Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, and Collingswood: Inside Camden County’s College Admissions Landscape

Four high schools. Four radically different realities. All within ten miles of each other in Camden County, New Jersey.

Haddonfield Memorial sends students to Penn. Cherry Hill East has 2,093 kids and a 1300 average SAT. Cherry Hill West shares a district with East but sits 110 points lower on the SAT. Collingswood – a borough undergoing rapid gentrification – has a high school where 38% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch and the average SAT is 1150. These schools sit in the same county, serve families who shop at the same malls and eat at the same restaurants, and yet the college admissions playbook for each one is completely different.

That’s what this guide is about. Not generic advice. Not platitudes about “reaching your potential.” This is a school-by-school breakdown of where each Camden County high school stands in the eyes of admissions officers, what data they’ll see when they pull your child’s school profile, and exactly what your family should be doing about it – starting now.

The Numbers, All in One Place

Before we get into strategy, look at this table. It tells you most of what admissions officers know about these four schools before they ever read a single essay.

Source: Niche, New Jersey Department of Education School Performance Reports, U.S. Census Bureau. SAT/ACT averages self-reported by Niche users. Proficiency data from 2023-24 NJSLA and NJGPA assessments.

Stare at that table long enough and a story emerges. Haddonfield is small, wealthy, homogeneous, and academically dominant – the South Jersey Millburn. Cherry Hill East is large, diverse, academically strong, and produces a real volume of ambitious applicants. Cherry Hill West shares East’s district but has a very different student body and a distinct asset in its IB programme. Collingswood is a small, diverse school experiencing significant teacher turnover, where an exceptional student stands out like a flare.

Each of these realities produces a different admissions strategy. Here’s how to think about each one.

Haddonfield Memorial High School

The School That South Jersey Compares Everything Else To

Haddonfield is Camden County’s crown jewel, and it knows it. Ranked #1 in the county and #38 statewide among public high schools, it earns an A+ overall from Niche with an A+ for teachers (#23 in NJ) and an extraordinary A+ for sports (#7 in the entire state). It also scores an 8 out of 10 on GreatSchools and a 9 out of 10 on PublicSchoolReview, placing it in the top 20% of all New Jersey schools for overall test scores. GreatSchools has awarded Haddonfield its College Success Award five times since 2019, citing a 96% college enrollment rate (versus the 73% state average) and a 90% college persistence rate (versus 60% statewide). Science proficiency stands at 50%, putting it in the top 10% of NJ public high schools on that measure according to NCES data. With only 878 students and a 10:1 student-teacher ratio, it is small enough that teachers know students by name and detailed enough in its offerings to challenge ambitious kids. The 1320 average SAT, 87% reading proficiency, and 68% math proficiency put it in the same academic bracket as schools like Moorestown and Chatham. Per-student spending at the district level is $19,030 annually, slightly above the $17,834 national average.

The community context is important. Haddonfield’s median household income of $200,400 is the highest by far among these four schools, and home values average $755,300. The borough has a specific character – historic, walkable, culturally engaged – that admissions officers at schools like Haverford, Swarthmore, and Penn will recognize and respect. 100% of surveyed students say they feel safe, and 96% describe classmates as competitive. Every single respondent says students are athletic. This is a school that runs on intensity. The school’s athletic dominance is well-documented: Haddonfield won the NJSIAA ShopRite Cup for Group II athletics in nine separate years between 2006 and 2020, a record of sustained competitive excellence that few NJ public schools of any size can match. Founded in 1926, the school also maintains international exchange programs with partner schools in Japan and Germany, adding a global dimension that many South Jersey families overlook.

College interest data reveals a nationally oriented student body: Rutgers (138), Delaware (117), Boston University (111), UPenn (101), NYU (100). The presence of both Boston University and UPenn in the top five – schools that don’t appear in the top ten for any other school in this guide – signals a cohort of families who think well beyond the NJ-and-Philly default. Clemson (82) is an unusual but revealing entry: it suggests a segment of the student body attracted to strong-campus, medium-selectivity schools with serious athletic cultures.

