Wallington High School

High school in Bergen County, New Jersey, US

Wallington Jr./Sr. High School

Address

234 Main Avenue

Wallington

Bergen County

New Jersey

07057

United States

Coordinates| 40°51′20″N 74°06′28″W﻿ / ﻿40.855443°N 74.107702°W﻿ / 40.855443; -74.107702
Information
Type| Public high school
Established| 1951
School district| Wallington Public Schools
NCES School ID| 341692000898[1]
Principal| Michael Fromfield
Faculty| 40.3 FTEs[1]
Grades| 7-12
Enrollment| 566 (as of 2023–24)[1]
Student to teacher ratio| 14.0:1[1]
Color(s)|   Royal Blue and
white[2][3]
Athletics conference| North Jersey Interscholastic Conference
Team name| Panthers[2]
Rival| Henry P. Becton Regional High School
Newspaper| Wallington Courier[4]
Website| www.wboe.org/o/whs

Wallington Jr./Sr. High School is a six-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grades from Wallington, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Wallington Public Schools.

As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 566 students and 40.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.0:1. There were 158 students (27.9% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 47 (8.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

## History

[edit]

Before the opening of the high school, students from Wallington had attended East Rutherford High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the East Rutherford School District under which tuition was paid for students attendance.[5]

The new high school opened in September 1951 for students in ninth grade. Students who had already been enrolled at East Rutherford High School or Lodi High School completed their education at the receiving school through their graduation.[6]

The school, said to have the state's largest gymnasium at 116 by 72 feet (35 by 22 m), was formally dedicated in November 1951.[7]

## Awards, recognition and rankings

[edit]

The school was the 223rd-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.[8] The school had been ranked 239th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 204th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[9] The magazine ranked the school 200th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[10] The school was ranked 206th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[11]

## Athletics

[edit]

The Wallington High School Panthers[2] participate in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which is comprised of small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[12][13][14] Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, the school was a member of the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL) in the National Division.[15] With 264 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 75 to 476 students in that grade range.[16] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 254 to 474 students.[17]

The school participates in joint girls soccer and boys tennis teams with Henry P. Becton Regional High School as the host school / lead agency. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[18][19]

The 1986 girls volleyball team finished the season with a 20–2 record after winning the Group I state championship, defeating runner-up Bogota High School in two games (15–13 and 15–12) in the final match of the tournament.[20][21]

Under Hall of Fame coach Leonard J. Smith, the Panthers 1959 football team finished the season undefeated with a record of 7–0–1 and were awarded the North I, Group I state championship.[22][23] In the playoff era, the team has won the North I Group I state sectional championship in 1990 and 2010.[24] The team won the 1990 North I Group I sectional title with a 28–22 win in the championship game against Cresskill High School.[25] The team won the 2010 North I Group I sectional championship, beating Mountain Lakes High School by a score of 23–21 at New Meadowlands Stadium. The defeat ended a 35-game winning streak for Mountain Lakes, at the time the longest such streak in New Jersey.[26] Wallington has maintained a rivalry with Henry P. Becton Regional High School since the two schools first played each other in 1973, which was listed by The Record as one of the best in Bergen and Passaic counties; through the 2017 season, Becton leads with a 15–5 record in games between the two schools.[27]

The boys' soccer team won the 2009 North I, Group I state sectional title with a 4–0 win vs. Leonia High School.[28] The team won the 2010 North I, Group I state sectional tournament for a second consecutive year with a 2–1 win over Midland Park High School.[29][30] The soccer team went on to win the Group I state championship, the first for the team in school history, with a win in the tournament finals against South River High School by a score of 1–0.[31][32]

## Administration

[edit]

The school's principal is Michael Fromfield. His core administration team includes the vice principal.[33]

## Notable alumni

[edit]

