Cherry Hill Public Schools
45 Ranoldo Terrace, P.O. Box 5015
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-0391
Phone: 856-429-5600 Fax: 856-354-1864
www.chclc.org

Our Goals:

• Continue to improve student achievement at all grade levels for all students and close achievement gaps where they exist.
• Expand implementation of a blueprint for student success to assure continuous student progress within an aligned preK-12 educational program.
• Achieve an increased level of consistency among all schools by applying an individualized data-driven approach to child study evaluations, IEP development and implementation of special education programs.
• Develop an action plan to improve and maintain school facilities while focusing on learning, safety, space, infrastructure, and maintenance.
• Protect the quality of the district’s educational program while minimizing the financial impact on the local taxpayer, implementing greater fiscal and operational efficiency, providing increased transparency and accountability, and pursuing alternative funding.

Our Location:
Cherry Hill is a 24-square mile area located in southern New Jersey, about 20 minutes from Philadelphia, 90 minutes from New York City, one hour from Atlantic City and three hours from Washington, D.C.

Our Schools:
Total number of schools: 19
Early Childhood Center: 1
Elementary Schools: 12
Middle Schools: 3
High Schools: 2
Alternative High School Program: 1

Our Budget:
2011-2012 general fund budget: $167,343,204
Total comparative cost per pupil (2011): $12,525
State average: $13,609
Percentage of total cost per pupil directed to the classroom: 62%

Our Facilities:
Square feet of building space: 1.7 million
District grounds: 354 acres
Age of oldest building: 56 years
Age of youngest building: 41 years

Our Employees:
The Cherry Hill School District is one of the largest employers in the region.

Total number of employees: 1,616
Number of teachers: 990
Number of educational assistants: 315
Number of certificated administrators: 46 (Includes Principals, Asst. Principals, Supervisors, and Certificated Central Office Administrators)
Beginning teacher salary: $46,277
Median teacher salary: $57,302
Number of teacher workdays: 187

Our Students:

Enrollments
Total number of students, June 2011: 11,513
PreK-5: 5,126
6-8: 2,653
9-12: 3,597
Out-of-district placements: 137

Ethnic Distribution of Students
White: 67.7%
African American: 8.6%
Asian: 16.2%
Hispanic: 7.1%

Diversity in the Cherry Hill Public Schools
Native languages spoken by CHPS students: 50+
Number of ESL students: 154

Socioeconomic Diversity (October 2010)
Students eligible for free or reduced price lunch: 15.7%

Diverse Student Needs (October 2010)
Students eligible for special education services: 17.5%

Our Indicators of Success:
% of 2011 grads continuing their education: 94%
Average SAT score (Class of 2011):
District: Critical Reading-540, Math-575, Writing-555
State: Critical Reading-495, Math-514, Writing-497
Student dropout rate: 0.5%
AP/IB courses offered: 22
National Merit Finalists (Class of 2011): 13
National Merit Semifinalists (Class of 2011): 2
National Merit Commended Students (Class of 2011): 28

The Cherry Hill School district has been designated a high-performing school district through the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) review process.

NCLB Blue Ribbon Schools: Rosa International Middle School (2009), Cooper Elementary School (2007), Cherry Hill High School East

New Jersey Schools of Character: James Johnson Elementary School (2010), Carusi Middle School (2010), Horace Mann Elementary School (2008), Woodcrest Elementary School (2008), Rosa International Middle School (2008)

National Schools of Character: Carusi Middle School (2011), Rosa International Middle School (2008)

State Assessment Overview:
Cherry Hill students continue to perform well on state and national assessments; in Spring 2010, Cherry Hill students scored at or above the averages of schools in the district’s wealth category—District Factor Group (DFG) GH – in 100% of grade levels and subjects. For more details, check out the Annual Testing Report. (Spring 2011 data will be included in the testing report released later this fall.)

Points of Pride:
Following is a sampling of Points of Pride taken from our e-news during the 2010-2011 school year and Summer 2011.

·         Cherry Hill was named the state’s “Top Large Town” in the 2011 “Best Places to Live” rankings published by New Jersey Monthly. The ranking is based, in part, on Cherry Hill’s “top notch” schools.

