Sussex-Wantage Regional School District

The Sussex-Wantage Regional School District is a comprehensive regional public school district that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade from Sussex Borough and Wantage Township, two municipalities in northern Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.^[3]

Sussex-Wantage Regional School District
Address
31 Ryan Road Wantage , Sussex County, New Jersey, 07461 United States
Coordinates	41°13′46″N 74°36′20″W / 41.22945°N 74.605612°W / 41.22945; -74.605612
District information
Grades	PreK-8
Superintendent	Michael Gall
Business administrator	Christina Riker
Schools	3
Students and staff
Enrollment	1,049 (as of 2019–20)^[1]
Faculty	99.0 FTEs^[1]
Student–teacher ratio	10.6:1^[1]
Other information
District Factor Group	FG
Website	www.swregional.org
Ind. Per pupil District spending Rank (*) K-8 average %± vs. average 1A Total Spending $18,686 65 $18,891 −1.1% 1 Budgetary Cost 15,955 77 14,159 12.7% 2 Classroom Instruction 10,177 80 8,659 17.5% 6 Support Services 2,257 53 2,167 4.2% 8 Administrative Cost 1,748 67 1,547 13.0% 10 Operations & Maintenance 1,564 46 1,612 −3.0% 13 Extracurricular Activities 96 43 104 −7.7% 16 Median Teacher Salary 63,010 56 61,136 Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.^[2] *Of K-8 districts with more than 750 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=84

As of the 2019–20 school year, the district, comprising three schools, had an enrollment of 1,049 students and 99.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.6:1.^[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth-highest of eight groupings. 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.^[4]

For ninth through twelfth grades, public school students from both Sussex and Wantage attend High Point Regional High School, together with students from Branchville, Frankford Township, Lafayette Township and Montague Township.^[5][6][7] As of the 2019–20 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 866 students and 76.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1.^[8]

History

With the opening of High Point Regional High School in September 1966, Sussex High School was closed, which had served students from both Sussex and Wantage.^[9][10][11] With the closure of the high school, the building was repurposed as Sussex Middle School.^[12]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2019–20 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics^[13]) are:^{[14][15][16][17]}

• Clifton E. Lawrence School^[18] in Wantage, with 376 students in grades K - 2
  • Michael Gall, principal^[19]
• Wantage Elementary School^[20] in Wantage, with 340 students in grades 3 - 5
  • Christopher Gregory, principal^[19]
• Sussex Middle School^[21] in Sussex, with 328 students in grades 6 - 8
  • Shane Schwarz, principal^[19]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:^[19][22]

• Michael Gall, superintendent
• Christina M. Riker, business administrator and board secretary

Board of education

The district's board of education, composed of nine members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year held (since 2012) as part of the November general election. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.^[23] Seats on the board are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with seven seats assigned to Wantage Township and two to Sussex.^[24]

References

1. District information for Sussex-Wantage Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2021.
2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
3. Sussex-Wantage Regional Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Sussex-Wantage Regional School District. Accessed January 22, 2022. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eight in the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District. Composition: The Sussex-Wantage Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Sussex Borough and Wantage Township."
4. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 18, 2014.
5. Sussex-Wantage Regional School District 2014 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 18, 2020. "Our district serves over 1,200 students in three schools: Pre-School through Grade 2 in the Clifton E. Lawrence School, Grades 3–5 in the Wantage School, and Grades 6–8 in the Sussex Middle School. Our students attend High Point Regional High School in Grade 9, along with students from the Lafayette and Frankford Township School Districts."
6. High Point Regional High School 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 18, 2020. "High Point Regional High School is a comprehensive high school serving the diversified needs of the five surrounding municipalities of Branchville, Frankford, Lafayette, Sussex and Wantage. In addition, we are in a send/receive relationship with the Montague school district."
7. "2019-20 School Profile", High Point Regional High School. Accessed June 18, 2020. "Located 63 miles northwest of Manhattan in bucolic Sussex, County NJ, High Point serves students from six municipalities: Branchville, Lafayette, Frankford, Montague, Sussex, and Wantage."
8. School data for High Point Regional High School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2021.
9. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2013, High Point Regional High School District. Accessed December 4, 2017. "The District is governed by a nine member Board of Education which was formed in December 1963; members are elected to serve three year terms. The school building opened for students in grades 9-12 in September 1966. High Point Regional High School has completed two building additions in 1975 and 1991."
10. Wright, Kevin M. Newton Public Schools, Newton, NJ. Accessed December 4, 2017. "At that time, thirteen school districts sent students to Newton High School while two districts sent elementary school children here. Frankford, Lafayette and Branchville students departed Newton High School in 1964 when the High Point Regional district was formed. Kittatinny Regional District subtracted students from Hampton, Stillwater, Fredon, Sandyston and Walpack Townships in September 1975."
11. Carlson, Joe. "High Point High School celebrates 50 years", New Jersey Herald, October 2, 2006. Accessed December 4, 2017. "The school opened in 1966 with students from Sussex and Wantage, Lafayette, Frankford and Branchville. Prior to High Point's opening, Sussex and Wantage students attended Sussex High School. Frankford, Lafayette and Branchville students attended Newton High School."
12. Obernauer, Eric. "Sussex classmates celebrate 74-year reunion", New Jersey Herald, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 4, 2017. "Today Sussex High School no longer exists, having been converted to Sussex Middle School after the opening of High Point Regional High School in 1966."
13. School Data for the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2021.
14. School Hours, Sussex-Wantage Regional School District. Accessed January 22, 2022.
15. Public School Directory 2023-2024, Sussex County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2024.
16. School Performance Reports for the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
17. New Jersey School Directory for the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
18. Clifton E. Lawrence School, Sussex-Wantage Regional School District. Accessed January 22, 2022.
19. Administration, Sussex-Wantage Regional School District. Accessed January 22, 2022.
20. Wantage Elementary School, Sussex-Wantage Regional School District. Accessed January 22, 2022.
21. Sussex Middle School, Sussex-Wantage Regional School District. Accessed January 22, 2022.
22. New Jersey School Directory for Sussex County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
23. New Jersey Boards of Education by District Election Types - 2018 School Election, New Jersey Department of Education, updated February 16, 2018. Accessed January 26, 2020.
24. Board of Education, Sussex-Wantage Regional School District. Accessed June 18, 2020.

External links

• Sussex-Wantage Regional School District
• School Performance Reports for the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics