Kinnelon High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Kinnelon in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Kinnelon Public Schools.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 507 students and 48.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.6:1. There were 29 students (5.7% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 5 (1.0% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Kinnelon High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
History After the Kinnelon and West Milford school districts were notified in August 1959 that their students would no longer be accommodated at Butler High School within two to three years, the two districts joined in discussions with the Bloomingdale School District for the establishment of a regional school district."2 School Boards To Tell H. S. Stand", Herald News, August 19, 1959. Accessed April 8, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Simultaneous statements will be released by the Kinnelon and West Milford Boards of Education on a proposed regional high school. Four members of the Kinnelon board met with the West Milford board last week after West Milford was notified to withdraw its students from Butler High School by September, 1961. Kinnelon has been asked to withdraw by September, 1962. West Milford's proposal for a regional high school will also be discussed with Bloomingdale. The Kinnelon board has adopted a formal resolution ending its relationship with Butler, effective September, 1962."
By a margin of one percent, equal to 12 votes out of 1,162 cast, voters approved a January 1960 referendum that allocated $2 million (equivalent to $ million in ) for the construction of a building on a site that would be designed to accommodate a maximum capacity of 840 to 1,000 students, and would open starting with grades 7-10 and adding a grade over the next two years."Record Turnout of Voters Okays HS Referendum by 12 Ballots", The News, January 22, 1960. Accessed April 8, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The high school referendum squeaked through yesterday by 12 votes.... The tally was 587 yes and 575 no. The referendum provides for a bond issue of $1,980,000. The proposed Junior-senior high school is scheduled for completion in 1962. It will include the seventh through 10th grades, and some elementary classes. The 11th grade will be added in 1963 and the 12th in 1964. Its optimum capacity will, be 842 students, but 1,000 could be accommodated if need be. The 54-acre site is located diagonally across from the Kiel School."
With the new high school coming to Kinnelon, the Riverdale School District sought approval in August 1960 from the state for a plan to shift its students out of Butler High School to attend school in Kinnelon for grades 7-12."Board Seeks State Okay To Transfer HS Pupils", The News, August 30, 1960. Accessed April 8, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Board of Education by unanimous vote has asked the N.J. Commissioner of Education, Dr. Franklin Raubinger for permission to transfer its high school students from Butler to Kinnelon, in 1962.... At a special meeting last week. the Kinnelon Board of Education approved Riverdale's request leading to sending-receiving arrangement between the two boards which would Include grade seven to 12."
The athletic team name of "Colts" and the school colors of green and white were chosen in an April 1962 poll of students from Kinnelon and Riverdale who were in grades 6-9 at Butler High School who would constitute the initial incoming student body at Kinnelon High School."Students Choose 'The Colts,' Colors of New Kinnelon H.S.", The News, April 18, 1962. Accessed April 8, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Green and white are the colors of the new Kinnelon High School and its nickname is The Colts. The vote was taken by Riverdale and Kinnelon sixth, seventh and eighth grade students, and ninth graders attending Butler High School, who will attend the new Kinnelon High School in September."
The school opened in phases starting in October 1962 as sections of the facility were completed and had 620 students in its inaugural year, including 200 from Riverdale, who attended as part of a sending/receiving relationship.Becker, Alton W. "More Than 600 at Dedication Of New Kinnelon High School", Herald News, June 3, 1963. Accessed April 8, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "More than 600 persons toured the new $2 million Kinnelon High School during dedication ceremonies yesterday afternoon.... The high school has a capacity of 800. At present, it is occupied by about 620 students, approximately 420 from Kinnelon and 200 from Riverdale. A portion of the main classroom section was opened in mid-October and other sections were occupied as completed until the entire classroom area was in use in late November."
In 1991, Riverdale ended their sending/receiving relationship with Kinnelon and started sending their high school students to Pompton Lakes for financial reasons and proximity.Branch, Linda. "School Districts Review Sender-Receiver Pacts", The Star-Ledger, December 13, 1995. Accessed May 26, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "Prior to 1991, Riverdale had a sender-receiver relationship with Kinnelon that was broken primarily for financial reasons."Branch, Linda. "Riverdale Reconsiders High School Sender-Pact", The Star-Ledger, June 11, 1995. Accessed May 26, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "The return of Riverdale's high school students to Kinnelon High School could be a possibility if a sender-receiver contract between Riverdale and Pompton Lakes is not renewed, according to officials. 'It's a business negotiation, and it makes good sense to identify all your options,' said Riverdale Superintendent Irene Benfatti, whose district has 114 students attending Pompton Lakes High School.... The K-8 school district pays Pompton Lakes approximately $3,000 per student to send its students on to Pompton Lakes High School. When Riverdale left the Kinnelon fold, officials were paying that district $12,500 per pupil.... Approximately 19 percent of the 560 students at Pompton Lakes high are Riverdale students.""Riverdale Students to Go to Pompton Lakes High", The Star-Ledger, June 29, 1988, p. 13. Accessed June 7, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "In noting reasons some of the reasons it is seeking a sending-receiving student contract with Pompton Lakes, Board President John Lucente cited the closer proximity of Pompton Lakes High and what Riverdale felt were 'excessive' rates being charged by Kinnelon. The distance between Riverdale and Kinnelon High is seven miles compared to two miles from Riverdale to Pompton Lakes High."
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 20th-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 5th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 21st in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 28, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 34th in the magazine's September 2008 issue, and 35th in its September 2006 issue, both of which included 316 schools across the state."2010 Top High Schools in New Jersey", New Jersey Monthly, September 2010, posted August 30, 2010. Accessed August 30, 2010. Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 90th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 62 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (87.5%) and language arts literacy (96.5%) 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 1, 2012.
In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 473rd out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 49th among all high schools in New Jersey and 32nd among the state's non-magnet schools.Staff. "America's Best High Schools 2016" , Newsweek. Accessed November 11, 2016.
In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 591st in the nation among participating public high schools and 46th among schools in New Jersey.Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools" , The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 9, 2013.
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 39th in New Jersey and 1,217th nationwide.Mathews, Jay. , The Washington Post. Accessed September 8, 2011.
Athletics The Kinnelon High School ColtsKinnelon High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).Home Page, Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference. Accessed August 27, 2020. "The Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference prides itself on being one of New Jersey's premier high school conferences and is comprised of 39 high schools located in Northwest New Jersey."League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. Prior to the 2009-10 realignment, the school had competed in the Colonial Hills Conference, which included high schools in Essex, Morris and Somerset counties. Home Page, Colonial Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of November 19, 2010. Accessed November 25, 2014. With 490 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 students in that grade range.NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The football team competes in the American Blue division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league.Cooper, Darren. "Here's what we know about the new Super Football Conference 2020 schedule", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference (SFC) is a 112-team group, the largest high school football-only conference in America, and is comprised of teams from five different counties."Cooper, Darren. "NJ football: Super Football Conference revised schedules for 2020 regular season", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference has 112 teams that will play across 20 divisions." 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 school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint ice hockey team with Jefferson Township High School and Sparta High School. The co-op program operates 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.