·         Both Cherry Hill East and Cherry Hill West are on Newsweek’s 2011 list of America’s Best High Schools.  Newsweek calls the list “a measure of success in challenging and preparing students for post-secondary education – and life.”

·         The Class of 2011 included 13 National Merit Finalists, two Semifinalists, and 28 Commended Students.

·         Carusi Middle School is a 2011 National School of Character.  Carusi is the second Cherry Hill school to receive this honor – Rosa International Middle School was named a National School of Character in 2008.  The path to becoming a National School of Character goes through the state level; the following Cherry Hill Schools have been named New Jersey Schools of Character: Carusi Middle School (2010 and 2011), Beck Middle School (2011), James Johnson Elementary School (2010), Horace Mann Elementary School (2008), Woodcrest Elementary School (2008), and Rosa International Middle School (2008).  Our Alternative High School program was named an Emerging School of Character earlier this year and a number of schools have received Honorable Mention as New Jersey Schools of Character. 

·         A team of eighth graders from Rosa International Middle School won the silver medal at the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest at the University of Maryland in June 2011.  Another Rosa team finished 11th in the nation.

·         Joyce Kilmer Elementary School received official designation as a “No Place for Hate®” school at a ceremony on May 31. Kilmer partnered this year with the Anti-Defamation League of Greater Philadelphia to implement the No Place for Hate program, which celebrates diversity while teaching tolerance and acceptance in order to reduce incidents of bullying and harassment.

·         Eastside, the student newspaper at Cherry Hill High School East, was awarded "First Place with Special Merit" status - the highest status possible – for 2010 by the American Scholastic Press Association.  This is a distinction shared by just 30 other high school papers nationwide. Eastside was one of four newspapers nationwide to receive the "Best Service to the Community" award. 

·         Cherry Hill West’s Latin I and Latin II teams took second place in their respective state competitions in the 2011 Certamen (Knowledge Bowl) competition at the New Jersey Junior Classical League’s State Convention last spring. The West Upper Level team placed third in the state. All three teams were first place winners in the regional competition. Also at the convention, the West chariot placed first for the fifth consecutive year and 20 West students earned first, second, or third place scores in written tests on Greek and Roman mythology, Roman history and daily life, Latin grammar, Latin vocabulary, and English derivatives.

·         At the Delaware Valley Science Fair last spring, Cherry Hill East’s Research in Science students brought home more category and special awards than any other school in Camden, Burlington, or Gloucester County.  East students won eight category awards and nine special awards.

·         The Cherry Hill West Dance Team took home 1st place in hip hop, 2nd place in jazz, the Best Costume award, Best Choreography award, and Most Spirited award in the EDA Nationals in South Carolina last year. They also won the Eastern Elite Team Trophy for highest score of the entire competition. 

·         The Cherry Hill High School East Theatre Program last spring enjoyed great success at the Mainstage Center for the Arts One-Act Play Festival at Camden County College.  East students won Best Director, Best Actress, Best Ensemble, and Excellence in Acting awards.

·         Barton Elementary School’s competitors in the Destination ImagiNation Global Finals placed 30th (out of 80 teams) – a remarkable accomplishment for a first-year team. The team earned the right to compete at the global finals by winning first place at the state level.

·         The Cherry Hill High School East Symphonic Band won a second place rating for its performance at the Festivals of Music competition on April 29, in Virginia Beach, VA.  Also, the Cherry Hill East Freshman Wind Ensemble and String Orchestra were both awarded superior ratings for their performances at The High Note Festival on May 26 in Jackson, NJ. 

·         The Beck Science Olympiad Team took sixth place in the State competition last Spring. The team qualified for the state competition by medaling in 12 of 14 events at the regional level.

·         The West Girls Swim Team and the East Boys Swim Team both won sectional championship titles in 2011 and were runners up at the state level.

·         Rosa International Middle School placed first and Beck Middle School placed fourth in the 28th annual MATHCOUNTS® South Jersey Regional Competition held at Rowan University on February 5. 

·         Our high school instrumental and vocal music groups are routinely honored for their performances at festivals and competitions each year; additional, dozens of student musicians from our high schools and middle schools are selected each year to perform in regional and state ensembles.