* Ralph Kirchenheiter (born c. 1939 or 1940, class of 1957), former head football coach and athletic director for Muhlenberg College[34]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e School data for Wallington Junior Senior High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
2. ^ a b c Wallington High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
3. ^ Wallington High School Football, MaxPreps.com. Accessed June 23, 2012. "Mascot:Panthers Team:Varsity 12-13 Colors:Blue, White"
4. ^ Clubs 2020-2021, Wallington High School. Accessed March 23, 2022.
5. ^ Lanza, Monica. "East Rutherford H.S.; This was theirs alone", Herald News, July 6, 1971. Accessed March 23, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Sharing has been an integral part of school life for every East Rutherford student since 1876 when Wallington began sending students to East Rutherford schools. In 1951, after 75 years of shared educational experiences, Wallington officials dedicated a high school building of their own."
6. ^ "New High School Opens Wednesday", Herald News, August 30, 1951. Accessed March 23, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The new high school will open Wednesday morning at 9:30 and students are to report to the home rooms assigned to them.... Wellington pupils who attend Lodi High School and Essex County Vocational and Technical High Schools are to report in person at the Wallington High School tomorrow morning to obtain but passes for the 1951-52 school year.... Wellington pupil who attend East Rutherford High School are to report in person at the Wallington School tomorrow morning between 10:15 and noon to obtain their bus tickets.... Wallington pupil who have previously attended high school will not enroll in the Wallington High School as a ruling by the State Board of Education makes it mandatory for them to complete their studies in the school in which they enrolled. Only first-year pupils will be enrolled in the Wallington High School this year."
7. ^ "Wallington High School Dedicated Before 600; Scholarship Founding and VFW Gift Award Feature Ceremonies; Throng Sees Building", Herald News, November 2, 1951. Accessed March 23, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "More than 600 persons attended dedication ceremonies for the new High School last night and afterward toured the new building. Ceremonies began in the school's big new gym, reported to be one of the largest In the state with dimensions of 116 by 72 feet."
8. ^ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
9. ^ Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 2, 2012.
10. ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed August 18, 2011.
11. ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
12. ^ Mattura, Greg. "Small-school NJIC may debut its own league championship", The Record, January 9, 2017. Accessed August 30, 2020. "The small-school North Jersey Interscholastic Conference may debut its own boys basketball tournament this season, one season after introducing its girls hoops championship. The NJIC is comprised of schools from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties and the event offered to the 36 boys teams would serve as an alternative to likely competing against larger programs in a county tournament."
13. ^ Member Schools, North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Accessed August 30, 2020.
14. ^ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
15. ^ League Memberships - 2009-1010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed September 28, 2014.
16. ^ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
17. ^ NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
18. ^ NJSIAA Fall Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
19. ^ NJSIAA Spring Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
20. ^ NJSIAA Girls Volleyball Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
21. ^ deMarrais, Kevin. "Ridgewood stuns Paramus", The Record, November 23, 1986. Accessed February 25, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Secaucus, behind sisters Nadine and Shiela Ulrich, upset top-seeded Hawthorne in Group 2, 15-6, 15-11; and Old Tappan rallied to repeat in Group 3 with a 16-14, 16-14 win over Ramsey, and Wallington, which lost to Park Ridge in last year's final, took the Group 1 title with a 15-13, 15-12 win over Bogota.... Wallington put together scoring streaks at the end of both games to turn back Bogota. The sixth-seeded Bucs had gone ahead in the see-saw game 13-12, on Kristen Lukacs's three service points before Bonnie Poltorak followed with three points to give the Panthers (20-2) the game."
22. ^ Levin, Jay. "Hall of Fame coach Leonard J. Smith dies", The Record, January 9, 2015. Accessed November 16, 2015. "He moved on to Wallington, where he was an assistant for three years and head coach for four. His 1959 team went undefeated and was named State 1, Group 1 champion."[dead link]
23. ^ Wallington, Bergen Passaic Football. Accessed November 16, 2015.
24. ^ NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
25. ^ Kurland, Bob. "Wallington Stuns Cresskill", The Record, December 2, 1990. Accessed December 1, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "A quest for respectability turned into the impossible dream Saturday as Wallington, came from behind to dethrone defending Group 1, Section 1 champion Cresskill, 28-22."
26. ^ Vasquez, Andy. "Wallington captures State title with 23-21 win over Mountain Lakes", The Record, December 3, 2010.Accessed August 21, 2011. "It wasn't easy for Wallington, but the Panthers held off a feverish second-half rally from Mountain Lakes for a 23-21 win and the North 1, Group 1 title on Friday. Wallington (11-1) won its first State sectional title since 1990. And the final accomplishment – ending Mountain Lakes' 35-game winning streak, the longest in New Jersey – secured the legacy of this squad."
27. ^ Cooper, Darren; Farrell, Sean; and Mattura, Greg. "North Jersey football: Best public school rivalries; Read up on the top rivalries in Bergen and Passaic counties, and vote for the one you think is best in the poll at the bottom of this page", The Record, July 17, 2018. Accessed May 13, 2021. "Becton vs. Wallington... First meeting: 1973; Series history: Becton leads series 15-5."
28. ^ Boys' Soccer - 2009 NJSIAA Tournament - North 1, Group 1, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 21, 2011.
29. ^ Kensik, Edward. "Panthers win the sectional crown", Community News, November 18, 2010. Accessed August 18, 2011. "Wallington boys' soccer did its part by defeating Midland Park, 2-1, on Thursday to win the Group 1, North 1 state sectional title in Rutherford on the turf. Wallington raised its record to 21-2. This is the team's second consecutive sectional title."
30. ^ Boys' Soccer - 2010 NJSIAA Tournament - North 1, Group 1, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 21, 2011.
31. ^ Giuffra, Brian A. "Wallington wins its first State soccer championship", The Record, November 21, 2010. Accessed August 21, 2011. "Plewa scored the game-winning goal in leading Wallington to a 1-0 victory over South River in the Group 1 boys' soccer final, giving Wallington its first state championship in program history."
32. ^ NJSIAA History of Boys Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
33. ^ Staff Directory, Wallington High School. Accessed December 22, 2024.
34. ^ "Lt. Kirchenheiter Ends Orientation", The Morning Call, November 16, 1961. Accessed June 22, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Kirchenheiter, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, is a 1957 graduate of Wallington High School and a 1961 graduate of Wofford College in Spartanburg, S. C."

