Cherry Hill High School West (also known as Cherry Hill West or CHW) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving ninth through twelfth grade in Cherry Hill, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It operates as part of the Cherry Hill Public Schools. Cherry Hill West is one of three high schools in the district; the others are Cherry Hill High School East and Cherry Hill Alternative High School.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,287 students and 106.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1. There were 375 students (29.1% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 67 (5.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Cherry Hill High School West, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
History In May 1954, with enrollment exceeding the school's target of 1,000, the Haddonfield Public Schools notified the Delaware Township School District (since renamed the Cherry Hill Public Schools) that its students would no longer be accepted at Haddonfield Memorial High School after June 1956. While there were 420 Haddonfield students at the high school, there were 760 students as part of sending/receiving relationships, including about 200 from Delaware Township (now Cherry Hill)."Haddonfield High To Drop Pupils of Delaware Twp.", Courier-Post, May 21, 1954. Accessed March 13, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Delaware Township High School, pupils will not be accepted in Haddonfield Memorial High School after June, 1956.... Reynolds said 761 pupils now attending Haddonfield Memorial High School are from sending districts, as compared to 423 from Haddonfield.... Reynolds produced a table he said represents the breakdown of sending pupils in the high school at present. Listed are: Delaware Township, 205; Evesham Township, 75; Gibbsboro, 20; Gloucester, 272; Haddon Township, 90; Lawnside, 2; Voorhees Township, 89; Woodlynne, 1; and private, 7."
Constructed on a plot of land, Delaware Township High School opened in September 1956 for grades 7–9 students."Opening Set At Dela. Twp. High School", Courier-Post, August 9, 1956. Accessed March 13, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The first section of the new Delaware Township High School on Church rd., will be ready for classes at the beginning of the Fall term, according to Dr. Robert E. Hansen, principal.... The school, situated on a 40- acre tract of land on Church rd., was originally planned to be completed in stages with the final date set for sometime in January, Hansen said. The entire school plant is divided in four sections. The part which will be ready in the fall contains 22 classrooms and laboratories."A Brief History, Cherry Hill High School West. Accessed January 21, 2016. "In September of 1956, across from the peach orchards on Chapel Avenue, a new school opened its doors to seventh, eighth and ninth graders. Its students were drawn from across Delaware Township. The founding of Delaware Township High School marked the emergence of the township as a burgeoning South Jersey community." Completed for $1.6 million (equivalent to $ million in ), dedication ceremonies were conducted in November 1957 for the complex, which was built in four separate sections."Rites to Mark Dedication of High School", Courier-Post, October 30, 1957. Accessed March 13, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The dedication and cornerstone laying exercises for Delaware Township's new high school on Chapel ave. will be held Sunday at 2 p. m. Built at a cost of $1,632,000, the school opened for 7th, 8th and 9th grade pupils in the fall of 1956, and for 10th graders this fall. The entire school plant is divided in four sections: A, the industrial arts wing; B, for administration and business education, and C, auditorium, gymnasium, music room and cafeteria and kitchen areas. All these are of one-story construction, with block D, the academic wing, of two- story design."
The school was renamed as Cherry Hill High School and adopted its current name for the 1966–67 school year with the opening of Cherry Hill High School East.Riordan, Kevin. "As Cherry Hill Class of '67 gathers one more time, recalling when the town became 'the place to live'", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 20, 2017. Accessed August 4, 2019. "Their 750-member class included students from across the sprawling township; Cherry Hill High School East had just opened with a freshman class, and the East-West divide was in its infancy."
With delays in the construction of its new building, Cherry Hill East began the 1966–67 school year with 450 ninth-grade students attending split sessions at the original Cherry Hill High School."One Class Split - 1700 Cherry Hill Students Diverted Until 3 Schools Are Finished", The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 21, 1966. Accessed April 26, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Three Cherry Hill schools under construction will not be ready for the Sept. 7 opening, officials said Saturday.... Edward V. Cook, assistant superintendent of schools, said double sessions would be held at Cherry Hill High School for freshmen who would have entered Cherry Hill East. Those 450 students will attend either the morning session, 7:45 to 12:15, or afternoon, 12:15 to 4:45." The new Cherry Hill East building opened in January 1967."Cherry Hill To Open New School", Courier-Post, January 26, 1967. Accessed April 26, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The new Cherry Hill High School East will open its doors Monday for 466 ninth grade students now attending classes at Cherry Hill High School West. A staff of 31 teachers and three secretaries will administer educational activities at the $4 million school on Kresson Road between Springdale and Cropwell Roads."
Cherry Hill High School West was an IB World School offering students the IB Diploma Programme from September 2000 to June 2008.Cherry Hill High School West , International Baccalaureate Organization. Accessed August 14, 2008.
Awards, recognition and rankings In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 68th in New Jersey and 1,990th nationwide.Mathews, Jay. , The Washington Post. Accessed September 11, 2011. The school was ranked 1534th nationwide, the 54th-highest in New Jersey, in Newsweek magazine's 2010 rankings of America's Best High Schools.Staff. "America's Best High Schools: The List", Newsweek, June 13, 2010. Accessed March 28, 2011.
The school was the 161st-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 146th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 57th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 29, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 96th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 28, 2011. The school was ranked 126th 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 144th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 36 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (83.7%) and language arts literacy (94.4%) 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 March 5, 2012.
Extracurricular activities
Sports The Cherry Hill High School West LionsCherry Hill High School West, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. participate in the Liberty Division of the Olympic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties, 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 986 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 National Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconferenceCherry Hill West Lions, 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 Lions have played their home football games at the township stadium, Jonas C. Morris Stadium, which they have shared with Cherry Hill High School East. Annually, the Lions face their crosstown rival, the Cherry Hill East Cougars, on Thanksgiving morning, a rivalry described by The Philadelphia Inquirer as "one of the best in South Jersey", in which the winner of the contest receives the Al DiBart Memorial Trophy, also known as "The Boot."Anastasia, Phil. , The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 26, 2010. Accessed December 3, 2014. "Cherry Hill West beat Cherry Hill East for the fourth consecutive year in the annual battle for the Al DiBart Memorial Trophy – also known as 'The Boot' – in the snow and rain on Thanksgiving Day.... The rivalry is one of the best in South Jersey. These schools are connected – both their bands combine to play the national anthem, and both schools introduced their homecoming courts at halftime. The Cherry Hill High School West Lions defeated the Cougars 8–0 in 2014, in the 46th game played in the series between the two teams, Cherry Hill West led 31–15.Hughes, Connor. "Cherry Hill West (8) at Cherry Hill East (0) - Football", The Star-Ledger, November 26, 2014. Accessed December 3, 2014. "Tyrone Williams scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter to give Cherry Hill West an 8-0 victory over Cherry Hill East on Wednesday evening at Jonas Morris Stadium in Cherry Hill. The game was the 46th between the neighborhood rivals in the Thanksgiving series, which stands 31-15 in favor of Cherry West."
Cherry Hill High School West students participate in an independent club ice hockey team affiliated with the South Jersey High School Ice Hockey League; this team is not a school-sponsored athletic group. Every Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, the "Cherry Hill West" Ice Hockey Club plays the "Cherry Hill East" Ice Hockey Club for the Golden Skate Award.