What admissions officers see: A well-known, respected small school with top-tier academics. Students from Haddonfield are expected to be strong. The school profile alone does not differentiate your child – everyone from Haddonfield looks good on paper. You need a spike.

The honest problem: The Diversity grade of C+ is Haddonfield’s most conspicuous weakness. Only 4% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. In an admissions climate that values diverse perspectives, Haddonfield students need to demonstrate intellectual and experiential range that their school’s demographics don’t automatically provide. A Haddonfield student who has genuinely engaged with the world beyond the borough – through selective summer programs, research, or cross-community projects – has a much stronger application than one whose entire life has been contained within Haddonfield’s comfortable borders.

SAT targets: 1400+ for competitive schools, 1500+ for the most selective. At a school averaging 1320, you need to be meaningfully above the norm to stand out – and at a school this strong, “meaningfully” means 80-180 points above average.

Read more: Our guide to NJ’s elite public high schools covers the dynamics Haddonfield families face in more detail.

Cherry Hill East

2,093 Students. A 1300 SAT. And a Lot of Missed Opportunities.

Cherry Hill East is the most interesting school in this guide from a strategic standpoint. It is also the most credentialed: East was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2001-02, the highest honor an American school can receive. It’s ranked #2 in Camden County and #65 in the state, with an A overall, a 1300 average SAT, and 32% AP enrollment. Reading proficiency at 82% is strong. It has 2,093 students – nearly two and a half times the size of Haddonfield – and sits in one of the most educated suburban townships in South Jersey, with a median household income of $164,796.

Dig into the data and you see a school with genuine academic heft. The #42 ranking for college prep, #104 for STEM, and 32% AP enrollment indicate a serious curriculum. PublicSchoolReview rates East 7 out of 10 (top 50% in NJ) and notes that its science proficiency of 50% places it in the top 10% statewide, a metric that often goes unnoticed. The school’s per-student spending of $23,444 is well above the national average of $17,834, reflecting real investment from the Cherry Hill district. East also has more than 100 student-led clubs, seven distinct choral ensembles, a nationally competitive robotics program, and won the 1998 National High School Mock Trial Championship. The Diversity grade of A, 47% minority enrollment according to NCES data, and 14% free or reduced lunch ratio mean students interact across racial and economic lines. An overwhelming 93% of respondents say there are plenty of clubs, 84% describe students as creative and artsy, and 87% say students are competitive. Multicultural Day and the One Act Play Festival appear in student traditions alongside Spirit Week, painting a picture of a school with more intellectual and cultural depth than a typical suburban NJ high school.

The college interest data tells a specific story: Rutgers (677), Rowan (500), TCNJ (306), Temple (296), Delaware (295), Penn State (291), Stockton (275), Drexel (266), NYU (262), and UPenn (245). That UPenn number – 245 students expressing interest in the University of Pennsylvania – is the highest we’ve seen at any school in our South Jersey guides. Cherry Hill East produces a genuine pipeline of students with Ivy-level ambitions. The question is whether those ambitions are matched by early, strategic planning.

What admissions officers see: A large, diverse, academically solid school in an affluent suburban district. A strong student from East is credible but not unusual – the school sends a volume of applicants to selective schools, which means your child is competing with their own classmates for limited spots. Differentiation is everything.

The honest problem: The Administration grade of C+ is the most alarming number in East’s profile. Student reviews corroborate it – mentions of inconsistent discipline, favoritism toward top performers, and bureaucratic frustration appear repeatedly. The Resources and Facilities grade of C- is equally concerning for a school in this income bracket. The 15:1 student-teacher ratio is the highest in this guide and near the national average, meaning teachers have less capacity for the kind of individualized attention that produces powerful recommendation letters.

This is the paradox of Cherry Hill East: it’s academically strong enough to produce competitive applicants, but large and under-resourced enough that families need to actively supplement. The school won’t do it for you. Our guide to building a college application spike explains the approach.

