Willingboro High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Willingboro Township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Willingboro Public Schools.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 845 students and 63.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.4:1. There were 377 students (44.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 86 (10.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Willingboro High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 320th-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 252nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 295th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 4, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 247th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 14, 2011. The school was ranked 300th 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 as 362nd out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (a decrease of 17 positions from the 2009 rank) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy and mathematics components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2009–2010, Schooldigger.com. Accessed February 9, 2012.
History The high school was opened in 1975 as a response to the overcrowded student population at John F. Kennedy, then the only high school in Willingboro, located down the road on Kennedy Way. For a short time, residents were having a difficult time in deciding what to call the new Willingboro high school; some sought to name the new high school "J.F. Kennedy High School – East" while others debated on naming the school, "Robert F. Kennedy" after President Kennedy's brother, the former US Attorney General during his administration. A vote was taken and it was decided that the only appropriate name would be what the school is called today, "Willingboro High School." The school colors are navy blue, scarlet and white – which are the slight opposite of the school's former sister school, J.F.K. (which were scarlet, navy and white). The mascot is the "Chimera", a mythological monster with the head of a lion and body of a goat and the tail of a serpent, opposite of the former sister school, which was a "Gryphon, which had the head of an eagle and the body of a lion."
The two schools were merged at the start of the 1989–90 school year, with all students attending what is now Willingboro High School and the former Kennedy High School facility being repurposed as a junior high.Quinn, Laura. "Willingboro Girds For School Merger", The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 28, 1989. Accessed February 11, 2021. "When Willingboro High School opens its doors for classes next week, some people in town will be braced for the worst.... For the first time, students from two rival high schools Willingboro and the former John F. Kennedy High School will be meeting as one.... Next week, Kennedy will begin the year as a junior high school and Willingboro as the town's only high school."
Athletics The Willingboro High School ChimerasWillingboro High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Patriot Division of the Burlington County Scholastic League (BCSL) sports association, which operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) and is comprised of public and private high schools in Burlington, Mercer and Ocean counties in Central Jersey.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. With 460 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 football team competes in the Liberty Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconferenceWillingboro Chimeras, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023.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." and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 514 to 685 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The school was the winner of the Group I winner of the 2019–20 Shop Rite Cup, which recognizes athletic achievement across all interscholastic sports.17th Annual Shop Rite Cup 2019 - 2020 Final Standings, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
The field hockey team won the Group IV state championship in 1976 (defeating Morris Knolls High School in the finals) and 1978 (vs. Westfield High School).History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022. After four wins in 17 games the previous season, the 1976 team won the Group IV title with a 3-0 win against Morris Knolls in the championship game played at Mercer County Park to finish the season with a record of 16-1-3.Driscoll, Mary Ellen. "Girls' Hockey: Three State championships; Group Four: Willingboro", Courier-Post, November 22, 1976. Accessed February 5, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "All the field hockey players from Willingboro High wanted this season was a few more victories than last year. Nothing fancy, just an improvement over a 4-9-4 record. What the Chimeras earned, in addition to a few more victories, was the NJSIAA Group 4 state crown, with a 3-0 win over Morris Knolls Saturday afternoon at Mercer County Park.... Barb France and Beck displayed the stickwork which brought the Burlington County squad a 16-1-3 record before the championship game, setting up Donovan, Bookman and Campbell." The 1978 team won the Group IV state title with a 3-0 win against Westfield in the final round of the playoffs.Driscoll, Mary Ellen. "Chimeras nearly perfect in snaring Group 4 crown", Courier-Post, November 20, 1978. Accessed March 1, 2021. "All season long, the field hockey players from Willingboro High longed to play a perfect, flawless game. They came as close as humanly possible Saturday afternoon, upending Westfield, 3-0, to capture the NJSIAA Group 4 title at Mercer County Park here."
The girls' basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 1978 vs. Columbia High School and won Group III titles in 2000 vs. Orange High School, in 2002 vs. Malcolm X Shabazz High School and in 2007 vs. South Plainfield High School.Girls Basketball Championship History: 1919–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. A basket scored in the last seconds of the game gave the 1978 team the Group III state championship with a 44-42 win in the championship game against a Columbia High School team that entered the finals undefeated."Donovan shows way", The Record, March 19, 1978. Accessed January 31, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Jackie Campbell's five-foot jumper with five seconds remaining gave Willingboro a 44-42 win over previously-unbeaten Columbia in the State Group 4 girls basketball championship yesterday." The team won the 2007 Group III state championship, defeating South Plainfield by a score of 53–46 in the tournament championship for the title.Graves, Jody. "Willingboro wins fourth quarter, captures Group 3 championship", Courier-Post, March 7, 2000. Accessed August 19, 2007. "With the score tied at 29 to start the fourth quarter, the Chimeras, ranked No. 3 in the Courier-Post Top 20 Poll, went on a 12–2 run to put the game away en route to a 49–35 victory over Pemberton."2007 Girls Basketball – Public Group Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, May 9, 2007. The team won the South, Group III state sectional championship in 2000 with a 47–35 win against Pemberton Township High School.Public Sectionals – South, Group III, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 19, 2007.
The boys track team won the Group IV spring / outdoor track state championship in 1979, 1981, 1982, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2002 and 2003, won the Group III title in 1986, 1988 and 1989, won the Group I title in 2019 and won in Group II in 2022. The program's 14 group titles are ranked fourth in the state.NJSIAA Boys Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023. The 1989 team won the Group III state title ahead of Bridgeton High School 35-27.Culligan, Joey. "Willingboro and Salem reign supreme", Courier-Post, June 4, 1989. Accessed February 11, 2021. "Willingboro High School won for the second straight year in Group 3, and Salem nipped Kingsway by one point in Group 2 to capture boys titles at the state Track and Field Championships at South Plainfield High School held Friday and yesterday. Willingboro, which also won its third state title in four years, was sparked by junior Gerard Reynolds and senior Ricky Clemons.... Willingboro defeated second-place Bridgeton 35-27 after the Bulldogs had tripped the Chimeras 50-48 in last weekend's South Jersey sectional meet."
The girls team won the NJSIAA spring / outdoor track Group IV title in 1980 and 1981, and won the Group III title in 1999 and 2002.NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Girls, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
The girls track team won the winter / indoor track Meet of Champions in 1980 and 1981.NJSIAA Winter Track Previous Team Meet of Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The team won the winter / indoor track state championship in Group IV in 1981 and won the Group III title in 1998 and 2002-04. The program's five state group titles are tied for seventh-most in the state.Girls Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1981-2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed February 1, 2024.