Montville Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Montville Township, in suburban Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school was founded in 1971 and serves students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Montville Township School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1975.Montville Township High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools, backed up by the Internet Archive as of April 24, 2012. Accessed March 26, 2015.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,035 students and 106.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.76:1. There were 38 students (3.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 7 (0.67% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Montville Township High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed July 14, 2026
History MTHS was founded in 1968 with only a ninth grade class; previously, high school students from the township attended nearby Boonton High School."Board Has Date on Hot Seat; Boonton Citizens Committee to Prove Budget", Herald News, January 23, 1968. Accessed June 8, 2020. "The budget also might be affected -- either up or down -- the board hasn't said which -- by the Montville Township high school referendum which was passed last week and means that Montville will withdraw its freshman class from Boonton High next fall, and all of its students by 1971." For the first two years of its existence the school was lodged in what was then referred to as Central School (now named Robert R. Lazar School, located on Changebridge Road, within sight of the new high school). An additional grade was added in each of the following three years. In September 1970, the student body moved into the new building (located on Horseneck Road), built on what was formerly The Sunset Dairy Farm, a.k.a. Sisco Tract; constructed at a cost of $4 million (equivalent to $ million in ), the new facility opened with only classrooms open and no gym, library or other facilities completed."New Montville High Opens, Only One-Third Completed", Paterson News, September 16, 1970. Accessed February 27, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "They're calling it a high school, but the township's new $4 million structure, open since last Wednesday, is only one-third completed. 'Up until a few days ago,' said Board Trustee James Hile, who opposed the school opening at the last Board meeting, there wasn't even a shelf in the library. As a matter of fact, only the classroom section of the, building has been completed. The gymnasium is 'nowhere near complete,' according to Hile." The initial class to complete all four years at MTHS graduated in 1972."160 in First Montville Graduating Class", Paterson News, June 14, 1972. Accessed February 21, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Class of 1972 will be the first to graduate from the new Montville High School. One hundred sixty students will receive their diplomas at the graduation ceremonies next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on the athletic field in front of the school."
The first principal of the High School was Dr. Arthur Dermer,"Principal at Montville H.S. Expected to Quit Post Today", Herald News, February 26, 1970. Accessed February 27, 2022, via Newspapers.com. Dr. Arthur Dermer, - principal of the Montville Township High School, is expected to announce his resignation today, according to a reliable source within the school system.... Dermer was hired in June 1968 for $15,000 to pilot the new high school pro gram and head the township's first freshman class at the Central School." followed by Dr. Timothy Dyas. Another long-serving principal was Dr. Clifford Keezer. After the initial recruitment of a high school staff in 1968, the Montville School District gradually added to the faculty as it became a full four-year school.
The mascot adopted by the Board of Education for the high school suitably fit with the several horse/riding farms within the township.
The auditorium of the High School is named in honor of Dr. Robert O. Stafford, who was raised in the township and was a long-time teacher and administrator at MTHS.
Awards, recognition and rankings In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 198th out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 31st among all high schools in New Jersey and 15th 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 415th in the nation among participating public high schools and 34th among schools in New Jersey.Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools" , The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 8, 2013.
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 41st in New Jersey and 1,346th nationwide.Mathews, Jay. , The Washington Post. Accessed September 8, 2011. In Newsweek's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Montville High School was listed in 964th place, the 28th-highest ranked school in New Jersey."The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools", Newsweek, May 22, 2007. Accessed May 24, 2007.
The school was the 51st-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 39th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 47th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 2, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 54th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 23, 2011. The school was ranked 49th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 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.
In 2025, SchoolDigger ranked Montville Township High School 50th out of 429 New Jersey public high schools, with strong proficiency results and a high four-year graduation rate. the U.S. News & World Report 2025 list places the school 62nd in New Jersey and 1,361st nationally.
Graduate statistics Based on data for the Class of 2017 from the New Jersey School Report Card, the graduation rate was 99%. Average SAT scores were 581 Mathematics, 548 Critical Reading and 554 Writing, for a composite score of 1683, vs. statewide averages of 496/521/497 and a composite of 1514; Of students who took the SAT, 65.1% met the standard of college readiness with a composite score of 1550, vs. a statewide average of 44.6%. There were 19 AP courses offered / exams taken, with 42.1% of students taking at least one exam and 84.5% scoring 3 or above.Montville Township High School 2013-14 School Performance Report, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 27, 2015. In more recent years, Montville has maintained a graduation rate above 97%, with a majority of students continuing on to post-secondary education. The school now offers more than 20 Advanced Placement courses, with over 80% of AP exam takers scoring 3 or higher, consistently above state and national averages. Montville students also perform strongly on the ACT and SAT, and each year several qualify as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists or finalists.
Athletics The Montville High School MustangsMontville Township High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools located in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties in Northern New Jersey, that 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. With 904 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. Montville is assigned to the American Division for most sports. Prior to the NJSIAA's realignment that took effect in the fall of 2009, Montville was a member of the Suburban Division of the Northern Hills Conference.Home Page, Northern Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 28, 2011. Accessed December 15, 2014. The football team competes in the Patriot White 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 III North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 700 to 884 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The 1978 baseball team finished the season at 16–10 after winning the Group II state championship with a 3–1 win against South Brunswick High School in the championship game.Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024."Montville wins Group 2 crown", The Record, June 11, 1978. Accessed February 21, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Senior Bob Ferla pitched a three-hitter and drove home the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning to lead Montville to a 3-1 win over South Brunswick in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Croup 2 baseball final.... Montville. which finished its season with a 16-10 record, scored twice in the first inning." The 2007 Mustang baseball team defeated Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, 9–7, to take the North I Group III section title for the first time since 1989.2007 Baseball - North I, Group III, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 12, 2007. The team has won the Morris County Tournament three times, tied for the fourth-most in tournament history, winning in 1974, 1980 and 1992."The history of the Morris County Baseball Tournament (Throwback Photos)", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 11, 2019, updated August 24, 2019. Accessed November 17, 2020.