SAT targets: 1400+ for competitive schools, 1480+ for the most selective. At a 1300 average, a 1480 puts your child 180 points above – a powerful contextual signal.

Cherry Hill West

Same District, Different Planet – and an IB Programme That Changes the Equation

Cherry Hill West confuses people. PublicSchoolReview rates it 4 out of 10, placing it in the bottom 50% of NJ schools by test scores, a number that shocks Cherry Hill families who assume both district schools perform similarly. It shares a district, a superintendent, and a tax base with Cherry Hill East, but the two schools produce very different outcomes. West’s average SAT of 1190 is 110 points below East’s. Math proficiency at 16% is one-third of East’s 46%. The graduation rate of 92% is four points lower. The B+ overall Niche grade, while respectable, places it in the middle of the pack statewide at #180.

The student body demographics tell part of the story: 28% free or reduced lunch (double East’s 14%), a Diversity grade of A, and a #63 ranking among NJ’s most diverse public schools. Cherry Hill West has 52% minority enrollment and serves a more economically mixed population, which affects aggregate test scores without necessarily reflecting the capabilities of individual students at the top of the class. This is a critical distinction for admissions strategy – your child is not the school average.

But here’s where things get interesting: Cherry Hill West is one of the few public schools in Camden County that offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme. This is a major differentiator. The IB Diploma is recognized worldwide as a rigorous, intellectually demanding credential, and admissions officers at selective universities, particularly those with an international orientation (Georgetown, GWU, NYU, Columbia), view IB Diploma holders as having undergone a qualitatively different academic experience than AP students. If your child is at West, the IB programme is the single most important strategic decision you can make.

College interest data for West shows a more regionally focused orientation: Rowan (277) leads, followed by Rutgers (224), Stockton (174), Temple (130), Rutgers-Camden (126), Montclair State (123), TCNJ (111), Drexel (104), Penn State (101), and Delaware (98). Notice what’s missing compared to East: no NYU, no UPenn. The ambition ceiling at West is lower in the aggregate, which means the families who do aim higher face less internal competition.

What admissions officers see: A diverse school in a well-known district with a strong IB programme but modest aggregate outcomes. An IB Diploma student from West with strong predicted scores and a 1350+ SAT presents a very different profile than a non-IB student from the same school. The IB credential does a lot of the heavy lifting in signaling academic seriousness.

The honest problem: The 16% math proficiency is a structural challenge that cannot be talked away. For STEM-oriented students, external math enrichment is non-negotiable. The Clubs grade of B and club funding concerns (only 36% say clubs get adequate funding – the lowest in this guide) mean that extracurricular depth may need to come from outside the school. Teacher engagement metrics are middling: 71% say teachers give engaging lessons, 71% say teachers care. These are adequate numbers, not inspiring ones.

SAT targets: 1300+ for competitive schools, 1400+ for the most selective. A 1400 from a school averaging 1190 is a 210-point gap – one of the largest contextual signals possible. Pair that with an IB Diploma and you have a genuinely compelling application.

Read more: For families navigating the IB-vs-AP question more broadly, see our NJ magnet schools and college admissions guide for relevant frameworks.

Collingswood High School

Small, Scrappy, and Full of Surprises

Collingswood is the wild card. PublicSchoolReview gives it a 3 out of 10, the lowest rating of any school in this guide, with 54% minority enrollment and a graduation rate that the same source places in the bottom 50% statewide. With 786 students, a B Niche grade, and an 1150 average SAT, it is the least academically credentialed school in this guide. The 87% graduation rate is the lowest. The 18% AP enrollment is the lowest. The Administration grade of C is the lowest. The 39.4% of teachers in their first or second year is not just the highest in this guide – it is among the highest rates of teacher turnover we’ve seen at any NJ public school in our county-by-county research. Per-student spending is $22,288, above the national average but lower than the Cherry Hill schools’ $23,444. Science proficiency sits between 20-24%, placing the school in the top 50% statewide on that specific metric, a small but meaningful bright spot in an otherwise challenging data profile.

