Monmouth Career Academies, Other High Schools Among Top In NJ: Report

MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ — The Monmouth County Vocational School District Career Academies earned high grades in the annual "best high schools" rankings produced by a national magazine.

High Technology High School in Lincroft in Middletown was top in the county, ranked No. 3 in New Jersey, No. 64 nationally, in the 2023-24 Best High Schools released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

Other area high schools were among the top 100, too, including Rumson-Fair Haven Regional, Marlboro, Holmdel, Red Bank Regional, Manasquan and Colts Neck high schools.

See the Patch story on all the top schools in the state, with numbers indicating where the schools rank in New Jersey. Numbers in parentheses indicate where the schools ranked nationally, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Here are Monmouth County rankings from among the top 100 in the state:

• High Technology High School, Lincroft: No. 3 in state, 64 nationally.
• Biotechnology High School, Freehold: No. 5 in state, 72 nationally.
• Monmouth County Academy of Allied Health and Science, Neptune: No. 11 in state, 248 nationally.
• Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Highlands: No. 14 in state, 316 nationally.
• Communications High School, Wall: No. 34 in state, 754 nationally.

The schools above are all in the Monmouth County Vocational School District and are Career Academies, and on Wednesday, the Board of County Commissioners praised students and staff there:

Commissioner Deputy Director Nick DiRocco, liaison to the district, said "All five high schools are being recognized as the best public high schools in the county, an honor that reflects the students’ hours of hard work studying and preparing for academic success, as well as, extracurricular activities. We would also like to thank the dedicated faculty members and administrators for the constant support they provide for their students.”

Below are other Monmouth County high schools in the top 100 in New Jersey, according to the magazine rankings:

• Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, Rumson: No. 43 in state, 1,016 nationally.
• Marlboro High School, Marlboro: No. 57 in state, 1,234 nationally
• Holmdel High School, Holmdel: No. 64 in state, 1,348 nationally
• Red Bank Regional High School, Little Silver: No. 89 in state, 1,904 nationally
• Manasquan High School, Manasquan: No. 91 in state, 1,992 nationally
• Colts Neck High School, Colts Neck: No. 97 in state, 2,167 nationally.

In general, the highest-ranked schools had students who performed well on state assessments for math, reading, and science, U.S. News said.

They also performed strongly in meeting the needs of underserved students, including those who are Black, Hispanic or from low-income households.

The schools had a breadth of curriculum offerings and high graduation rates, and their students performed well on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.

Patch Editor Michelle Rotuno-Johnson contributed state reporting to this story.