Mountain Lakes High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Mountain Lakes, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Mountain Lakes Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1940.Mountain Lakes High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed July 27, 2011.
Students from Boonton Township attend the school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Boonton Township School District.Mountain Lakes High School 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 17, 2017. "Mountain Lakes High School is a 9th through 12th grade school which serves the communities of Mountain Lakes and Boonton Township. The school enjoys an excellent reputation and also supports the enrollment of approximately 50 hearing impaired students, part of the Lake Drive Program, who travel from all over the state to attend Mountain Lakes High School."Boonton Township School District 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 17, 2017. "The Boonton Township School District has one school, Rockaway Valley School, which houses a PreK through Grade 8 program for approximately 450 children. The district maintains a send-receive relationship with the neighboring Mountain Lakes School District, whereby our students attend Mountain Lakes High School."Information/ MLHS Information, Boonton Township School District. Accessed January 3, 2017. "Boonton Township School District maintains a 'send-receive' relationship with Mountain Lakes High School.... Once enrolled in Mountain Lakes High School, the responsibility for the education of the student rests with the High School. While the Boonton Township School District pays tuition for all residents enrolled at the High School, the High School faculty, staff and administration bear the responsibility for all academics, student IEP's and 504's, extra-curricular activities and the students' general health, well-being and safety at school."
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 546 students and 56.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.8:1. There were 10 students (1.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 1 (0.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Mountain Lakes High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was ranked 19th in a study by 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 7th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 9th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 26, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 4th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed April 15, 2011. The school was ranked 5th 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 August 19, 2008. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 28th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 7 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (94.6%) and language arts literacy (97.9%) 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 24, 2012.
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 16th in New Jersey and 679th nationwide.Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Mountain Lakes High School", The Washington Post. Accessed July 27, 2011. In Newsweek's May 22, 2007, issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Mountain Lakes High School was listed in 3rd place, the 2nd-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 its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 538th in the nation among participating public high schools and 44th among schools in New Jersey.Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools" , The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 9, 2013. The school was ranked 207th in the nation and 17th in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by The Daily Beast / Newsweek, with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the SAT / ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students.Staff. "America's Best High Schools 2012" , The Daily Beast / Newsweek, May 20, 2012. Accessed May 22, 2012.
In 2013, a Mountain Lakes High School quiz bowl team won the Tri-State and New Jersey championships of MSG Varsity's TV show, The Challenge."Mountain Lakes High School team wins The Challenge Championship", The Record, July 3, 2013. Accessed September 14, 2015.
Athletics The Mountain Lakes High School LakersMountain Lakes High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 17, 2020. compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference which is comprised of public and private high schools in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties in northwestern New Jersey, and operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), having been established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the NJSIAAHome Page, Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference. Accessed August 27, 2020. "The Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference prides itself on being one of New Jersey's premier high school conferences and is comprised of 39 high schools located in Northwest New Jersey."League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. Prior to the 2010 realignment, the school had been part of the Colonial Hills Conference, which included schools in Essex, Morris and Somerset counties.Page, Colonial Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive, as of November 19, 2010. Accessed November 20, 2014. With 500 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 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 American Blue 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 I North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 254 to 474 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint ice hockey team with Boonton High School. 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.
Mountain Lakes High School's athletic program features its football, lacrosse and swimming programs.
ShopRite Cup The school was recognized in 2005–06 with the ShopRite cup for overall athletic achievement based on first-place finishes in girls' cross-country, boys' lacrosse and boys' swimming; second place in boys' golf; third place in girls' basketball, field hockey (tie) and girls' swimming (tie); plus bonus points for having no disqualifications in any of the three sports seasons.Third Annual ShopRite Cup: 2005-2006 Final Standings, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 2, 2008.
Basketball The boys' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 1962 (defeating Dunellen High School in the final game of the tournament) and 1969 (vs. Ridgefield Memorial High School).Boys Basketball Championship History: 1919–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. The 1962 team finished the season with a 25–0 record after taking the Group I title with an 88–66 win against Dunellen in the tournament finals played in front of some 3,500 at Delaware Valley Garden."North Jersey Foes Prove Too Tough for Area Teams; Dunellen, S. Plainfield Bow; Westfield Rally Falls Short", The Record, March 19, 1962. Accessed February 27, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "All were beaten in convincing fashion by high-powered North Jersey teams in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association's 44th annual tournament here Saturday at Delaware Valley Garden. West Orange Mountain subdued South Plainfield, 55-43, to win the Group 2 championship; Mountain Lakes whipped Dunellen, 88-66, to secure Group 1 honors, and Weequahic shaded Westfield, 55-52, in the Group 4 finale.... Dunellen: Mountain Lakes, whose 25-0 record is the best ever in Morris County, blended superior rebounding, passing and driving tactics to overwhelm Dunellen and pin the eighth loss in 24 games on Coach Mike Shello's losers.... About 3,500 persons watched the evening inaugural." The team won the 1969 Group I title with a 76–44 win against Ridgefield in the championship game."East Orange Beats Perth Amboy; Mountain Lakes Tops Ridgefield", Asbury Park Press, March 30, 1969. Accessed January 2, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "In the first game of the doubleheader, Davie Bishop, 6-foot-10 Andy Rimol and Bob Wilson led Mountain Lakes to the Group I title with a 76-44 romp over Ridgefield."
In 2006, the girls' basketball team won North I, Group I state sectional title, edging Pascack Hills High School 43–42 in the tournament final.Seegers, Sandy. "Mtn. Lakes holds on to win section", Daily Record, March 7, 2006. Accessed August 1, 2007. "The game wasn't at all pretty but top-seeded Mountain Lakes got what it wanted Monday night – a 43–42 victory over sixth-seeded Pascack Hills for a second consecutive North Jersey Section 1, Group I girls basketball title."2006 Girls Basketball – North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 1, 2007.
Field hockey