As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,933 students and 142.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.6:1. There were 186 students (9.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 33 (1.7% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
The origin of the district dates to 1964, when voters in all three sending communities approved a referendum to fund the construction of a high school.[5]
The original school building with 18 classrooms was constructed on a site covering 50 acres (20 ha) at a cost of $1.7 million (equivalent to $27.2 million in 2023). Prior to opening, students from Berlin Borough attended Edgewood Regional High School, while those from Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township were sent to either Collingswood High School or Haddonfield Memorial High School.[6]
The school opened in 1965, with 35 professional staff and 525 students in grades 9-11 in a building designed to accommodate enrollment of 850.[7][8] The school was originally divided into schools on the same site: Eastern Intermediate High School (grades 9-10), completed in 1992, and Eastern Senior High School (grades 11-12). There were over 1,000 students enrolled at Eastern Senior High School. Eastern Intermediate High School had approximately 1,150 enrolled students. In September 2012, the schools merged into one unit with the retirement of Dr. James Talarico in June 2012 and was renamed "Eastern Regional High School" with Robert Tull serving as the principal of the merged school. The oldest parts of the school, which were constructed in 1965, 1970, and 1975 are now the "11-12 Building", and the 1992 addition is referred to as the "9-10 Building".
In 2021, the school and its principal were accused of attempting to censor the valedictorian's speech during the graduation ceremony. Bryce Dershem, the valedictorian, gave a speech that included him being queer and overcoming mental health issues, but the principal, Robert Tull, tried to make him recite a preapproved speech that excluded those remarks.[9][10]
Eastern Regional High School was ranked 81st out of 337 High Schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2016 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools" using a new ranking methodology. The school was the 104th-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.[11] The school had been ranked 117th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 86th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[12] The magazine ranked the school 79th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[13]
Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 133rd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 46 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (86.0%) and language arts literacy (93.1%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[14]
In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 847th in the nation among participating public high schools and 63rd among schools in New Jersey.[15]
The Eastern High School Vikings[2] participate in the Olympic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Burlington and Camden counties, and operates under the auspices of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[16] With 1,486 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.[17] The football team competes in the Memorial Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconference[18][19] and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 1,333 to 2,324 students.[20]
Eastern High School has an ice hockey club that fields both a varsity and junior varsity teams. In the 2015–16 season, the team beat Kingsway Regional High School in a series of 2–1 to claim the SJHSHL Tier 1-B Championship on a goal scored seven seconds into overtime.[21] The team, which is a member of the South Jersey High School Ice Hockey League, competes against other member high schools throughout South Jersey.[22]
The wrestling team won the South Jersey Group III state sectional championships in 1983 and 1985[23]
The softball team won the Group IV state championship in 1986 (against finalist Ridgewood High School) and 2012 (vs. Hunterdon Central Regional High School).[24] The 1986 team finished the season with a 22-4 record after winning the Group IV title with 2-1 victory against Ridgewood in the championship game at Trenton State College.[25] The team won the 2012 Group IV title with a 2–0 win in the finals against returning champion Hunterdon Central.[26]
The boys' bowling team won the overall state championship in 2001.[35]
The girls team won the NJSIAA spring / outdoor track state championship in Group IV in 2002 and 2003.[36]
The football team won the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV state sectional championship in 2003.[37] Eastern won the 2003 South Jersey, Group IV title with a 14–7 win against Washington Township High School and competed in the playoffs six out of eight years after winning their first state sectional title.[38][39]