And yet. Collingswood has something that none of the other three schools can match: character. Niche gives the borough of Collingswood itself an overall A grade for livability, with median home values at $380,400 and median household income of $90,184. The borough has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past two decades, evolving from a declining inner-ring suburb into one of South Jersey’s most vibrant, arts-driven, politically engaged small towns. Its restaurant scene, independent bookstores, and community festivals have made it a destination. That cultural energy bleeds into the high school. An extraordinary 88% of respondents describe students as creative and artsy – the highest of any school in this guide. 89% say teachers genuinely care – also the highest. The Diversity grade of A and 38% free or reduced lunch ratio reflect a genuinely mixed community where students from different backgrounds interact daily.

College interest data reflects a primarily in-state orientation: Rowan (176), Rutgers (141), Stockton (128), Temple (109), Montclair State (94), TCNJ (76), Rutgers-Camden (74), Penn State (71), Camden County College (65), Drexel (63). The appearance of Camden County College in the top ten is notable – it is the only school in this guide where the local community college appears on the interest list. This tells you something about the range of post-secondary expectations at Collingswood, and it also tells you that the families aiming for selective four-year schools face almost no local competition for those spots.

What admissions officers see: A small, diverse school in an artsy, rapidly-changing community. A top student from Collingswood who has overcome the school’s academic limitations, earned strong test scores, and built a distinctive profile carries a narrative that is genuinely hard to replicate from a wealthier school. Admissions officers value students who have made the most of limited resources. Collingswood provides the clearest contextual advantage in this guide.

The honest problem: That 39.4% new-teacher rate is a crisis, not a quirk. It means nearly four in ten teachers are in their first or second year, which affects instruction quality, institutional knowledge, and the ability to write recommendation letters that reflect deep familiarity with your child. The 87% graduation rate means a meaningful number of students are not completing high school, which tells you about the school’s overall academic culture. Students targeting selective universities at Collingswood must be the architects of their own academic experience to a degree that students at Haddonfield or East simply don’t face. Dual enrollment at Camden County College, online AP courses, and external research through programs like Oriel’s Research Mentorship Program are not optional – they’re essential.

SAT targets: 1250+ for competitive schools, 1350+ for the most selective. A 1350 from Collingswood (average 1150) represents a 200-point gap, an extraordinary achievement in context. Pair that with AP or dual enrollment coursework that goes beyond the school’s 18% AP enrollment, and admissions officers will see a student who has created opportunities where none were handed to them.

Where Camden County Students Are Looking – and Where They Should Be Looking

The pattern is striking. Haddonfield’s list is the only one where a school outside the NJ-and-Philly corridor (Boston University, Clemson) appears. East’s list has the highest absolute numbers because of its large student body, but UPenn at #10 with 245 students signals significant selective ambition. West and Collingswood are almost entirely regional. This is not destiny – it’s the current default. Families who plan early and think beyond the default can break out of these patterns entirely.

Here are schools that every ambitious Camden County family should be investigating, many of which don’t appear on any of these interest lists:

The Cherry Hill East vs. West Question

Because East and West sit within the same district, this question comes up constantly among Cherry Hill families: does it matter which school my child attends? The honest answer is yes, it matters – but not always in the direction you’d expect.

East wins on raw academic metrics. But West has two significant advantages that East does not: the IB programme and a better student-teacher ratio (12:1 vs. 15:1). West also spends $23,444 per student annually, identical to East’s allocation, meaning the schools receive equal financial resources despite different outcomes. Per PublicSchoolReview, West’s reading proficiency of 56% places it in the top 50% statewide, while its science proficiency of 21% falls in the bottom 50%, a significant gap. For a student pursuing the IB Diploma, West offers a credential that East cannot match. An IB Diploma with strong predicted scores from Cherry Hill West is a more distinctive academic signal than a collection of AP scores from Cherry Hill East, because the IB Diploma represents a cohesive, internationally recognized programme of study rather than a menu of individual tests.

