Pitman Junior / Senior High School (commonky known as Pitman High School) is a comprehensive community public high school in Pitman, in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in seventh through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Pitman School District.2023-24 Gloucester County Office of Education Public School Directory, Gloucester County, New Jersey. Accessed October 1, 2025.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 487 students and 46.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.4:1. There were 69 students (14.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 17 (3.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Pitman Jr./Sr. High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
History The district created its first high school program in 1922; before which students were sent to either Glassboro High School and Woodbury High School. In June 1926, a group of 50 students became the first graduates of the high school. A new Pitman High School opened in September 1926, having been constructed at a cost of $225,000 (equivalent to $ million in )."Pitman", Courier-Post, September 12, 1923. Accessed March 14, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "When Pitman's new high school erected at a cost of $225,000 was thrown open to the public Monday evening the Mothers' Club and Parent-Teachers' Association held their first meeting in the auditorium of the building." That building was repurposed as a middle school after the current high school building was completed in 1972.District Profile, Pitman Public Schools. Accessed March 14, 2022. "The original Pitman High School was built in 1922. Prior to that, students attended high school in Glassboro and Woodbury. The first graduating class of Pitman High School consisted of fifty students in June 1926.... The original High School became Pitman Middle School after the completion of Pitman High School in 1972."
Students from Mantua Township had attended Pitman High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship until Clearview Regional High School opened in September 1960. Pitman officials had notified the Mantua Township School District that its incoming ninth grade students could no longer be accepted at the Pitman school after September 1958."Mantua Eyes Regional High School Plans", Courier-Post, April 5, 1957. Accessed March 14, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Board of Education announced Thursday it is considering Joining with Harrison Township in the construction of a regional high school.... Mantua has been notified by Pitman's Board of Education that it will not accept freshmen from Mantua and Wenonah beginning September of 1958, Simmerman said.... Harrison now sends its high school students to Glassboro, but has been notified that 'procedure will not be feasible in another two years.'""Pitman Board Adds $71,880 In '61 Budget", Courier-Post, December 15, 1960. Accessed April 27, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Additionally, Pitman loses $38,000 in tuition from Mantua Township. At present 165 Mantua pupils bring in $72,000 in tuition to Pitman's coffers, but Mantua will only send 90 pupils to Pitman High next year since it is one of the districts in the new Clearview Regional High School."
Due to a loss of state aid, the board of education announced in April 2023 a reconfiguration plan for the school district under which two elementary schools would be closed. Beginning with the 2023–24 school year the district was restructured so that Pitman Junior/Senior High School houses students in grades 7–12.Burney, Melanie. "N.J.’s primary day had special meaning for Pitman students who voted for a new school name", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 6, 2023. Accessed October 9, 2025. "Beginning in September, students in second through fifth grades from W.C.K. Walls Elementary and Elwood Kindle Elementary will join sixth graders at the middle school to become the newly named school. Pitman High School will become a junior/senior high school and enroll seventh to 12th graders."
Awards, recognition and rankings
The school was the 198th-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 100th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 119th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 24, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 102nd in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed December 27, 2011. The school was ranked 122nd 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). Accessed August 19, 2008. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 157th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 45 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (82.6%) and language arts literacy (93.6%) 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.
Athletics
The Pitman High School PanthersPitman High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete as one of the member schools in the Tri-County Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools located in Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.Member Schools, Tri-County Conference. Accessed November 18, 2020. The conference is overseen by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. With 239 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2022–24 school years as Group I South for most athletic competition purposes.NJSIAA General Classifications - Public Schools 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022. The football team competes in the Royal Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconferencePitman Panthers, 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 I South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 185 to 482 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The boys track team won the Group I spring / outdoor track state championship in 1942.NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Boys, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
The field hockey team won the South II and overall state championship in 1974, defeating West Essex High School, won the South Jersey Group I state sectional championship in 1981-1983 and 2013, and won the Group I state title in 1981 (vs. Whippany Park High School), 1982 (vs. Belvidere High School) and 1983 (as co-champion with Chatham Township High School).History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022. The 1974 team defeated Collingswood High School in the semifinals before a 3–2 win against West Essex in the tournament final to earn the overall state title.Viggiano, Bob. "Shoe on Other Foot, But Pitman Girls Make It Title Fit", Courier-Post, November 25, 1974. Accessed February 3, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The game hanging in the balance and all Bunny could think of was last Tuesday, when her Pitman High School's girls' field hockey team came from nowhere late in the game to upset Collingswood.... Now it was Bunny's turn to squirm and have her stomach chum into small knots as her Pitman girls tried desperately to stave off a late rally by West Essex. But the frisky Panthers never lost their composure and held off West Essex for a 3-2 victory to capture the 1974 NJSIAA championship."
In 1989, 1993 and 1995, the girls' soccer team lost the Group II state tournament to Morris Catholic High School, the team that won the title for eight consecutive years from 1988 to 1995.NJSIAA History of Girls Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
The boys' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 1997 (defeating runner-up Science Park High School in the finals of the tournament), 1998 (vs. Bloomfield Tech High School) and 2014 (vs. Bloomfield Tech).NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. Led by 31 points from Joe Crispin and 24 from brother Jon, the 1997 team won the Group I title with a 73–67 win against Science High School of Newark in the championship game played at the Atlantic City Convention Hall.Minnick, Kevin. "Boys' Basketball: Determined Joe Crispin willed Pitman to a state title in 1997", Courier-Post, March 16, 2014. Accessed February 3, 2021. "The year was 1997 and the Pitman High School boys’ basketball team was on a wild ride. The Panthers had reached the South Jersey Group 1 final in each of the previous two seasons, but were derailed by Burlington City and Paulsboro.... Crispin scored 31 points and dished out seven assists that memorable Sunday, leading Pitman past Newark Science 73-67 at the old Atlantic City Convention Center. Younger brother Jon would collect 24 points and seven rebounds, while Myers had 13 points and 19 boards." In 2014, the team won their third Group I title with a 59–48 win against Bloomfield Tech.Staff. "State Basketball: Linden, Pitman, Newark Tech, Newark Eastside claim crowns", USA Today High School Sports, March 16, 2014. Accessed November 20, 2020. "Pitman 59, Bloomfield Tech 48: With Darnell Foreman exploding for 16 of his 18 points in the second half and Tim Delaney turning in a performance worthy of being a Villanova recruit, the Panthers defeated Bloomfield Tech to win the Group I title at Rutgers University. It’s the first state title since Pitman (25-7) won back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998."