[8] The regional district was formed after 93% of voters approved the passage of a referendum in September 1955 by residents of the original seven constituent municipalities—Evesham, Medford, Mount Laurel, Shamong, Southampton and Tabernacle Townships, along with Medford Lakes—to cover the cost of a $2 million (equivalent to $22.7 million in 2023) facility that would serve 1,000 students.

[11] A plot covering 50 acres (20 ha) in Medford was selected in June 1956 as a site for the district's first high school facility.

[18] Cherokee High School opened in September 1975 with 750 students in grades 9 and 10, by which time district enrollment had grown to nearly 5,000.

[21] A 210,000 square feet (20,000 m2) Cherokee High School South "school-within-a-school" opened in September 2001 for 1,150 students in grades 9-10, which was constructed at a cost of $26.4 million (equivalent to $45.4 million in 2023), at which time the original building was renamed as Cherokee High School North.

[23] Approved by voters in 1997, the 255,000-square-foot (23,700 m2) Seneca High School was expected to be completed by 2000, to be constructed on a 201-acre (81 ha) site designed to accommodate an enrollment of 2,000.

Delays caused by lawsuits related to the building site in the Pinelands resulted in budget overruns of $8.7 million.

Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[25]) are:[14][26][17][27][28][29] Two non-profit foundations support the Lenape District, raising funds to support scholarships for students, facilities improvements and a 1,500-seat regional performing arts center, which is home to the Cherokee's theater program.