## External links

[edit]

* Wallington High School
* Wallington Public Schools
* School Performance Report for Wallington High School, New Jersey Department of Education
* School Data for the Wallington Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics

* v
* t
* e

Public and private high schools in Bergen County, New Jersey

Public|

* Becton
* Bergen Arts and Science
* Bergen County Academies
* Bergen Tech Paramus
* Bergen Tech Teterboro
* Bergenfield
* Bogota
* Cliffside Park
* Cresskill
* Dumont
* Dwight Morrow
* Elmwood Park
* Emerson
* Fair Lawn
* Fort Lee
* Garfield
* Glen Rock
* Hackensack
* Hasbrouck Heights
* Indian Hills
* Leonia
* Lodi
* Lyndhurst
* Mahwah
* Midland Park
* New Milford
* North Arlington
* Northern Highlands
* Northern Valley at Demarest
* Northern Valley at Old Tappan
* Palisades Park
* Paramus
* Park Ridge
* Pascack Hills
* Pascack Valley
* Ramapo
* Ramsey
* Ridgefield
* Ridgefield Park
* Ridgewood
* River Dell
* Rutherford
* Saddle Brook
* Teaneck
* Tenafly
* Waldwick
* Wallington
* Westwood
* Wood-Ridge

Private|

* Academy of the Holy Angels
* Barnstable
* Bergen Catholic
* Bergen County Christian Academy
* Community
* Don Bosco
* Dwight-Englewood
* Frisch
* Immaculate Conception
* Immaculate Heart
* Ma'ayanot
* New Jersey Japanese School
* Newbury Academy
* Paramus Catholic
* Queen of Peace
* Saint Joseph
* St. Mary
* Saddle River Day School
* Torah Academy

by county
Atlantic
Bergen
Burlington
Camden
Cape May
Cumberland
Essex
Gloucester
Hudson
Hunterdon
Mercer
Middlesex
Monmouth
Morris
Ocean
Passaic
Salem
Somerset
Sussex
Union
Warren

* v
* t
* e

North Jersey Interscholastic Conference (NJSIAA)

Colonial Division A|

* Elmwood Park
* Garfield
* Glen Rock
* Lodi
* Pascack Hills
* Rutherford

Colonial Division B|

* Eastern Christian
* Hawthorne
* Manchester
* Mary Help of Christians
* Pompton Lakes

Meadowlands Division A|

* Becton
* Harrison
* Lyndhurst
* North Arlington
* Queen of Peace
* Secaucus

Meadowlands Division B|

* Hasbrouck Heights
* Immaculate Conception (Lodi)
* Saddle Brook
* St. Mary (Rutherford)
* Wallington
* Weehawken
* Wood-Ridge

Patriot Division A|

* Cresskill
* Dwight-Englewood
* Leonia
* New Milford
* Ridgefield
* Waldwick

Patriot Division B|

* Bogota
* Emerson
* Hawthorne Christian
* Midland Park
* Palisades Park
* Park Ridge
* Saddle River Day

Authority control databases: Geographic |

* NCES

|

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