09/04/2026
Written by : Megan Riley
Shared from : “Woodbury, NJ Talk - Discuss All Things Woodbury” FB Page
Today (9/3/26) was not just Woodbury City Public Schools kids' first day of school. ... It was also the 114th anniversary of Woodbury Junior-Senior High School! Known then simply as Woodbury High School, it first opened its doors to students on September 3, 1912. 💙💛🦬
🏫 A historical timeline of secondary schooling in Woodbury, NJ, from 1715 to 1912:
✏️ 1715–1791: In the City's early days, the Society of Friends (aka Quakers) began providing Woodbury's first organized learning opportunities—offering inclusive education to local children (both male and female), regardless of wealth or religion.
✏️ 1791–1902: Built in 1791 on Centre Street (near the corner of South Broad Street), Woodbury Academy was the structural and intellectual precursor to Woodbury's modern-day high school program. Woodbury Academy was a prestigious private (and likely all-male) school that provided a classical education. In 1864, it reorganized as the Woodbury Free School system. But by the late 1800s, a statewide push for universally-accessible schools prompted the City to contemplate creating a municipal public school district. So, in 1902—the turning point of secondary schooling in Woodbury, NJ—the City formally consolidated its scattered secondary tracks into an official high school program.
✏️ 1902–1908: Since Woodbury Junior-Senior High School considers 1902 the beginning of its modern era, the affectionate slogan "The Woo: Established 1902" was coined. At that time, Woodbury did not have a dedicated, stand-alone high school building. So, secondary education classes during this period were held in preexisting (mixed-grade) public school facilities—primarily within the Woodbury Free School system. However, Woodbury's rapidly-increasing secondary-education enrollment soon made it impossible for those shared facilities to hold all students, both younger children and teenagers. So, in 1908, Woodbury hired Bridgeton-area contractor Joseph Steelman to begin constructing our first public high school building at 25 North Broad Street. (Curious about the price tag? ... The cost of furnishings and land acquisition brought the final cost to almost $100,000—nearly double Steelman's initial bid of $53,000!)
✏️ 1909–1910: In the fall of 1909, William Milligan High School—named in honor of one of Woodbury's most respected early educators—welcomed its first students. It was the first stand-alone public high school building in Woodbury's history! But slightly more than a year later, at shortly after 5:00 a.m. on December 20, 1910, a massive fire destroyed everything but the school's heavy stone frame and foundation.
✏️ 1911: Rather than deserting the original site of William Milligan High School, the City commissioned a new design that incorporated the original 1909 building's surviving stone frame. The community wanted to rebuild the school immediately, so crews worked hard on the new building throughout that year. And on September 23, 1911, future president Woodrow Wilson—who was the Governor of New Jersey at that time—laid the new school's cornerstone.
✏️ 1912: Construction on the new building at 25 North Broad Street was completed in 1912. A phoenix risen from the ashes of William Milligan High, the City named the new building Woodbury High School. And on September 3, 1912, its doors opened for WHS' inaugural school year. ... The rest, as they say, is history! And here we are, exactly 114 years later, welcoming another group of students back to school today!
Author's note: I compiled this timeline from multiple online sources of varying degrees of accuracy. But hopefully all the information I cobbled together is as close to factually accurate as possible! 😊
