Hanover Park High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from East Hanover Township and Florham Park, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as one of the two secondary schools of the Hanover Park Regional High School District. Hanover Park's sister school is Whippany Park High School, which serves students from Hanover Township, where the school is located.2019-2020 School Year District Accomplishments, Hanover Park Regional High School District. Accessed January 23, 2025. "The Hanover Park Regional High School District is comprised of two high schools with a combined enrollment of 1,480 students. Hanover Park High School is located in East Hanover and receives students from East Hanover and Florham Park. Whippany Park High School is located in Hanover Township and receives students from Hanover Township." The school opened in 1956.2020-2021 School Profile, Hanover Park High School. Accessed May 10, 2021.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 706 students and 70.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.1:1. There were 15 students (2.1% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 3 (0.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Hanover Park High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
History The first campus-style high school facility in New Jersey, the school was designed to accommodate 1,000 students when complete and was estimated to cost $2.25 million (equivalent to $ million in ). In 1956, the architect of the Hanover Park facility received an award for its design."Architects Win Award", Courier-Post, April 16, 1956. Accessed March 14, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Designing the first campus-type high school in the state has brought the Jay C. Van Nuys and Associates Architects, 205 W. Main St., one of the top awards in a national competition for better school design.... Van Nuy's prize entry was the Hanover Park Regional High School in East Hanover. Construction began last July and, when its second phase is completed, the building will have cost $2,260,000 and will offer facilities for 1,000 students."
The school's original master plan envisioned a series of one-story buildings labeled A-H, with A-F academic, G for the gymnasium, H for wood/metal shop. There is a total of 32 classrooms. A spacious central core building housed administration, an auditorium, and separate wings with more classrooms for music (band and choir), drama, arts, and home economics. Until 2008, students had no lockers and walked outdoors after each succeeding period. The design, good for West Coast schools, was quickly deemed inappropriate for the heavy rains and harsh winters of northern New Jersey. The school was reconfigured in the 2000s, and by enclosing buildings between existing structures, the campus now has five larger structures rather than the original ten smaller ones. As part of a construction project, students were provided with individual book lockers that were available at the start of the 2007–08 school year.Staff. "What's happening in your schools", Daily Record, August 12, 2007. October 24, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "New facilities for the fall include... individual student lockers on newly constructed hallways -- students will no longer have to use their physical education lockers to store books and personal belongings."
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 26th-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 57th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 96th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 26, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 67th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 20, 2011. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 117th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 2 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (85.2%) and language arts literacy (96.3%) 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 4, 2012.
In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 365th out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 41st among all high schools in New Jersey and 24th 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 575th in the nation among participating public high schools and 45th among schools in New Jersey.Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 9, 2013.
Hanover Park High School was recognized as a 2013 New Jersey and National District of Character. Hanover Park Regional High School District is the first New Jersey School District to receive a Character Education Partnership National School District of Character.2012-2013 District Highlights - Hanover Park Regional High School District is the first New Jersey School District of Character to be awarded the Character Education Partnership National School District of Character, Hanover Park Regional High School District. Accessed December 31, 2014.Hanover Park Regional High School District , Character Education Partnership. Accessed December 31, 2014.
Athletics The Hanover Park High School HornetsHanover Park 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 NJSIAA's 2009 realignment, the school competed in the Iron Hills Conference.Home Page, Iron Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 2, 2011. Accessed November 26, 2014. With 633 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 II North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 484 to 683 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 for joint cooperative boys / girls golf, boys lacrosse and boys / girls swimming teams with Whippany Park High School, while Whippany Park is the host school for co-op ice hockey and girls lacrosse teams. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.NJSIAA Fall Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.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 cross country team won the Group III state championship in 1962 and 1963.NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
The ice hockey team won the Gordon Cup in 1964; the Hanover Park / Whippany Park co-op team won the Haas Cup in 2000, 2005, 2006 and 2011–2013.NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. In the 2010–11, 2011–12, and 2012–13 seasons, the Park Regional Hockey Team (Hanover Park combined with Whippany Park) won back-to-back-to-back Haas Cup Championships.Teodoro, Nick. "Ice Hockey: Panthers Ice Hockey Falls In OT Thriller of Haas Cup Finals", Suburban Trends, February 27, 2012. Accessed May 15, 2012. "With six minutes remaining and clinging to a 2-1 lead the Pequannock ice hockey team could taste a Haas Cup Championship, but much like their previous semifinal victory Park Regional proved their resilience scoring with 5:28 remaining in regulation and going on to eventually win in overtime over the Panthers for their second consecutive Haas Cup Championship."
The girls' basketball team won the Group III state championship in 1988, defeating Lakewood High School by a score of 62–53 in the tournament final.Girls Basketball Championship History: 1919–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.Shevun, Theresa. "Lakewood girls fall in state final", Asbury Park Press, March 12, 1988. Accessed December 23, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Shannon Breslin will be a name the Lakewood High School girls' basketball team won't soon forget The 5-foot-8 senior scored 33 points last night to lead Hanover Park to a 62-53 victory over Lakewood in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group III championship game at St. Peter's College. The Group III crown was the first ever for Hanover, which lost just two years ago in the final to North Hunterdon."
The football team won the North II Group II state sectional title in 1990 with a 51–14 win against Abraham Clark High School in the championship game.NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022."Scotch Plains rallies to beat West Morris", The Record, December 2, 1990. Accessed December 1, 2020. "Hanover Park 51, Roselle 14 Quarterback Frank Franco scored on a pair of 1-yard runs and passed 36 yards to Won Kyu Rim for another score as Hanover Park used a big second half to defeat Roselle, 51-14, and win the Group 2 Section 2 title."