The girls' varsity soccer team won back-to-back Group IV state championships in 2005 (vs. Roxbury High School in the finals) and 2006 (vs. North Hunterdon High School).[40] In 2005, they won the Group IV South sectional championship over Toms River High School East 1–0.[41] The team then went on to win the state championship game by a score of 2–0 over Roxbury High School. The team repeated in 2006, defeating Washington Township High School 2–0 in the Group IV South sectional championship,[42] and defeating North Hunterdon High School to capture the 2006 Group IV state championship.[43]
The baseball team won the Group IV state title in 2013 over runner-up Westfield High School.[44] The team finished the season with a record of 30–4, winning the 2013 Group IV title with an 8–1 win against Westfield in the tournament's championship game.[45]
Eastern's field hockey team has the longest consecutive unbeaten streak in the history of the National Federation.[46][47]
The team won the Group III state championship in 1979, 1990 and 1999–2019. The program's 23 state titles and the 21 consecutive titles from 1999 to 2019 are the most of any school in the state. After winning the inaugural field hockey Tournament of Champions in 2006 against runner-up West Essex High School, the team repeated as ToC champion in 2008 (vs. Wall Township High School), 2009 (vs. Shore Regional High School), 2011 (vs. West Essex), 2013-2015 (vs. Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in the three consecutive finals) and 2018 (vs. Oak Knoll). Eastern has won the Tournament of Champions in eight of the 13 times that it has been played.[48]
The 2000 team won the Group IV state title with a 5-0 win against Morris Knolls in the finals at The College of New Jersey to finish at 23-0 in a season in which the team allowed four goals all year long.[49]
The 2003 team won the Group IV state championship with a 1–0 win over Lenape High School in the semifinals and a 6–0 win against Hunterdon Central High School in the tournament's final match.[50] The 2004 team repeated as Group IV champion, again defeating Hunterdon Central High School in the tournament final.[51] In 2006, Eastern's field hockey team won the Tournament of Champions, defeating West Essex High School by a score of 2–1.[52] In 2007, the field hockey team won the South Jersey, Group IV state sectional championship in commanding fashion with a 10–0 win over Atlantic City High School in the quarterfinals, 8–0 over Cherokee High School in the semis and an 8–0 win over Washington Township High School in the tournament final.[53] The team moved on to win the Group IV state championship with a 10–0 win over Steinert High School in the semis and a 4–0 win against Bridgewater-Raritan High School in the finals.[54] With this win, the team had won nine consecutive Group IV state titles, tying a national record.[55] The team would go on to sweep Group IV and Tournament of Champions titles in 2008 and 2009. The Vikings are one of only two teams to ever score more than 200 goals in a season.
Eastern's dominance against New Jersey opponents finally came to an end on November 14, 2007, when they lost to Group I Oak Knoll 3–2 in overtime of the Tournament of Champions semifinals. Dating back to 1998, the team had won 208 consecutive games to opponents from New Jersey,[56] but still hold the national record unbeaten streak of 153 games.[57] In all the school years between 2011 and 2015, the Eastern field hockey team was ranked number one in the nation.
This 'Field Hockey Dynasty' was noted in an article in the Sunday edition of The New York Times, including profiles of team members.[57] In 2013, the field-hockey program received a Special Achievement Award from the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association, in recognition of its 14 consecutive New Jersey state field hockey championships and its 2013 victory in the state Tournament of Champions.[58]
Coach Danyle Heilig retired in 2020, finishing her 21-year career coaching the team with an overall record of 527-16-10, winning 21 Group IV state championships (every year she coached the team), 13 Tournament of Champions titles and nine national number one rankings.[59]
Eastern High School has run a very successful Model United Nations team and program. In 2001, the South Jersey Model UN Consortium was started by the former advisor, Janet E. Rabin.[60] The program runs the South Jersey Model United Nations one-day conference every fall and visits college conferences in the fall and spring. The Model UN team has won such awards as Best Small and Large Delegation at Rutgers Model UN, Best Small Delegation at Harvard Model United Nations, in addition to others. The Model UN team has attended conferences at Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Rutgers University, and Harvard University, consistently winning awards at all of these prestigious schools. The program was recently ranked the 21st best High School Model UN team in the country.[61] The Model Congress team has also had much success at Rutgers Model Congress.
The school's marching band was Tournament of Bands Chapter One Champions in 1976 and 1981 (Group 1), and State Champions in 2011, 2012, and 2014. (Group 2).[62] The marching band was 1981 and 2012 Atlantic Coast Champions in Group 1 and 2014 Atlantic Coast Champions in Group 2.
