Bernards High School is a comprehensive four-year regional public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school is part of the Somerset Hills School District, a regional K–12 school district that consists of the participating municipalities of Bernardsville, Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone. Students from Bedminster are sent to the district's high school for grades 9-12 as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Bedminster Township School District.Somerset County School Districts-Sending/Receiving/Regional, Somerset County Superintendent of Schools. Accessed June 30, 2020. The school is located in Bernardsville, within walking distance from the main section of Bernardsville. The school is overseen by the New Jersey Department of Education.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 751 students and 68.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.9:1. There were 117 students (15.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 19 (2.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Bernards High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
Awards, recognition and rankings In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", Bernards High was ranked 88th out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 18th among all high schools in New Jersey and fifth 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 235th in the nation among participating public high schools and 18th among schools in New Jersey.Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 8, 2013. The school was ranked 169th in the nation and 12th in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by The Daily Beast / Newsweek, with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the SAT / ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students.Staff. "America's Best High Schools 2012", The Daily Beast / Newsweek, May 20, 2012. Accessed May 22, 2012.
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 6th in New Jersey and 288th nationwide.Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Bernards High School" , The Washington Post. Accessed July 22, 2011. The school was ranked 198th in Newsweeks 2009 ranking of the top 1,500 high schools in the United States and was the fourth-ranked school in New Jersey, with 3.023 IB tests taken in 2008 per graduating senior and 49% of all graduating seniors passing at least one IB exam. In 2008, the school was ranked 518th nationwide.Staff. "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,500 top U.S. high schools" , Newsweek, June 8, 2009. Accessed June 10, 2009. In Newsweeks May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Bernards High School was listed in 218th place, the sixth-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 listed in 141st place, the fourth highest ranked school in New Jersey, in Newsweeks May 8, 2006, issue, listing the Top 1,200 High Schools in The United States.Top 1,200 High Schools in The United States , Newsweek May 8, 2006.
The school was the 15th-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 11th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 32nd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 27, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 36th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 21, 2011. The school was ranked 50th 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. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 52nd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 16 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (92.3%) and language arts literacy (97.4%) 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 February 26, 2012.
Athletics The Bernards High School MountaineersBernards High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Skyland Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools covering Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties, and operates under the jurisdiction 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. Bernards joined the Skyland Conference in the 2006–07 school year, after having been in the Colonial Hills Conference for many years. With 644 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 Division 2A of the Big Central Football Conference, which includes 60 public and private high schools in Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, Union and Warren counties, which are broken down into 10 divisions by size and location.Kinney, Mike. "Big Central revises 2020 football schedule for its shortened inaugural season", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 12, 2020. Accessed April 18, 2021. "The newly formed Big Central Football Conference has released a revised 2020 schedule for its inaugural season.... the BCFC is comprised of schools from Middlesex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties." 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 a joint ice hockey team with Middlesex High School and Somerville High School.
The boys track team won the spring / outdoor track state championship in Group II in 1937, 1948, 1971, 1981, 1982, 1983 (was later disqualified as team champion), 1984 and 1985, and won in Group I in 1947, 1986.NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Boys, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2021.
The boys cross country team won the Group II state title in 1965, 1977, 1985, 1987 and won the Group I title in 1966, 1968–1970, 1972, 1974–1976, 1978–1984, 1998, 2003 and 2004. The program's 23 state titles are the second-most of any school in the state and the 14 consecutive titles won from 1974 to 1987 are the longest streak of any school statewide.Boys Cross Country Championship History 1946-2022, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 12, 2023. The team won the Meet of Champions in 1981, 1982 and 1985. The three MoC titles are tied for third-most of any school in the state.NJSIAA Boys Cross-Country Meet of Champions Winners (1972–2018), New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
The girls tennis team won the Group I state championship in 1976 (defeating runner-up Kinnelon High School in the tournament final) and 2003 (vs. Point Pleasant Beach High School), and in Group II in 2005 (vs. Governor Livingston High School).Girls Tennis Championship History: 1971–2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed September 1, 2024. The 1976 team won the Group I title with a 4-1 win against Kinnelon in the final match of the playoffs."Bernards Girls Ease To State Tennis Title", Bernardsville News, June 2, 1976. Accessed December 29, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Bernards High's girls tennis team won its first State Group 1 championship last Friday in Princeton, outclassing Kinnelon High, 4-1, in the title match." After defeating Leonia High School 3-2 in the semifinals, the 2003 team won the Group I title against Point Pleasant Beach by 5-0 in the tournament finals at Mercer County Park.Staff. "Pingry, Bernards take group championships", Courier News, October 24, 2003. Accessed March 3, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Bernards High School and Pingry School tennis teams reached the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament of Champions by winning group titles Thursday at Mercer County Park. On the strength of fresliman first singles player Lindsay Clark and wins by both doubles teams, Bernards avenged a sweep in last year's tournament and eliminated a tough Leonia squad 3-2 in the Group I semifinals.... Bernards proceeded to dismantle Point Pleasant Beach 5-0 in the Group I final to earn a spot in the Tournament of Champions."
The boys tennis team won the Group I state championship in 1977 (against Glen Ridge High School in the final match of the tournament), in 1982 (vs. Verona High School), and in Group II in 1978 (vs. Tenafly High School).History of Boys Team Tennis Championship Tournament, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
The girls cross country team won the Group I state championship from 1978 to 1984, 1986 and 1997, and won in Group II in 1985. The program's 12 state championships are second-most in the state and the program holds the longest streak statewide, with 10 consecutive titles won from 1977 to 1986.NJSIAA Girls Cross Country State Group Champions , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
The girls spring track team was the Group I state champion in 1982–1985, 1987 and 1993. The program's six group titles are tied for tenth-most in New Jersey.NJSIAA Girls Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
The boys track team won the indoor track championship in Group I in 1983, 1985 and 1989, and in Group II in 1986.Boys Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed February 1, 2024. The girls track team won the Group I title in 1983–1985, 1987, 2009 and 2010, and won in Group II in 1986; the seven titles won by the girls program is the fifth-most of any school in New Jersey.Girls Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed February 1, 2024.
The field hockey team won the Group I state championship in 1994 against runner-up Madison High School.History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.