The Lawrence High School Cardinals compete in the
Colonial Valley Conference, which is comprised of public and private schools in Mercer County and operates under the supervision of the
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). With 842 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 761 to 1,058 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the Valley Division of the 94-team
West Jersey Football League superconference and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 890 to 1,298 students. The school's most successful teams include football, golf, wrestling, soccer, swimming, diving, tennis, softball, cheerleading and cross-country. The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint ice hockey team with
Ewing High School and
Hightstown High School. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year. The boys' soccer team won the Group II state championship in 1967 (defeating
Northern Highlands Regional High School in the tournament final), 1969 (vs.
Morris Knolls High School), 1970 (vs.
Shore Regional High School), 1971 (vs.
Point Pleasant Borough High School), 1973 and 1975 (vs.
Garfield High School both years), 1980 (vs.
Governor Livingston High School) and 1994 (vs.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School), and won the Group III state title in 1968 (vs.
Glen Rock High School); The nine state championships are tied for eighth-most of any program statewide and the streak of five consecutive titles from 1967 to 1971 is the longest for any public school. The program won its first state title in 1967 with a 3–2 win against Northern Highlands in the Group II championship game. The 1968 team finished the season with a record of 15-2-3 after winning the Group III title with a 2–1 win against Glen Rock in the championship game played at
Princeton University. A 4–1 win against Garfield in the 1973 Group II championship led the team to a season record of 15-3-1. The football team was undefeated in 1973. The 1974 football team, featuring future NFL quarterback
Scott Brunner, was overshadowed by a defensive unit that had eight shutouts and only allowed six points all year, with a record of 8-0-1, as part of a three-year undefeated stretch from 1972 to 1974 in the pre-playoff era where the team won 21 games and had one tie. The football team won the Colonial Valley Conference titles in 2004, 2005 and 2006. In 2006, the team made it to the state playoffs as the top seed, only to be knocked off by 8th-seeded
Moorestown High School at home 19–14 in the first round of the tournament. In 2007, the team made it to state playoffs once again but were defeated by Middletown South at home in the first round, 16–6. The football team won the WJFL Patriot division title in 2013, made the state playoffs and defeated
Allentown High School and
Carteret High School to advance to the Central Jersey Group III Championship where they were defeated by
Hopewell Valley Central High School. The girls' spring / outdoor track team was the Group II state champion in 1979. The boys' track team won the Group II winter / indoor track state championship in 1984 (as co-champion). The girls team won the Group II state title in 1987. The boys' swimming team won the Public Central B sectional title in 2000 and 2008. The girls team won the Public Central A title in 2006. The boys' wrestling team was the CVC Valley Division champions most recently in the 2003–04 season. The boys' track and field Team was the CVC Patriot Division champions in 2010, 2011 and co-champions in 2013. Lawrence Girls track and field team were the 2014 CVC Patriot Division Co-Champions. In 2012, the softball team won their first state sectional title in program history, winning the Central Jersey Group III title with a 3–2 win over
Manasquan High School. In 2019, the tennis team won the Group II state championship with a 3–2 win against
Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest in the tournament final. ==Administration==