Editing West Cape May, New Jersey (section)

==Education==
[[Image:WestCapeMayES.JPG|thumb|left|[[West Cape May Elementary School]]]]

The [[West Cape May School District]] serves students in [[pre-kindergarten]] through [[sixth grade]] at West Cape May Elementary School.<ref>[https://rc.doe.state.nj.us/selectreport/2022-2023/09/5610 School Performance Reports for the West Cape May School District], [[New Jersey Department of Education]]. Accessed April 3, 2024.</ref><ref>[https://homeroom6.doe.state.nj.us/directory/school/districtid/5610 New Jersey School Directory for Cape May County], [[New Jersey Department of Education]]. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref><ref>[https://www.nj.gov/education/finance/fp/cafr/search/19/5610.pdf#page=40 ''Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the West Camp May School District''], [[New Jersey Department of Education]], for year ending June 30, 2019. Accessed August 14, 2020. "The Borough of West Cape May School District ('School District') is a Type II district located in the County of Cape May, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board of Education is comprised of five members elected to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that one or two member’s terms expire each year. The purpose of the School District is to provide educational services for resident students in grades K through 6."</ref> As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 85 students and 9.7 classroom teachers (on an [[full-time equivalent|FTE]] basis), for a [[student–teacher ratio]] of 8.8:1.<ref name=NCES>[https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&details=1&ID2=3417400&DistrictID=3417400 District information for West Cape May School District], [[National Center for Education Statistics]]. Accessed December 15, 2024.</ref> In the 2016–17 school year, the district had 98 students, making it the eighth-smallest district in the state.<ref>Procida, Lee. [http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/sea-isle-long-beach-island-are-examples-of-how-closing/article_3c241df4-e340-11e0-a55d-001cc4c002e0.html "Sea Isle, Long Beach Island are examples of how closing small, high-cost schools can be difficult, unpopular"], ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', September 20, 2011. Accessed March 12, 2015. "The 10 smallest school districts in the state each have fewer than 100 students. Seven of them, all in South Jersey, are grappling with shrinking enrollment, aging buildings and rising property taxes.... West Cape May disregarded a recommendation to send students to Cape May, and instead started welcoming students from outside its borders through the state Public School Choice program. The first 16 choice students increased the prekindergarten-through-sixth-grade school's enrollment to 58 students this year."</ref><ref>Guion, Payton. [https://www.nj.com/education/2017/09/njs_smallest_school_districts.html "These 43 N.J. school districts have fewer than 200 students"], NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], September 2017. Accessed January 30, 2020. "Based on data from the state Department of Education from the last school year and the Census Bureau, NJ Advance Media made a list of the smallest of the small school districts in the state, excluding charter schools and specialty institutions.... 8. West Cape May Borough - Enrollment: 98; Grades: Pre-K-6"</ref>

