Lawrence High School (LHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Lawrence Township Public Schools. The school is located in the Lawrenceville section of the township. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1992.Lawrence High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 15, 2012. Accessed March 26, 2015.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,225 students and 98.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1. There were 364 students (29.7% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 93 (7.6% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Lawrence High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
The school colors are red and white. The school mascot is the cardinal.
History Lawrence High School opened in 1966 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in the 2016–2017 school year.Dauer, Gillian; and Vanaprthi, Roja. "Fiftieth Anniversary of L.H.S.", p. 7, The Lawrencian, Fall / Winter 2016.. Accessed December 31, 2020. "The 2016-2017 school year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Lawrence High School. Since 1966, Lawrence High School has been educating and preparing students. The school has put on several events to honor the 50th anniversary."
Students from Plainsboro Township switched from Hightstown High School to Lawrence High School in 1979."Cranbury weighs 4-cent tax cut school budget", The Central New Jersey Home News, March 31, 1979. Accessed September 21, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "This school year, Plainsboro began sending its students to Lawrence Township High School. Cranbury students were asked to leave Hightstown High School because of overcrowding at that school. Cranbury had sent its students to Hightstown High for 75 years."
Students from Robbinsville Township (known as Washington Township until 2007) had attended Allentown High School exclusively until the start of the 1990-91 school yearMoslowski, Lee Anne. "Washington students adjusting easily to Lawrence school", Messenger-Press, February 7, 1991. Accessed May 8, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "The first year in the transfer of Washington Township students from Allentown High School to Lawrence High School is going smoothly, according to school officials in both districts. In September, Washington's ninth-graders began attending Lawrence as part of a phased withdrawal from Allentown that will be complete in 1993-94. Washington students attending Allentown before the current school year will remain there until they graduate.... Enrollment figures from December show 32 Washington freshmen attending Lawrence, with 48 sophomore, junior, and senior students still at Allentown. There are also a few students in grades 10, 11, and 12 who were sent to Lawrence this year for various reasons. Projections for next year indicate there will be 29 students at Allentown and 72 at Lawrence." and switched over to Lawrence High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship which ended with the final graduating class of 2007, after which all students attended Robbinsville High School.Nussbaum, Debra. "A Number Story", The New York Times, September 29, 2002. Accessed June 4, 2012. "In Washington Township, Mercer County, voters approved a bond issue in 2001 to build a high school in the district, which now sends its students to nearby Lawrence High School."
The Cranbury School District had sent students to Lawrence High School before they began a relationship with Princeton High School.Kilby, David. "Cranbury: HHS alumni recalls how school used to be", CentralJersey.com, June 24, 2011. Accessed October 3, 2017. "Cranbury stopped sending its students to HHS in 1965, then it began sending its students to Hightstown-East Windsor High School. Cranbury students soon would go to Lawrence High School, then to Princeton High School, which is where they go today."
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 102nd-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 305 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2018 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools" The school had previously been ranked in the top 75 and 100 in previous years' rankings.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 11, 2012.
The music program has been consistently rated one of the best "Communities in the Nation for Music Education" since 2005 by the NAMM Foundation."Nationwide Survey Finds the 'Best Communities for Music Education' in U.S." , NAMM, April 16, 2009. Accessed March 19, 2013."NAMM Foundation Survey Reveals 'Best Communities for Music Education' In the United States" , NAMM, May 5, 2010. Accessed March 19, 2013.
Curriculum Lawrence High School offers numerous honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes including Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, Economics, English, Environmental Science, European History, Music Theory, Physics, Statistics, Studio Art, United States Government and Politics, and United States History.Lawrence High School 2011 New Jersey School Report Card, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 4, 2012. The school also offers Cisco I and II, a certified networking course from Cisco Systems. LHS also offers many electives such as drafting, design and photography.
Athletics The Lawrence High School CardinalsLawrence High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Colonial Valley Conference, which is comprised of public and private schools in Mercer County and operates under the supervision of 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 842 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 761 to 1,058 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 Valley Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconferenceLawrence Cardinals, 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 IV South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 890 to 1,298 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. The school's most successful teams include football, golf, wrestling, soccer, swimming, diving, tennis, softball, cheerleading and cross-country.
The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint ice hockey team with Ewing High School and Hightstown 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.
The boys' soccer team won the Group II state championship in 1967 (defeating Northern Highlands Regional High School in the tournament final), 1969 (vs. Morris Knolls High School), 1970 (vs. Shore Regional High School), 1971 (vs. Point Pleasant Borough High School), 1973 and 1975 (vs. Garfield High School both years), 1980 (vs. Governor Livingston High School) and 1994 (vs. Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School), and won the Group III state title in 1968 (vs. Glen Rock High School); The nine state championships are tied for eighth-most of any program statewide and the streak of five consecutive titles from 1967 to 1971 is the longest for any public school.Boys Soccer Championship History 1946–2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed May 1, 2024.Greco, Richard; and Deakyne, Brian. "Which N.J. boys soccer programs have the most state titles?", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 24, 2019, updated June 14, 2020. Accessed December 31, 2020. "T7-Lawrence: Number of titles: 9; Championships: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980, 1994; Final appearances: 13" The program won its first state title in 1967 with a 3–2 win against Northern Highlands in the Group II championship game."Highlanders Lose, 3-2, To Lawrence In Group 2", The Record, November 18, 1967. Accessed December 31, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Unbeaten Lawrence broke out to a 3-0 lead yesterday and then held on to score a 3-2 win over Northern Highlands for the Group 2 State soccer championship" The 1968 team finished the season with a record of 15-2-3 after winning the Group III title with a 2–1 win against Glen Rock in the championship game played at Princeton University."Glen Rock Bows In Group 3 Tilt", The Record, December 1, 1968. Accessed December 31, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Glen Rock was bounced from the finals of the State soccer tourney Friday, 2-1, as Lawrence copped the Group 3 championship at Princeton University. The loss was only the second of the year for the Rockers, who won 15 games and tied one. Lawrence closed with a 15-2-3 mark." A 4–1 win against Garfield in the 1973 Group II championship led the team to a season record of 15-3-1.Simka, Red. "Community Pressbox; Soccer Team Loses Finale - Lawrence 4, Garfield 1", The Messenger, November 29, 1973. Accessed January 14, 2021. "A 'Hearty Toast' to coach Nick Perrapato and his Boilermaker soccer team for their fine efforts on behalf of Garfield in the recently concluded state soccer tournament for Group Two schools. Garfield was a 4-1 loser to Lawrence High School in the finals of the tournament.... Lawrence, which had a season mark of 15-3-1, was appearing in the finals for the seventh consecu tive time."