New Milford High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from New Milford in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the New Milford School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1964.New Milford High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools, backed up by the Internet Archive as of April 14, 2012. Accessed March 28, 2015.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 584 students and 46.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.6:1. There were 101 students (17.3% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 23 (3.9% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for New Milford High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 131st-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.Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014. The school had been ranked 169th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 161st in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 29, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 99th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed April 8, 2011. The school was ranked 86th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state."Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
Schooldigger.com ranked the school 132nd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 55 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (83.3%) and language arts literacy (95.9%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 5, 2012.
In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 1028th in the nation among participating public high schools and 72nd among schools in New Jersey.Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools" , The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 9, 2013.
Athletics The New Milford High School KnightsNew Milford High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. participate in the Patriot Division of the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which is comprised of small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties, and was created following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).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."Member Schools, North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Accessed August 30, 2020.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, New Milford was a member of the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL) in the Olympic Division.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. With 433 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.NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 254 to 474 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. The Knights have won multiple league championships in bowling, football, basketball, and wrestling, as well as soccer.
The school participates as the host school / lead agency for joint boys / girls swimming teams with Dumont High School. New Milford and Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest participate in a co-op ice hockey team with Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan as the host school. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.NJSIAA Spring Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
The boys' track team won the indoor track Group III state championship in 1968.Boys Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed February 1, 2024.
The boys' track team won the Group III spring / outdoor track state championship in 1968.NJSIAA Boys Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
The football team was awarded the sectional championship by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association in 1972 (as co-champion).Conrad, JJ; and Iseman, Chris. "NJ HS football championships: How past finalists fared", The Record, November 27, 2016. "Although the state established the current playoff format in 1974, titles have been awarded for decades. Here are the most decorated North Jersey teams playing for a title this weekend, listed by their state championship totals:.... New Milford (3): 1972 (co-champs), 1985, 1986" Since the playoff system was introduced in 1974, the team has won the North I Group I state sectional championships in both 1985 and 1986.NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023. The 1985 team won the North I Group I state sectional title with a 10-7 win in overtime against Hasbrouck Heights High School in the championship game.Kurland, Bob. "New Milford wins first title", The Record, December 9, 1985. Accessed December 27, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "The Knights upset Hasbrouck Heights, 10-7, yesterday with a 28-yard field goal by freshman David Lane in a tie-breaker. It was New Milford's first New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association North Section 1, Group 1 title." The 1986 team finished the season with a 9-1-1 record after winning the North I Group I tournament final with a 13-7 win against Hasbrouck Heights.Brennan, John. "New Milford holds off Heights", The Record, December 7, 1986. Accessed January 25, 2021. "That uneasy, feeling that swept through the New Milford sideline and into the crowd during the fourth quarter yesterday was deja vu, and New Milford coach Rich Conti was getting an especially heavy dose as his team clung to a 13-7 lead over Hasbrouck Heights.... Instead, the Knights held onto the lead and won their second straight New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, North Section 1, Group 1 football championship."
The girls' track team won the Group I indoor relays state championship in 1987.History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
In 2004, the baseball team won the program's first Group I state championship, defeating New Providence High School by a score of 2–0 in the tournament final."By the Numbers", The Star-Ledger, June 8, 2004. "1 - Number of state titles that New Milford has won after yesterday's 2–0 victory over New Providence in the Group 1 final."Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. The team won the North I, Group I sectional championship with a 16–1 win over Hasbrouck Heights High School,2004 Baseball - North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 3, 2007. and then won the state championship with a 3–0 win over Henry P. Becton Regional High School in the semifinals and a 2–0 win in the finals vs. New Providence High School.2004 Baseball - Public Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 3, 2007. Pitcher PJ Saporito was named 1st team all-league, all-county and all-state while compiling a 12–0 record and 0.53 ERA, and was selected as the North Jersey Player of the Year. The team repeated as league and as North I, Group I sectional champions in 2005 with a 6–5 win over Glen Rock High School.2005 Baseball - North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed March 5, 2012.
The boys' bowling team compiled four straight state sectional titles from 2006 to 2009."North Jersey 1A Sectional Finals - Boys", New Jersey Bowling, February 15, 2009. Accessed August 23, 2011.
In 2025, the varsity wrestling team won their first sectional championship in program history, defeating Kittatinny Regional High School by a score of 38-31 in the North I Group I sectional final.Cosentino, Matt. "New Milford makes program history, tops Kittatinny for NJ1, Group 1 title - Wrestling", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 12, 2025. Accessed March 3, 2025. "Second-seeded New Milford continued its thrilling run through the NJSIAA/IBEW Local 102 North 1, Group 1 bracket, defeating three-time defending champion and top-seeded Kittatinny 38-31 in a match that came down to the final bout."Boys Wrestling Championship History: 1934–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated October 2024. Accessed November 1, 2024.
Television appearances On June 23, 2007, a group of 55 music students was selected to participate in the second episode of the reality show Schooled, after which they were surprised with a private concert by The All-American Rejects and given backpacks filled with OfficeMax merchandise. The chain also granted New Milford High School a $60,000 gift card. The one-hour show aired on August 5, 2007, on The CW Television Network.Graser, Marc. "OfficeMax shops 'Schooled' to CW: Reality style special to air August 5", Variety (magazine), July 25, 2007. Accessed August 10, 2007.