Eastern conducts an award-winning theater program that includes an NJDFL Team Theatre (New Jersey State Champions 2008-09 and 2nd Place finishers in both 2011-12 and 2012–13), annual Fall Play and Spring Musical, and One-Acts Festival. Eastern's 2010 musical, Chicago, earned Sarah Cheatham a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star nomination for her lead performance as 'Roxie.' Eastern's 2011 musical, Cats, earned the award for Outstanding High School Musical in the 8-county Philadelphia region by the Greater Philadelphia Cappies, as well as both Best Actor and Best Actress in a Musical.[63] In 2012, for the second consecutive year, an Eastern musical was nominated for 'Outstanding Production' in New Jersey by the Rising Star Awards sponsored by the State Theatre of New Jersey, Paper Mill Playhouse.
In 2023, Eastern's theatre department won exclusive rights in New Jersey to perform Frozen as performed on Broadway. This was a result of the "United States of Frozen" competition, which granted one high school in each state the materials to perform the show for the very first time.[64]
^Staff. "Eastern Regional High School touts 50 years of 'Excellence in Education' with May 6 celebration", The Voorhees Sun, May 8, 2015. Accessed April 11, 2021. "The students of Voorhees, Gibbsboro and Berlin townships traveled to Overbrook, Edgewood, Haddonfield or Collingswood to go to high school, and the students and their parents were not pleased. Then things started to change. In 1963, the county appointed a special school board to look at the issue. In 1964, high school plans were developed, a bond referendum was approved by all three communities, ground was broken, and in September 1965, Eastern Regional High School opened its doors."
^"$1.3 Million in Pacts Given For Voorhees Twp. School", Courier-Post, July 29, 1964. Accessed March 23, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The one-story, 18-classroom, all-brick school will be built on a 50-acre tract located off Rt. 561 near Laurel Oak Country Club.... Overall cost of the new school, including land and equipment, has been fixed at $1.7 million. Cost of the school will be paid through a $1.1 million bond issue approved by the voters Oct. 15, 1963. The regional district includes Gibbsboro, Berlin Borough and Voorhees Township. At present, high school pupils from Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township attend classes at Haddonfield and Collingswood High Schools while Berlin pupils attend Edgewood High School."
^HistoryArchived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Voorhees Township. Accessed July 7, 2011. "Before Eastern Regional High School opened in 1965, Voorhees students attended other high schools including Camden, Haddonfield, Lower Camden County and Collingswood."
^"New Regional School To Open on Schedule In Voorhees Sept. 8", The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 22, 1965. Accessed April 30, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The new Eastern Camden County Regional High School in Voorhees township will open its doors on schedule to 525 students on Sept. 8.... The district embraces five elementary schools in the boroughs of Berlin and Gibbsboro, plus Voorhees township. Grades 9, 10 and 11 will attend this fall, and the 12th grade will be added next year. The building was constructed for 850 students, but a major addition is envisioned within a few years as enrollment expands.... The school will ease the student load in Haddonfield, Collingswood and Lower Camden County Regional High School."
^O'Kane, Caitlin. "When this high school valedictorian started giving a speech about being queer, the principal took the mic", CBS News, June 28, 2021. Accessed February 14, 2022. A valedictorian from New Jersey says his high school tried to censor his graduation speech, first making him remove parts about sexuality and mental health, then cutting him off as he spoke at graduation. Eighteen-year-old Bryce Dershem, who graduated from Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, told CBS News he originally wrote a speech about being queer and dealing with mental health issues, but Principal Robert Tull told him to change it.""
^Lupkat, Alyssa. "When a Valedictorian Spoke of His Queer Identity, the Principal Cut Off His Speech", The New York Times, June 27, 2021. Accessed February 14, 2022. "Less than a minute into Bryce Dershem’s valedictorian speech on June 17, the microphone cut out. He had just told the audience at his New Jersey high school’s graduation ceremony that he came out as queer in his freshman year.... Then his classmates at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees Township, N.J., cheered for him to continue his speech."
^Home Page, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023. "The WJFL is a 94-school super conference that stretches from Princeton to Wildwood encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Conference, the Tri-County Conference, the Colonial Conference, and the Cape Atlantic League. The WJFL is made up of sixteen divisions with divisional alignments based on school size, geography and a strength-of-program component."
