Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest (NV/Demarest) is a comprehensive four-year public high school serving students from several municipalities in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The high school serves students from the suburban communities of Closter, Demarest, and Haworth.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In / Demarest, N.J.; Small Town, Large Sense of History", The New York Times, April 4, 1999. Accessed July 22, 2011. "Following eighth grade, students go on to Northern Valley Regional High School in Demarest, which the borough shares with Haworth and neighboring Closter." The school is one of two high schools that are part of the Northern Valley Regional High School District, the other being Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, which serves students from Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood, and Old Tappan, along with students from Rockleigh, who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship.Northern Valley Regional High School District 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 12, 2017. "Located in the upper North Eastern corner of the state, Northern Valley Regional is comprised of two high schools, Northern Valley at Demarest and Northern Valley at Old Tappan.... Our long standing successful and cost efficient Pre-K-12 consortium remains an exemplar model of shared services including seven local Pre-K-8 districts that send their students to the regional high schools: Closter, Demarest, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan."Our Communities, Northern Valley Regional High School District. Accessed May 31, 2016. "The seven towns that make up the Northern Valley Regional High School District - Closter, Demarest, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northvale, Norwood, and Old Tappan - are situated in the northeast corner of Bergen County, New Jersey."
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,022 students and 95.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.7:1. There were 8 students (0.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 2 (0.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Northern Valley Regional High School At Demarest, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
The high school is overseen by the New Jersey Department of Education and has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1959.Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed July 11, 2011.
History The school opened in September 1955, serving all seven constituent municipalities, before which students attended Closter High School, Dumont High School or Tenafly High School.Beuscher, Kristin. "Back in Time: School Days at Demarest", Northern Valley Press, June 17, 2019. Accessed March 29, 2022. "Northern Valley Demarest (NVD) was still new at the time, having opened in September of 1955 in response to the post-war Baby Boom that had seen the region's population rise drastically. Before this, students from the seven Northern Valley towns attended high school in Closter (that building became Village Middle School after 1955), Dumont, or Tenafly."
Awards, recognition and rankings For the 1994-96 school years, Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education,National Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982 Through 2019 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed September 1, 2024. the highest award an American school can receive."CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department", Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve.""Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test", The Washington Post, September 29, 2005. "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
The school was the 42nd-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 34th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 14th 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 9th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 3, 2011. The school was ranked 16th 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 September 16, 2008.
Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 23rd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 3 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (96.4%) and language arts literacy (98.2%) 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 23, 2012.
In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 234th out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 39th among all high schools in New Jersey and 22nd 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 351st in the nation among participating public high schools and 28th 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 21st in New Jersey and 755th nationwide.Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest", The Washington Post. Accessed July 28, 2011. The school was ranked 378th in Newsweek's 2009 ranking of the top 1,500 high schools in the United States and was the seventh-ranked school in New Jersey, with 2.364 AP tests taken in 2008 per graduating senior and 35% of all graduating seniors passing at least one AP exam; The school was ranked 1,166th nationwide in 2008.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 Newsweek's 2007 rankings of the country's top 1,200 high schools, Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest was listed in 1045th place, the 32nd-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.
In the 2021 "Apple Distinguished Schools" issue by Apple, the school was recognized as an Apple Distinguished School.
Athletics The Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest NorsemenNorthern Valley Regional at Demarest, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Big North Conference, a super-conference comprised of public and private high schools in Bergen and Passaic counties established in 2009 as part of an effort to achieve greater competitive balance between schools, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.Athletic Department Information, Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest. Accessed July 11, 2011.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. The school had previously competed in the North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League, an athletic conference that consisted of high schools located in Bergen County.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 August 14, 2017. With 762 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 Patriot Red 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 school offers over 23 sports, which include participation at the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity level (46 teams), as well as 18 co-curricular activities. Sports include bowling, football and boys' and girls' basketball, and volleyball.
The school participates with New Milford High School in a joint ice hockey team in which Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan is the host school / lead agency. 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 indoor track team was Group III champion in 1961 and won the Group II title in both 1964 and 1965.Boys Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed February 1, 2024.