The contextual advantage also matters. A 1400 SAT at East (average 1300) is 100 points above the mean – solid but not extraordinary. A 1400 SAT at West (average 1190) is 210 points above – a dramatically stronger contextual signal. Students at West who demonstrate initiative by pursuing the IB, supplementing with external coursework, and achieving strong test scores present a more compelling narrative of self-directed ambition than students at East who follow the standard track.

None of this means West is “better” for college admissions. It means the two schools require different strategies, and families should be honest about the specific advantages and disadvantages of whichever school their child attends. For a deeper exploration of how school context shapes admissions strategy, see our Burlington County college admissions guide.

What Every Camden County Family Should Do (Regardless of School)

There are certain principles that apply across all four schools. These are the non-negotiables.

Use Philadelphia. Aggressively.

Camden County sits directly across the Delaware River from one of the densest concentrations of elite universities in the country. The University of Pennsylvania, Drexel, Temple, Saint Joseph’s, Haverford, Swarthmore, and Bryn Mawr are all within a 30-minute drive. Philadelphia’s research hospitals (Penn Medicine, CHOP, Jefferson), cultural institutions (Philadelphia Museum of Art, Franklin Institute, Academy of Natural Sciences), and nonprofit sector provide extracurricular and internship opportunities that students in most NJ counties can only access through NYC, which is two hours away.

North Jersey families build their strategies around Manhattan. Camden County families should be building theirs around Philadelphia. Campus visits, pre-college summer programs, research internships, and community engagement in Philadelphia are all within easy reach. For families on the Pennsylvania side of the river, our Main Line college admissions guide covers Lower Merion, Conestoga, Radnor, and Harriton in the same detail. Our guide to UPenn admissions is particularly relevant for Camden County families – the school is practically next door.

Start Test Prep in 10th Grade, Not 11th

At schools where average SATs range from 1150 to 1320, strong test scores carry outsized contextual weight. A 1500 from Collingswood tells admissions officers something qualitatively different from a 1500 from Bergen Academies. This makes standardized testing one of the highest-ROI investments a Camden County family can make. Begin preparation in 10th grade with a diagnostic test to identify strengths and weaknesses, determine SAT vs. ACT preference, and establish a preparation timeline that allows for multiple sittings.

Supplement the School’s AP Infrastructure

AP enrollment across these four schools ranges from 18% (Collingswood) to 35% (Haddonfield). Even at Haddonfield, the AP course selection may not cover every subject area an ambitious student wants to explore. At West and Collingswood, the gaps are more pronounced. Dual enrollment at Camden County College, Rowan College at Burlington County, or accredited online providers (for AP subjects not offered at your school) is essential for students targeting selective universities. These courses appear on transcripts as genuine college credit and demonstrate initiative beyond the school’s default offerings.

Build a Distinctive Extracurricular Profile by End of 10th Grade

Generic club participation does not move the needle at selective schools. What matters is depth, specificity, and a narrative that connects your activities to who you are and what you’ll contribute to a college community. Camden County offers specific opportunities that other NJ counties don’t: proximity to Philadelphia’s arts scene, access to South Jersey’s environmental resources (the Pinelands, the Delaware River watershed), and the unique community identities of towns like Haddonfield and Collingswood. Use these. A Collingswood student who builds an arts-and-community project connected to the borough’s creative renaissance tells a story that no Bergen County applicant can replicate. A Cherry Hill East student who leverages the school’s diverse, competitive culture to build something cross-community is more compelling than one who simply accumulates honors. For the strategic framework, see our guide to building a college application spike.

SAT Targets at a Glance

The “Gap at Top Target” column is the one that matters most for admissions context. At West and Collingswood, hitting the top target puts your child 200+ points above the school average – the kind of gap that makes admissions officers pay attention.

