With the prevalence of charter schools live Thrive Charter and College Achieve Asbury Park in basketball, as well as public schools that draw students from outside their traditional geographical boundaries, the NJSIAA created a success formula, that moves team up in Group size for playoff qualification.

And now, Middlesex County has seen its first team be affected by the new rule, as the Colonia boys’ basketball program – which has won five straight sectional titles and six of the last seven – is moving up to Group 4. The news was announced Wednesday by the NJSIAA at its monthly meeting in Robbinsville, first reported on Twitter by Darren Cooper of Varsity Aces, and confirmed by Colonia Athletic Director Lou Grasso.

Though the official classifications won’t be out until late in 2026, right before the season starts, it’s most likely the Patriots will end up in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4. It’s a brutally difficult section that this past season included Linden, Elizabeth, Piscataway, and two-time state Group 4 champion Plainfield, which beat Montgomery for a second straight year in the state final at Rutgers.

Eight other boys’ basketball teams will move up as well, according to Varsity Aces. Moving from Group 1 to Group 2 are Thrive Charter, Shabazz, and Essex County Tech. Moving from Group 2 to 3 are Middle Twp. and Camden. Besides Colonia, gGoing from Group 3 up to Group 4 are Ramapo – which had knocked out Colonia in the Group 3 semifinals four years straight from 2022 through 2025 – and Colts Neck.

Only four girls’ basketball programs made the move: Arts (Newark) from Group 1 to 2, Manasquan and Middle Twp. from Group 2 to 3, and Cherry Hill West from Group 3 to Group 4.

The Colonia boys have been in Group 3 for years, but as part of the Woodbridge Township Board of Education – which also operates Woodbridge High School and JFK Memorial High School in Iselin – they are permitted in certain special situations, but not for athletic reasons – to take students from parts of town that would normally send high schoolers to Woodbridge or Kennedy.

In the eyes of the NJSIAA, that makes them a “non-traditional public school,” and coupled with their playoff success this year, that prompted a move up, essentially saying that their success was predicated on pulling students from other areas of town who would not normally attend Colonia.

Already, one Big Central Conference school got moved up in football, as Phillipsburg will be playing in Group 5 next year instead of Group 4. The Stateliners won North 2, Group 4 each of the past two seasons, 2025 and 2024. Prior to that, they were in Group 5, and reached the sectional finals in 2023 and 2022, losing both times.

Other football schools to move up in 2026 based on the new success formula include Glassboro moving up to Group 1, Camden and Shabazz moving up from Group 2 to Group 3, Cedar Creek moving from Group 3 to 4, and Ramapo going from Group 4 to 5 along with Phillipsburg.

The moves have no bearing on league divisions in the Big Central, GMC, or Skyland Conference, nor for conference tournaments in basketball.

The idea of the formula is to deal with public schools that can take students from beyond their normal geographical boundaries, but are not non-public schools, which can admit anyone from anywhere in the state. Charters are considered public schools, based on how they are funded and accessibility. There are also choice and tuition schools, among others, like county vo-techs, academies, and magnet schools.

The success factor awards one point for each in through the sectional semifinals of the state tournament, two for winning a sectional title, three for a state semifinal and four for a state title. Those with three or more non-resident athletes on the roster while accumulating seven or more points in basketball (six in football) move up the next season, depending on the type of school. 

According to the rules, choice schools, those that accept tutition-paying students, and those with satellite campuses for county academies must meet both criteria.  Charters, county Vo-Tech, magnet/academy schools and those with open enrollment policies only need to meet the points criteria.

Responding to an email requesting information under which category Colonia was affected, NJSIAA Chief Compliance Officer Paul Popadiuk told Central Jersey Sports Radio Wednesday evening Colonia was classified as open enrollment, “allowing students outside its geographical borders.  

That means Colonia only needed to meet the point requirement, which it did, accumulating eight points as the Patriots went all the way to the Group 3 finals for the first time in program history.

Popaduik further explained that because Woodbridge has three high schools and students are permitted to attend a school outside their zone, making Colonia an open enrollment school, the issue of residency is irrelevant; Colonia only needed to pass the point threshold.

The issue first came up three seasons ago when longtime Roselle Catholic head coach Dave Boff went down the Shore to lead College Achieve Asbury Park. That raised the profile of the tiny school, as Boff brought in major Division 1 prospects.

Traditionally, many charter schools, often small, have not achieved great success in the state tournament. But Boff’s team steamrolled through the playoffs in 2023-24, beating tiny Manville for the Central Jersey Group 1 title, and Newark Tech in the state Group 1 final.

Now, College Achieve has a “regional” and national team, with the national team not playing in the NJSIAA, while the regional squad does. But it only won six games combined the last two seasons since its inception, with the most talented players being on the national team roster.

Thrive Charter also became an issue with public school coaches for similar reasons. Manville ran into them in 2025, a year after losing to College Achieve, falling to Thrive in the Central Jersey Group 2 semis to cap a 19-9 season, one of the program’s best ever in terms of wins, and certainly its best in years.

“I am in favor of the success formula,” Manville head coach Bill Rooney told Central Jersey Sports Radio Wednesday. “I think it will help even out the non-traditional publics and allow for a competitive balance for the true public schools. I wish it would have happened a few years ago, but what are you going to do?”