For [[seventh grade|seventh]] through [[twelfth grade]]s, public school students attend the schools of the [[Lower Cape May Regional School District]], which serves students from [[Cape May, New Jersey|Cape May]], [[Lower Township, New Jersey|Lower Township]] and West Cape May, along with students from [[Cape May Point, New Jersey|Cape May Point]] who attend as part of a [[sending/receiving relationship]].<ref>[https://www.straussesmay.com/seportal/Public/DistrictPolicy.aspx?policyid=0110&id=a1180cab567947029fbbe63e8248e1e8 Lower Cape May Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification], Lower Cape May Regional School District, adopted December 18, 2008. Accessed February 10, 2025. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades seven through twelve. Composition: The Lower Cape May Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Cape May, Lower Township, and West Cape May."</ref><ref name=Study>Johnson, Virgil; and Kirtland, James L. [https://www.lcmrschooldistrict.com/brettimages/feasibstudytoreconfigure.pdf "A Feasibility Study to Reconfigure the Lower Cape May Regional School District"], Statistical Forecasting LLC, June 2013. Accessed August 29, 2024. "Cape May City is one of three constituent communities served by the Lower Cape May Regional School District ('Lower Cape May Regional'), a limited purpose school district providing education for the middle and high school students from Cape May City, Lower Township, and West Cape May.... Students from Cape May Point attend on a sending-receiving basis."</ref> Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the [[National Center for Education Statistics]]<ref>[https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3409090 School Data for the Lower Cape May Regional High School District], [[National Center for Education Statistics]]. Accessed December 15, 2024.</ref>) are
Richard M. Teitelman Middle School<ref>[https://lcmrschooldistrict.com/rmtgeneralinformation General Information], Richard M. Teitelman Middle School. Accessed February 10, 2025.</ref> with 404 students in grades 7-8 and
[[Lower Cape May Regional High School]] (LCMRHS)<ref>[https://lcmrschooldistrict.com/lcmrgeneralinformation General Information], Lower Cape May Regional High School. Accessed February 10, 2025.</ref> with 723 students in grades 9-12.<ref>[https://rc.doe.state.nj.us/selectreport/2022-2023/09/2820 School Performance Reports for the Lower Cape May Regional School District], [[New Jersey Department of Education]]. Accessed April 3, 2024.</ref><ref>[https://homeroom6.doe.state.nj.us/directory/school/districtid/2820 New Jersey School Directory for the Lower Cape May Regional School District], [[New Jersey Department of Education]]. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref> The high school district's [[board of education]] is comprised of nine members, who are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year.<ref>[https://www.nj.gov/education/finance/fp/cafr/search/19/2820.pdf#page=44 ''Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Lower Cape May Regional School District''], [[New Jersey Department of Education]], for year ending June 30, 2019. Accessed August 14, 2020. "The Lower Cape May Regional School District (District) is a Type II school district located in Cape May County, New Jersey and covers an area of approximately 34 square miles. As a Type II school district, it functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board is comprised of nine members elected to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three member’s terms expire each year. The purpose of the School District is to provide educational services for all of Lower Cape May Regional’s students in grades 7 through 12. "</ref><ref>[https://lcmrschooldistrict.com/boardofeducation Board of Education], Lower Cape May Regional School District. Accessed March 13, 2020.</ref> Seats on the board are allocated based on population, with West Cape May assigned one seat.<ref>Crowley, Terence J. [https://lcmrschooldistrict.com/brettimages/responsetocmcbytcrowley.pdf#page=17 ''A Response to the Cape May Study to Reconfigure the Lower Cape May Regional School District''], Lower Cape May Regional School District, January 6, 2014. Accessed March 13, 2020. "The Lower Cape May Regional District (Regional) is classified as a Limited Purpose District.... It is a Type II district and apportions the Board of Education seats based upon the most recent United States Census. It has nine seats on the Board and that are apportioned as follows: Cape May City 1; West Cape May 1; Lower Township 7."</ref>

In 2013, the Lower Cape May Regional School District received a feasibility study that looked at alternatives to reconfigure the district, which had been established in 1956. The study considered Cape May City withdrawing from the regional district or the dissolution of the district, converting Lower Township's existing Pre-K–6 district to serve Pre-K–12, as the regional district's school facilities are located in the township. Cape May City and West Cape May could see annual savings approaching a combined $6&nbsp;million from the dissolution.<ref name=Study/>

Students are also eligible to attend [[Cape May County Technical High School]] in Cape May Court House, which serves students from the entire county in its comprehensive and vocational programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents.<ref>[https://www.capemaytech.com/faq.html Frequently Asked Questions], [[Cape May County Technical High School]]. Accessed October 27, 2019. "All residents of Cape May County are eligible to attend Cape May County Technical High School.... The Cape May County Technical High School is a public school so there is no cost to residents of Cape May County."</ref><ref>[https://www.capemaytech.com/hs-admissions.html Technical High School Admissions], [[Cape May County Technical High School]]. Accessed October 27, 2019. "All students who are residents of Cape May County may apply to the Technical High School."</ref> Special needs students may be referred to [[Cape May County Special Services School District]] in the Cape May Court House area.

===History===
Previously a West Cape May High School existed. In an era of [[de jure]] [[educational segregation in the United States]] normally only white students were permitted to attend though the state made exceptions.<ref>{{cite news|last=Stump|first=Brice|title=Who was Charles Chipman?|newspaper=[[The Daily Times (Salisbury, Maryland)|The Daily Times]]|place=[[Salisbury, Maryland]]|date=1998-01-13|pages=11, 12}} - [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78169379/a-biographical-article-with-details-on-a/ Clipping of first page] and [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79336245/for-west-cape-may-and-salisbury-md-scho/ of second page at] [[Newspapers.com]]</ref> Ordinarily black students attended a different industrial high school. The district maintained separate white and black elementary schools.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr. Charles H. Chipman Is Outstanding Man|newspaper=[[The Daily Times (Salisbury, Maryland)|The Daily Times]]|location=[[Salisbury, Maryland]]|date=1981-02-23|page=6}} - [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78170440/article-discussing-charles-chipman-had/ Clipping at] [[Newspapers.com]]</ref>