^Benevento, Don. "Ice hockey: Eastern edges Kingsway in OT for title"Archived September 29, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, South Jersey Sport Digest, February 22, 2016. Accessed September 29, 2017. "The two players, one just beginning his high school career and the other finishing his, were the key contributors Monday when Eastern Regional High School defeated Kingsway 4-3 in overtime. The victory sealed the Vikings' South Jersey Ice Hockey League Tier 1 championship in a game played at the Flyers Skate Zone."
^Mayer, John. "Eastern's defense throttles Ridgewood", The Record, June 8, 1986. Accessed January 5, 2021. "The Eastern softball team reached the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 4 final largely on the strength of its defense, and the Vikings are the 1986 state champions for the same reason. Eastern (22-4) backed the one-hit pitching of Sue Graham (17-4) with near-flawless defense to top Ridgewood, 2-1, yesterday at Trenton State College."
^Kurand, Bob. "First-half breakdown fatal to Sparta", The Record, March 12, 1989. Accessed March 9, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "They met again as opponents Saturday afternoon with Edwards leading Eastern Regional to a 73-63 win ever Sparta to win the Group 3 state championship. The difference was that Eastern held Sparta's point guard to 13 points below his average of 20 while Edwards, even on an off day, pumped in 33 at Fairleigh Dickinson's Rothman Center. The Vikings (27-5) won the game early as they sprinted to a 43-23 halftime lead behind a pressure defense that pinned Sparta in its backcourt."
^Kurland, Bob. "Elizabeth romps, set for rematch", The Record, March 17, 1989. Accessed March 9, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Elizabeth was too tall and too talented for Eastern Regional, the last-seeded team in the Tournament of Champions, and the Minutemen romped into the final round with an 82-58 victory Thursday night at Rutgers.... But the Vikings (28-6) hit only 3-of-ll in the opening quarter in falling behind, 25-10."
^Staff. "High School Sports Roundup", The Press of Atlantic City, December 10, 2003. Accessed July 11, 2011. "Eighth-seeded Eastern Regional upset sixth-seeded Washington Township 14-7 for the South Jersey Group IV football championship on Tuesday."
^Pincu, Simeon. "Girls Soccer: Corners costly to North"Archived November 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Courier News, November 19, 2006. Accessed July 7, 2011. "As the No. 4 seed in its section with an unimpressive 10-7 record entering the postseason, the North Hunterdon High School girls soccer team might have been the last squad anyone would have expected to play for a state title. [...] while North's unlikely run ended Saturday at The College of New Jersey with a 2-0 loss to Eastern in the Group IV final, the Lions didn't lose the game on the field, they lost it in the corners."
^"Eastern shows its good stuff to Westfield", USA Today High School Sports, June 9, 2013. Accessed November 20, 2020. "Tidbits about the Eastern High School baseball team had recently been exchanged up and down the state – from Flemington across to Westfield back to Camden County.... The Vikings (30-4) rolled to an 8-1 victory over Westfield in the NJSIAA Group IV final at Toms River North’s Ryan Field."
^Auerbach, Nicole. "Trio of high school teammates sticks together as Wolverines", The Michigan Daily, September 1, 2008. Accessed July 7, 2011. "The girls all grew up in southern New Jersey and attended Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, where they played varsity field hockey for one of the country's most prestigious programs.... But the program's claim to fame isn't a trophy or a top ranking — it's a record. Eastern owns the nation's longest unbeaten streak in high school field hockey history with 153 straight games. Its winning streak against in-state opponents is equally impressive. From 1998 to 2007, Eastern won 208 consecutive games against New Jersey opponents, a streak that ended last November."
^Schnatz, Pete. "Vikings tie mark with 9th title in row", The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 12, 2007. Accessed November 13, 2007. "Youth served Eastern well yesterday, when the Vikings tied a national record by winning their ninth consecutive state field hockey championship by defeating Bridgewater-Raritan, 4-0, in the NJSIAA State Group 4 final played at Toms River East."
^ abStrauss, Robert. "Impressed by Threepeats? How About a 23-Peat?", January 7, 2007. Accessed February 2, 2020. "West Essex had a string of championships in the 1990s, but in recent years Eastern has invariably been No. 1, having defeated every New Jersey opponent in the last eight years and at one point winning 153 straight matches, a national record for the sport."
