Central Ranked No. 11 Public High School in New Jersey

If West Morris Central High School alumni needed any more reason to be proud of their alma mater, one prominent publication is providing plenty of support for that pride.

In its bi-annual rankings of the state’s public high schools, New Jersey Monthly Magazine named West Morris Central No. 11 in the Garden State, a jump from No. 56 in its 2012 edition.

The monumental jump in ranking has to do with two factors, according to West Morris Regional High School Superintendent Mackey Pendergrast.

Reading, writing and math scores have all risen in the district, Pendergrast said, but a major change in the way rankings are compiled is now because of the inclusion of the International Baccalaureate program, or IB.

New Jersey Monthly, following in the footsteps of the New Jersey Department of Education, now considers the percentage of students in each school taking at least one IB test each school year.

At Central, Pendergrast said, 80-percent of the student body is scheduled to do so in the coming school year. For comparison, sister-school Mendham High will have 86-percent, and Princeton topped the list at 87-percent. Mendham was ranked No. 4 on the list.

“(The rankings) are more accurate now,” Pendergrast said. “Each time (New Jersey Monthly) ranked us since starting the IB program, our rankings in the district have gone down when they clearly shouldn’t have.”

Central joins great company on the list, with five Morris County schools placed in the top 20. Mendham came in at No. 4, with Chatham High School topping the list, and state, with the best overall placement. Mountain Lakes and Kinnelon rounded out the upper tier at No. 19 and 20, respectively.

The rankings are based on scores compiled for the DOE for the 2012-13 school year, Pendergrast’s first as the district’s chief. Scoring factors include student-to-teacher ratio; student results on the SAT and HSPA tests; scores on AP or IB tests; and graduation rates.

“On behalf of the board, I want to congratulate Superintendent Pendergrast for working to ensure the state and New Jersey Monthly recognized the IB program in its scoring methods,” said West Morris Regional Board of Education President Gary Lakritz.

The IB program has only enhanced the district’s offerings, Pendergast said.

“A lot of times people look at districts and say they either offer IB or AP (Advanced Placement),” the former regional school district teacher said. “That’s just not true here. We offer a robust AP program and the IB program. Whatever fits a student’s needs, we have. It’s what separates us from so many other districts.

“It’s just very nice to see that affirmation,” Pendergrast said.

New Jersey Monthly’s print edition is scheduled to hit newsstands Aug. 26, showing the top 100 schools, followed by a complete online listing of all 339 schools on Sept. 2.