As of the 2019–20 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 3,467 students and 351.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.9:1.[1]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "I", the second-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.[7]
In 2011, the district was named to the College Board's AP Honor Roll. The honor roll consists of the 388 U.S. public school districts that simultaneously achieved increases in access to AP courses for a broader number of students and also maintained or improved the rated at which their AP students earned scores of 3 or higher on an AP Exam.[10]
In 2004, the district was named to the American Music Conference's list of the "Best 100 Communities for Music Education in New Jersey". The district has been recognized on multiple occasions for its high-caliber music and performing arts programs.
The NAMM Foundation named the district in its 2009 survey of the "Best Communities for Music Education", which included 124 school districts nationwide.[11]
The district's high school was the 16th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2018 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 39th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[12] The magazine took into account factors such as class size, teachers with advanced degrees, and socioeconomic factors.
Robert Colavita Jr., assistant superintendent for business and board secretary[24]
Board of education
The district's board of education, comprised 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.[25][26] The board of education, whose members are elected by the Hopewell Valley community, has nine members allocated to each of the three municipalities based on population, with Hopewell Township assigned seven seats and both Hopewell and Pennington each assigned a single seat.[27]
According to Business Practice 9000, the local board of education has full power to operate the local public schools in compliance with state and federal mandates and pertinent to the laws of the municipality. The board functions as a corporate body only when in session.[29]
Controversy and sexual abuse allegations
There have been several allegations made against the Hopewell Valley Regional School District. In 2015, Former Hopewell teacher Matthew Hoffman was found liable for repeated sexual abuse of a student in a classroom.[30] Allegations against a current Hopewell Social Studies teacher were made in a court filing on October 31, 2019.[31] Although initially issuing a press release defending the teacher, further investigation by the school found cause to immediately pull him from the classroom effective November 12, 2019.
^Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed May 18, 2020. "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 twelve in the Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Composition: The Hopewell Valley Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Pennington, Hopewell Borough, and Hopewell Township."
^Hopewell Valley Regional School District 2016 Report Card NarrativeArchived September 25, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 25, 2017. "Hopewell Valley serves the two boroughs of Pennington and Hopewell and the much larger Hopewell Township, and encompasses a total area of nearly 60 square miles with a population that exceeds 20,000. There are six schools that comprise the district. (Four elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school.) District enrollment is currently 3,750 students."
^About Us, Hopewell Valley Regional High School. Accessed August 20, 2024. "Hopewell Valley Regional School District, as it functions today, has been a regionalized operation since 1965 when voters of Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough and Pennington Borough approved a plan to consolidate their schools. But the first consolidation of local schools actually occurred in 1894 when the 14 separate districts, operating one-room schoolhouses throughout the valley, agreed to merge and be governed by a single school board."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 14, 2024. "The Hopewell Valley Regional School District is an independent reporting entity within the criteria adopted by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).... The District provides a full range of educational services appropriate to grade levels PK through 12." See "Roster of Officials" on page 16.
^About the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed August 20, 2024. "The Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education is a nine-member body elected by the residents of Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough and Pennington Borough. Seats are apportioned by population. Hopewell Township has seven representatives; each borough is represented by one seat.... The Hopewell Valley Regional School District is comprised of all the areas within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Pennington, Hopewell Borough, and Hopewell Township."
^Board Members, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed November 27, 2019.