Passaic County Manchester Regional High School, most commonly known as Manchester Regional High School, is a comprehensive, four-year public high school and regional school district serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Haledon, North Haledon and Prospect Park, three communities in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Passaic County-Manchester Regional High School 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 30, 2016. "Manchester Regional High School (MRHS) serves 903 students from the Passaic County boroughs of Haledon, North Haledon and Prospect Park. It is also one of only two Interdistrict Public Choice Schools in the county providing a quality college preparatory curriculum to students outside the district who want to avail themselves of this program. One hundred four students from Essex, Bergen and Passaic Counties are enrolled at the school." The high school is the only facility of the Passaic County Manchester Regional High School District.Passaic County 2025-26 Public School Directory, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed December 24, 2025.School Performance Reports for the Manchester Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 1, 2025.New Jersey School Directory for the Manchester Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
The district participates in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, having been approved in July 2003 to participate in the program, which allows non-resident students to attend school in the district at no cost to their parents, with tuition covered by the resident district.List of Choice Districts: Choice Program Profiles for 2025-2026 School Year, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed January 1, 2025. Available slots are announced annually by grade.Passaic County-Manchester Regional High School Choice Profile for 2025-26 School Year, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed January 1, 2025.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 803 students and 66.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1. There were 454 students (56.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 50 (6.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Passaic County-Manchester Regional High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
The school's mean SAT scores for 2012-13 school year were 444 in the mathematics section, 429 in verbal and 419 on the essay for a composite score of 1292 vs. statewide averages of 521 math, 495 verbal and 496 essay, with a composite score of 1512; Among students taking the SAT, 14.2% met the 1550 composite score benchmark indicative of college success and completion, while 8.5% of peer schools and 43.9% of students statewide met this standard.Manchester Regional High School 2013 School Performance Report, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed November 20, 2014, 2014.
History Prior to the establishment of the regional district, students from Haledon had attended Paterson Central High School, while those from North Haledon and Prospect Park were sent to Hawthorne High School."Voters Approve Regional High", Paterson Evening News, January 24, 1957. Accessed May 10, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Until last year, North Haledon and Prospect Park sent their high school students to Hawthorne High School. Haledon sends its students now to Central High School in Paterson." Constructed at a cost of $2.75 million (equivalent to $ million in ), the school opened in September 1960 with an initial enrollment of 700 students."Cornerstone Set At Regional High", The Morning Call, September 9, 1960. Accessed May 10, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The cornerstone of the Manchester Regional High School was placed last night in ceremonies attended by officials of North Haledon, Haledon and Prospect Park, representatives of the New Jersey State Department of Education and more than 200 residents of the tri-borough district to be served by the $2,750,000 school.""Lack of Furniture Delays Opening of New 3-Town Manchester Regional HS", Paterson Evening News, September 3, 1960. Accessed May 10, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The new school, which will open with almost 700 students, will service Haledon-North Haledon-Prospect Park."
In a 2013 change by the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education, the district's funding formula was changed so that costs would be allocated with half based on enrollment and half based on valuation. The formula benefited North Haledon most, with Prospect Park's share of funding for the Manchester having more than doubled in a decade as of the 2014-15 school year and property taxes for the regional district rising nearly $700 on the average home in the previous two years. Haledon and Prospect Park have argued that property valuation should be the basis for assessing district taxes, while North Haledon, with the largest property valuation, had argued that funding should be based exclusively on enrollment.Park, Minjae. "Prospect Park residents appeal to lawmakers for more school aid for Manchester Regional", The Record, March 18, 2015. Accessed March 22, 2015. "At the court's order, the state commissioner of education created a new funding formula based one-third on enrollment and two-thirds on property values. North Haledon appealed and an administrative law judge in 2011 ordered the commissioner to create a new formula, recommending it be based two-thirds on enrollment and one-third on property values. Instead, Cerf in 2003 divided the burden 50-50 between enrollment and tax base, satisfying none of the boroughs."
The district had been classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "B", the second-lowest of eight groups. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 21, 2024.
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was awarded a Bronze Medal in U.S. News & World Reports 2009-2010 "Best American High Schools" issue, distinguishing it from the pack by being one of only two Passaic County, NJ, high schools mentioned."America's Best High Schools - New Jersey" , U.S. News & World Report, posted December 9, 2009. Accessed February 20, 2010. Only 1,750 high schools out of 21,786 public high schools were recognized."U.S. News Ranks America's Best High Schools for Third Consecutive Year" , U.S. News & World Report, posted December 9, 2009. Accessed February 20, 2010."Best High Schools 2010: Manchester Regional High School" , U.S. News & World Report, posted December 9, 2009. Accessed February 20, 2010.
The school was the 269th-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 272nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 260th 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 227th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed May 21, 2011. The school was ranked 218th 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 tied for 156th out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (an increase of 117 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 January 19, 2012.
Athletics The Manchester Regional FalconsManchester Regional High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. participate in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which is comprised of small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties, and was created following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).Mattura, Greg. "Small-school NJIC may debut its own league championship", The Record, January 9, 2017. Accessed August 30, 2020. "The small-school North Jersey Interscholastic Conference may debut its own boys basketball tournament this season, one season after introducing its girls hoops championship. The NJIC is comprised of schools from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties and the event offered to the 36 boys teams would serve as an alternative to likely competing against larger programs in a county tournament."Member Schools, North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Accessed August 30, 2020.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. With 651 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. Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Manchester was a member of the smaller Bergen-Passaic Scholastic League (BPSL).New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association League Memberships – 2009-2010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed November 20, 2014. 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. Seasonal sports include girls' soccer in the fall to softball in the spring.Season Sports, Manchester Regional High School. Accessed August 20, 2024.
Popular culture MRHS was featured as the school in the independent film 12 and Holding.12 and Holding, Internet Movie Database. Accessed May 6, 2010.
Administration Core members of the district's administration are:Staff, Manchester Regional High School. Accessed December 24, 2025.New Jersey School Directory for Passaic County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024. John Coviello, superintendentSuperintendent's Office, Manchester Regional High School. Accessed December 24, 2025. Lameka Augustin, business administrator and board secretaryBusiness Office Staff, Manchester Regional High School. Accessed December 24, 2025. Joseph Ercolani, principalPrincipal Joseph Ercolani, Manchester Regional High School. Accessed December 24, 2025.
Board of education