Hoboken High School (HHS) is a four-year comprehensive

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

serving students in

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

s, located in

Hoboken Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,69 ...

, in

Hudson County Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, operating as the lone secondary school of the

Hoboken Public Schools Hoboken Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves children in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in Hoboken, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The district is one of 31 former Abbott district ...

. The school has been accredited by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional educational accreditation, accreditation of public and priva ...

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1928. Starting in the 2013–14 school year, the school had operated as a combined junior-senior high school. In 2016–17, the middle school was split off to serve grades seven and eight, with plans to move the middle school to the A.J. Demarest building. As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 526 students and 44.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 11.9:1. There were 291 students (55.3% of enrollment) eligible for

free lunch A free lunch is the providing of a meal at no cost, usually as a sales enticement to attract customers and increase revenues from other business. It was once a common tradition in saloons and taverns in many places in the United States, with the ...

and 33 (6.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Hoboken High School

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed February 1, 2024.

History

The current Hoboken High School was constructed with a capacity of 1,500 students and opened in September 1962 for grades 10-12. Prior to that time, A. J. Demarest High School, dedicated in the autumn of 1911, served as the city's high school. When the current high school was built, Demarest became a junior high school serving grades 7-9, and it is currently the site of the city's pre-K 3 and pre-K 4 program. Hoboken High School serves grades 9 - 12.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 274th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in ''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey. The magazine was started in 1976. It is based in Morristown. In addition to articles of general interest, the publication fe ...

'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 298th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 187th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 139th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 260th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. The September 2008 issue of ''New Jersey Monthly'' magazine noted Hoboken High School as the second most improved high school in the state, having jumped from 260 in 2006 to 139 in 2008. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 327th out of 367 public high schools statewide in its 2009-10 rankings which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy and mathematics components of the

High School Proficiency Assessment The High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA, pronounced "hess-pah" (/ˈhɛspə/) or sometimes just "H-S-P-A") was a standardized test that was administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey public high school students in ...

(HSPA). In the early 2011 Rachel Grygiel, a Social Studies teacher at HHS, was honored as an "exceptional" secondary school teacher by Princeton University. An alumnus of Georgetown University and St. Peter's Graduate School, Grygiel was recognized along with three other teachers throughout the entire state.

Student body

As for the 2012–13 school year, the student body of the school was 63.7% Hispanic, 20.4% Black, 14% White and 1.9% Asian.

Academics

As of the 2011–12 school year, the school began a transition from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program to a program based on

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

courses.International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program and Advanced Placement (AP) Program
Hoboken High School. Accessed July 26, 2012. Students are also able to select from a variety of classes that would not otherwise be available or to complete advanced coursework beyond what is offered at the high school through the Virtual High School Collaborative.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

The Hoboken High School RedwingsHoboken High School

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the

Hudson County Interscholastic League The Hudson County Interscholastic League (formerly known as the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association) is a New Jersey Secondary education in the United States, high school sports association operating under the jurisdiction of the New ...

, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Hudson County, operating under the supervision of the

(NJSIAA). With 328 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 75 to 476 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the National Red division of the

North Jersey Super Football Conference The North Jersey Super Football Conference is a football-only athletic league of high schools in New Jersey. The 115-team league was formed in 2016. History The NJSFC consists of nearly all of the football playing members of four conferences that w ...

, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I North for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 184 to 471 students. The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint girls lacrosse team with

Weehawken High School Weehawken High School is a six-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Weehawken in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Weehawken School District. The sch ...

