes four assistant principals.[42]
Matt McAndrew (born 1990, class of 2009), singer-songwriter best known for his appearance in Season 7 of NBC's reality TV singing competition The Voice where he finished as the runner-up[55]
^Southern Regional High School 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 2, 2016. "Located in Manahawkin, the Southern Regional School District draws from the constituent districts of Long Beach Township, Beach Haven, Surf City, Ship Bottom, Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars and Stafford Township, as well as the tuition sending district of Ocean Township (Waretown).
^About Us, Southern Regional School District. Accessed January 20, 2020. "Our school is a 7-12 comprehensive regional high school district. Our middle school covers grades 7-8 and our high school covers grades 9-12. The district is comprised of the constituent members of Stafford Township, Beach Haven, Long Beach Township, (which includes the municipalities of Loveladies, North Beach, High Bar Harbor and Brant Beach and Long Beach Township) Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, and Surf City. Waretown is our sending district."
^"New Regional School Approved by Voters", Asbury Park Press, June 1, 1956. Accessed June 1, 1956. Accessed March 11, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Residents of southern Ocean County overwhelmingly endorsed the proposed regional junior-senior high school yesterday. The vote was 1,195 for the new high school and 11 against It. The proposed $1,500,000 school will serve a regional district composed of Stafford Township, Beach Haven boro, and Long Beach Island school districts. The Long Beach Island district includes Harvey Cedars, Cedars, Barnegat Light, Surf City, Ship Bottom, and Long Beach Township. The regional school also will accept students from Tuckerton and Union Townships. The school will be designed to accommodate 1,530 students. It will be located on a 45-acre tract at the intersection of Route 9 and the Manahawkin-Cedarbridge Road."
^The History of SRHS, Southern Regional School District. Accessed March 12, 2011.
^Pais, Matt. "New leader's roots go deep at Southern", Asbury Park Press, June 7, 2007. Accessed June 20, 2011. "The compounding effects of state aid restrictions and a pair of new laws regulating school budgets were imposed just as $30 million in tuition revenue from Barnegat students went out the door."
^Serzan, Joe. "Top-seeded Southern ends Red Devils' run", Courier News, November 16, 2008. Accessed February 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The second-seeded Hunterdon Central High School girls volleyball team fought hard against top-seeded Southern but fell 2-1 'in the NJSIAA Group IV final Saturday at William Paterson University.... Southern (38-1) took advantage, winning the first set 25-19 and the last 25-20 to advance to the Tournament of Champions."
^Voorhees High School Wins 2007 State Consumer Bowl Competition, New Jersey Attorney General press release dated May 22, 2007. Accessed February 27, 2008. "Voorhees High School in Glen Gardner, Hunterdon County, is the State Champion in the 11th Annual New Jersey Consumer Bowl, a quiz show-style competition that encourages students to become well-informed consumers.... Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, Ocean County, took second place and West Milford Township High School in Passaic County came in third."
^Administration, Southern Regional High School. Accessed December 22, 2024.
^Steimle, Kevin. "Strong preseason earns Southern's Glenn Carson a spot on Cardinals roster", Asbury Park Press, August 30, 2014. Accessed January 3, 2015. "Linebacker Glenn Carson made the Arizona Cardinals' regular-season roster. Carson, a graduate of Southern Regional and Penn State, was not listed among the players released when the Cardinals announced their roster moves to get down to 53 players."
^Staff. Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 2004 Edition, p. 258. Lawyers Diary and Manual, LLC. ISBN9781577411871. Accessed December 14, 2016. "Christopher J. Connors, Rep., Lacey... He was graduated from Southern Regional High School, and attended Stockton College, where he received his degree in business administration in 1978."
^Staff. "Island Native Matt Cook Stars in Sitcom 'Clipped' Premiering Tuesday on TBS ", TheSandPaper.net, June 9, 2015. Accessed October 9, 2017. "Matt Cook, Island boy and Southern Regional High School alumnus, formerly of Barnegat Light and Ship Bottom, has landed a starring role in the new half-hour, multi-camera, live-studio-audience show by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, the creators of Will and Grace."
^ abStaff. Artist of the Week! Cymbals East Guitars, Rockfeedback, September 11, 2009. Accessed March 12, 2011. "Joseph Ferocious (Joseph D'Agostino) and Matthew Miller attended Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, New Jersey where they graduated in the class of 2006 together."
^Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove, New Jersey's 9th Legislative District. Accessed March 12, 2011. "DiAnne made her way through the local school system, graduating from Southern Regional High School."
^Mackey, Robert. "More on the Soldier Kareem R. Khan", The New York Times, October 19, 2008. Accessed March 12, 2011. "Mr. Khan graduated from Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin in 2005, and enlisted in the Army a few months later, spurred by his memories of the 9/11 terror attacks."
^Hyman, Vicki. "'The Voice' 2014: Jersey Shore finalist Matt McAndrew's small town start, big time dreams", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 15, 2014. Accessed October 3, 2015. "It was the middle of Matt McAndrew's senior year at Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, practically the point of no return when it came to college applications, when his mother overheard him talking to a friend: 'I guess I'm not going to college.'"
^O'Kane, John. "Frank Molinaro's road to Rio takes detour to Turkey", The Press of Atlantic City, April 24, 2016. Accessed August 8, 2016. "The bout pitted Southern Regional High School's Frank Molinaro against Winslow Township's Jordan Burroughs.... The 27-year-old Barnegat native failed to finish among the top three at a qualifier in Mongolia."
^McGee, Ryan. "As the new face of DEI, Truex Jr. weathers the storm", ESPN, August 20, 2007. Accessed February 27, 2008. "By the time Martin Jr. was a teenager, his driving talent was obvious, proven by a handful of regional and track championships. When he strode into Jerry Salvatore's shop class at Ocean County's Southern Regional High School, he began to learn the art of welding, too."