^Slavit, Evan. "Legendary HS coach with more state titles (21) than losses is retiring", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 27, 2020. Accessed February 2, 2020. "Danyle Heilig had more group titles than losses over 22 seasons and never coached a season of Eastern field hockey that did not end in a state title... Heilig led Eastern to a Group 4 title every year she was at the helm, compiling a 527-16-10 career record in the process, and won eight Tournament of Champions titles in the game’s 13-year history (the game was not played in 2012 because of Hurricane Sandy).... She led Eastern to a national-record 153 straight games without a loss, and had Eastern ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation nine times since 2002."
^Staff. "Greater Philadelphia Cappies winners announced", Montgomery News, May 21, 2011. Accessed May 8, 2012. "The Cappies Award for Musical went to Eastern Regional High Schools of Camden County for its production of Cats. Julia Udine received the award for Lead Actress in a Musical and Brandon Davis received the award for Lead Actor in a Musical, both from the cast of Cats from Eastern Regional High Schools."
^Vitarelli, Alicia. "3 local schools win chance to perform Disney's Frozen: The Broadway Musical", WPVI-TV, March 9, 2023. Accessed March 26, 2023. "One high school in each state won 'The United States of Frozen: Love is an Open Door' competition. On Monday, our local winners from Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington, Delaware; Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, New Jersey; and North Penn High School in Lansdale, Pennsylvania all gathered on stage together at the Wilma Theater in Center City to show us just how they melted the judge's hearts."
^Cohen, Nick. "Eastern's Eli Apple now a national champion with Ohio State Buckeyes", The Voorhees Sun, January 15, 2015. Accessed October 31, 2015. "Eli Apple made a name for himself in Voorhees as a standout for the Eastern High School football team. Now his name will be forever etched in Ohio State Buckeye history as a national champion."
^"Tom Flacco could follow in his brother’s footsteps", The Sun Newspapers, February 26, 2013. Accessed April 30, 2021. "Unlike Joe, an Audubon High School alum, Tom went to Camden Catholic High School until he moved to Voorhees in August 2011. Tom become the starting quarterback for the Vikings his sophomore year, according to Eastern Regional High School Vikings head coach Dan Spittal."
^English Gardner, United States Olympic Committee. Accessed August 10, 2016. "Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pa.; Hometown: Voorhees, N.J.; High School: Eastern Regional Senior High School (Voorhees, N.J.) '09"
^Krum, Logan. "From Eastern to Harvard to China", Berlin Sun, June 28, 2017. Accessed August 27, 2020. "When he went to Eastern Regional High School, Leonard Neidorf wasn’t always the most motivated student.... Neidorf is a 2006 graduate of Eastern, which he credits for helping form his education."
^Transcript of Interview With Regis Philbin, CNNLarry King Live. Accessed April 11, 2007. "Philbin: Save your prom dress. We'll take a look at it now. Here is Kelly's prom dress from 1988. That's her at Eastern High School in Voorhees, New Jersey. The No. 1 song that year was 'Faith' by George Michaels."
^Minnick, Kevin. "Baseball: Schneider remains Eastern's silent leader", Courier-Post, April 7, 2017. Accessed August 5, 2023. "Davis Schneider isn’t one to say a whole lot. You’re not going to find the Eastern High School senior orchestrating dugout chants or getting on a teammate for missing a signal."
^Gormley, Chuck. "Legal action shocks Samaritans", Courier-Post, April 30, 2007. Accessed May 11, 2007. "Taliaferro, an Eastern graduate Spittal had coached, was paralyzed after making a tackle in a 2000 football game for Penn State."
^Whittaker, Celeste E. "Florida tackle turns skeptics into believers",Courier-Post, January 6, 2009. Accessed February 21, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Phil Trautwein has proven people wrong at every turn of his football career..... The former Eastern High School standout hopes to keep up his overachieving ways all the way to the NFL."
^Redd, C. Kalimah. "Eastern Star Wilson Has Become One Of South Jersey's Big Names", The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 1, 1999. Accessed June 4, 2013. "Toyelle Wilson is sprawled on the floor, face down, behind Eastern's bench with a large ice pack tucked under the elastic of her shorts. She was kneed in the head when she took a charge in the game against Gloucester, and she bruised her tailbone when she landed."