Original Research by School Decision on Howell High School
Howell High School serves students in ninth through twelfth grade as part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The school is located on Squankum-Yellowbrook Road in Farmingdale, a small borough in Monmouth County. Farmingdale is a compact, established residential and light industrial community with a small-town commercial district along Main Street. The borough’s motto, “Today’s Town with Yesterday’s Touch,” reflects its well-maintained homes on small lots and historic character. At roughly a square mile, Farmingdale is entirely surrounded by Howell Township. High school students from Farmingdale attend Howell High School, which sits outside the borough in Howell Township. The district also serves students from other communities. The Freehold Regional High School District is a large regional district, and Howell High is one of its comprehensive high schools.
Enrollment at Howell High School is sizeable for a high school. The student body is predominantly white, with Hispanic students forming a substantial minority and smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, meaning the school serves a population that is largely not low-income by this measure. The school is a regular public school and has no charter or magnet status.
State testing data for Howell High School was not available in the data we reviewed, so we cannot offer a direct read on academic performance from those assessments. A graduation rate was also not available. When data like these are missing, it is often because the school is not measured on those metrics in the current reporting cycle, or the state has not released them for this period. A parent interested in academic outcomes should ask the school directly for its most recent state test results and graduation rate, as those are standard measures for a comprehensive high school.
We also looked for program offerings at Howell High School and did not find a catalog in the data. Without that information, we cannot describe the range of courses, Advanced Placement offerings, career and technical education pathways, or extracurriculars the school provides. Many comprehensive high schools in New Jersey offer a mix of college-preparatory and career-oriented programs, but we cannot confirm what is available here. A parent should check the school’s website or contact the guidance office for a full list of programs.
The housing market in the area reflects Monmouth County’s broader trends. Home values in Farmingdale’s zip code are elevated relative to national benchmarks. The median listing price in the county recently showed a modest year-over-year decline, but the market remains active. The supply and demand scores both indicate a competitive environment where homes sell relatively quickly. The median days on market is just over a month. For a family considering a move to Farmingdale, the housing stock is limited due to the borough’s small size and lack of undeveloped land. The borough’s population has fluctuated in recent decades but appears to have stabilized. No major new housing developments were identified in search results. The school itself is located just outside the borough in Howell Township, so families may also consider homes in that larger township.
Given the missing testing and programming data, a parent considering Howell High School has an incomplete picture from the evidence we reviewed. The school serves a large, predominantly white student body with modest economic diversity. Farmingdale is a very small, walkable borough with a historic downtown, but the high school sits outside its borders. The district is a large regional one, which can mean more program variety than a smaller district, but also longer bus rides for some students. We cannot offer a judgment on academic strength without the state’s assessment results and graduation rate. A family should gather that information from the school directly, along with a program guide, before making a decision.
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