. In turn, Weehawken is the host school for a joint boys lacrosse team. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year. Hoboken High School offers over 24 athletic programs with over 30% student participation. Interscholastic sports offered at the school include: Fall: *Football: Varsity, Junior Varsity, Freshman *Boys' Soccer: Varsity, Junior Varsity *Girls' Soccer: Varsity, Junior Varsity *Girls' Tennis: Varsity, Junior Varsity *Girls' Volleyball: Varsity, Junior Varsity *Boys' and Girls' Cross Country Track: Varsity *Cheerleading: Varsity *Strutters: Varsity Winter: *Boys' Basketball: Varsity, Junior Varsity, Freshman *Girls' Basketball: Varsity *Boys' and Girls' Swimming: Varsity *Boys' and Girls' Bowling: Varsity *Boys' and Girls' Indoor Track: Varsity *Cheerleading: Varsity *Strutters: Varsity Spring: *Baseball: Varsity, Junior Varsity *Softball: Varsity, Junior Varsity *Boys' Tennis: Varsity, Junior Varsity *Boys' Outdoor Track: Varsity *Girls' Outdoor Track: Varsity In 1924, the boys' basketball team won the Group IV (then known as Class A) state championship, defeating

Trenton Central High School Trenton Central High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Trenton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Trenton Public Schools. As ...

by a score of 24–14 in the tournament final in front of 3,000 fans at the

Jersey City Armory The Jersey City Armory is located at 678 Montgomery Street near McGinley Square in Jersey City, New Jersey. In addition to being a military training and mustering facility of the New Jersey National Guard (New Jersey National Guard 2/113 Infantry ...

. The football team won the NJSIAA state sectional championships in North I Group III in 1980, 1994–1996, 1998 and 1999, and won the sectional title in North II Group I in 2005, 2012 and 2013. The team won the program's first state title in 1980 with a 10–0 win in the North I Group III championship game played at

Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...

against Ramsey High School. In 1994, the team used a strong running game to win the North I Group III title with a 21–0 win against Ramsey in the sectional final. The 1995 team finished the season 11-0 after winning the North I Group III state sectional title by defeating Sparta High School by a score of 37–6 in the championship game. The 1996 team finished the season 11-0 and was ranked 10th in the nation by ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' after winning their third consecutive title with a 33–12 win in the finals against

Passaic Valley Regional High School Passaic Valley Regional High School is the name of both a public school district and regional high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades from a district comprising Little Falls, Totowa and Woodland Park, three communities in P ...

. The 1998 football team won the state sectional title over

Wayne Hills High School Wayne Hills High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school, in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. The school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades as on ...

with a 14–7 win in the tournament final at Giants Stadium; the win was the team's fourth title in five years. From 1995 to 1998, the team went 50–1, with team's only loss in that four-year span coming in 1997 in overtime against Ramapo High School in the sectional championship game. The 2005 football team won the North II, Group I state sectional championship with a 21–6 win over Verona High School. The football team won back-to-back North II, Group I state sectional titles, beating

Roselle Park High School Roselle Park High School is a four-year public high school located in Roselle Park, in Union County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Roselle Park School District. Since 2007, Roselle Park High School se ...

39–9 in 2012 and edging

Malcolm X Shabazz High School Malcolm X Shabazz High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Newark Public Schools. Founded as South Side High School in 1912, the school was renamed in 197 ...

13–7 in 2013. The boys soccer team won the Group III state championship in 1991, defeating

Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School (or SPFHS) is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school in Union County, New Jersey, United States, which serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from the Township of Scotch Plains and the ...

in the tournament final. The softball team won the North II, Group I sectional title in 2007, edging

Secaucus High School Secaucus High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Secaucus, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Secaucus Board o ...

by a score of 8–7 in 14 innings in the tournament final. The baseball team matched the feat, earning the North II, Group I title with a 5–4 win against

Lyndhurst High School Lyndhurst High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Lyndhurst, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Lyndhurst Scho ...

Theater and drama

Hoboken High School's Musical Theatre and Drama program began in 1997 with the school's production of ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown (writer), William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's childr ...

'' (which was later revived by the high school in 2007) and has since produced popular shows such as ''

Fiddler On The Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

'', ''

Once On This Island ''Once on This Island'' is a coming-of-age one-act stage musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. It is based on the 1985 novel ''My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl'' by Rosa Guy, a Caribbean-set retelling o ...

'', ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...

'', ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...

'' and ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

''. Under the leadership of theater director Paula O'Haus, students in the program earned numerous Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards, STANj Governor's Awards and were profiled by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''.