Teacher Quality and Recommendation Letters: A Hidden Variable

One number in the master table deserves special attention: the percentage of teachers in their first or second year.

Cherry Hill East has the most stable faculty – only 2.1% new – but the lowest teacher-care rating (73%) and a 15:1 ratio that limits personal connection. Collingswood has the highest teacher-care rating (89%) but the most volatile faculty and the lowest engaging-lessons score (56%). This matters for college admissions because recommendation letters from teachers who know your child well, have taught for years, and can speak to growth over time are dramatically more persuasive than letters from first-year teachers who met your child six months ago.

At every school, identify two teachers by the end of 10th grade who are experienced, who know your child as a person and not just a grade, and who will still be at the school when junior-year recommendation letters are due. At Collingswood, this is particularly urgent given the turnover rate. At East, where the ratio is 15:1, invest in building personal relationships through office hours, extra help sessions, and genuine intellectual engagement in class.

Camden County’s Specific Pitfalls

The Rowan Default. Rowan University appears in the top two for three of the four schools in this guide (and top seven for the fourth). It’s a fine school that’s improving rapidly, but the gravitational pull toward Rowan as the “obvious” choice means many strong students never seriously investigate alternatives. Rowan’s Honors programme and engineering school are genuinely worth considering – but as a deliberate choice, not a default. Schools like TCNJ, Delaware, Villanova, and Drexel offer outcomes that Rowan’s standard programme doesn’t match, and all are within 45 minutes of Cherry Hill.

The Philly Blind Spot. Despite being 20 minutes from Center City, Camden County families systematically underutilize Philadelphia-area resources. Pre-college programs at Penn, research positions at Drexel, internships at Philadelphia nonprofits – these opportunities are structurally easier for Camden County families to access than they are for families in any other NJ county except Hudson. The families who exploit this advantage consistently outperform those who don’t.

The “East Is Better” Assumption. Cherry Hill families sometimes make school-assignment decisions based on a generic belief that East produces better college outcomes. As the IB analysis above shows, the equation is more nuanced than aggregate rankings suggest. A motivated IB Diploma student at West can be more competitive than a standard-track student at East. Evaluate both schools on their specific offerings relative to your child’s strengths and interests, not on Niche grade alone.

Late Starts. The most consequential difference between Camden County families and their counterparts in Bergen or Essex Counties is timing. In competitive North Jersey counties, strategic college planning commonly begins in 8th or 9th grade. In Camden County, it more often begins in 11th grade. By then, the highest-leverage decisions – course sequencing, extracurricular depth, test prep initiation, summer program applications – have already been made passively. If you’re reading this and your child is in 9th or 10th grade, you have a genuine window of opportunity. If your child is already in 11th grade, the window isn’t closed, but the strategies shift from shaping a trajectory to optimizing the existing one. Either way, start now.

The Takeaway

Camden County is not one thing. It’s Haddonfield’s old-money intensity and Collingswood’s creative scrappiness. It’s Cherry Hill East’s academic machine and Cherry Hill West’s IB credential. It’s Philly 20 minutes in one direction and the Pine Barrens 40 minutes in the other. The families here have access to resources and opportunities that most of New Jersey doesn’t – and most of them are leaving those opportunities on the table.

The students who end up at the schools they actually want, rather than the schools they settle for, are almost always the ones whose families: understood their specific school’s strengths and limitations clearly, invested in test preparation early, built distinctive profiles rather than generic résumés, used Philadelphia, and started the strategic conversation before junior year.

That conversation starts here. And it starts now.

Oriel Admissions works with Camden County families at Cherry Hill East, Cherry Hill West, Haddonfield, Collingswood, and schools throughout South Jersey. Based in Princeton, NJ and New York City, we pair students with dedicated college counselors, writing coaches, career coaches, and project mentors beginning as early as 8th grade. 93% of our students are admitted to one of their top 3 choices. Contact us to start the conversation.