Harvard Model Congress

Hoboken High School participates in

Harvard Model Congress Harvard Model Congress (HMC) is the largest congressional simulation conference in the world. HMC provides high school students from across the United States and abroad an opportunity to experience American government firsthand. Although HMC is ...

, an annual four-day congressional simulation conference in which students, assuming the role of specific U.S. congressmen and other government, debate and enact legislation, in order to gain the experience of how government works.

Clubs

*African American Club *Agape Club *Computer Club *Drama Club *Emergency Response Team *Environmental Science Club *French Club *Gay Straight Alliance Club *

*Hispanic Culture Club *Italian Club *''CREATE'' literary magazine *Math Club *

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

*Rebel Club *Science Fair *School Newspaper *Outdoor/Sierra Club *Student Council *Yearbook *Senior Class Club *Junior Class Club *Sophomore Class Club *Freshman Class Club

Administration

The school's principal is Robin Piccapietra. Her core administration team includes the two vice principals.

Notable alumni

Note that alumni include those students who attended A. J. Demarest High School from 1911 to 1962. *

Derrick Alston Derrick Samuel Alston Sr. (born August 20, 1972) is an American former basketball player who is the head coach for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League. Early life Born in The Bronx, New York, Alston played basketball at Hoboken High Schoo ...

(born 1972), professional basketball player. *

Robert Ayers Robert Ayers (born September 6, 1985) is a former American football defensive end that played 10 years in the NFL. He played college football at Tennessee and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He has als ...

(born 1985),

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

who has played in the NFL for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

and

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

. * Steve Cappiello (1923-2013), police officer and politician who served from 1973 until 1985 as the Mayor of Hoboken. *

Annette Chaparro Annette Chaparro (born October 8, 1967) is an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who has represented the New Jersey's 33rd legislative district, 33rd Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly sin ...

(born 1967), politician who has represented the 33rd Legislative District in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for ...

since 2016. *

Ronald Dario Ronald A. Dario (1937 – June 30, 2004) was a Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician who represented the New Jersey's 33rd legislative district, 33rd Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1984 to 198 ...

(1937—2004), politician who represented the 33rd Legislative District in the

from 1984 to 1986. * Julio Fernández (born 1954, class of 1972), guitarist and composer best known as the current and longtime guitarist for the jazz-fusion band

Spyro Gyra Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band that was formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1974. The band's music combines jazz, R&B, funk, and pop music. The band's name comes from ''Spirogyra'', a genus of green algae which founder Jay Beckenstein ...

. * Thomas Gallo (1914-1994), politician who served 11 years in the

, including five full terms representing the 33rd Legislative District. *

Nat Hickey Nicholas J. "Nat" Hickey (born Nicola Zarnecich; January 30, 1902 – September 16, 1979) was a Croatian-American professional basketball coach/player and baseball player. He turned to coaching basketball after his retirement from playing full-tim ...

(born 1902), oldest person to play an

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

game. * Bill Kunkel (1936-1985), former MLB relief pitcher who went on to become a major league umpire from 1968 to 1984. *

Janet Lupo Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) * Janet (French singer) (1939–2011) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psych ...

(1950—2017), model who was ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' magazine's

Playmate of the Month A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

for its November 1975 issue *

Johnny Romano John Anthony Romano Jr. (August 23, 1934 – February 24, 2019) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago White Sox (1958–1959, 1965–1966), Cleveland Indians (1960–1964) ...

(1934-2019), former MLB catcher who was selected four times as an All Star. *

Angelo Savoldi Mario Louis Fornini (April 21, 1914 – September 20, 2013) was an Italian/American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter, better known professionally as Angelo Savoldi. At the time of his death, he was known as the world's oldest retired w ...

(1914-2013),

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

and wrestling promoter. *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

(1915-1998), singer, actor and producer. * David Walsh (1889–1975), referee who was inducted into the

Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

in 1961.David Walsh
,

. Accessed August 12, 2008.

References

External links

*
Hoboken Public Schools
*
School Data for the Hoboken Public Schools

{{Authority control Hoboken, New Jersey 1962 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1962 Buildings and structures in Hoboken, New Jersey International Baccalaureate schools in New Jersey Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools Public high schools in Hudson County, New Jersey