University High School of Humanities (usually University High School) is a six-year

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

seventh Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season e ...

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 in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

, in Essex County,

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 ...

, United States, as part of the

Newark Public Schools Newark Board of Education is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in the city of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The state took over the district in ...

. Originally created as a program called "School Within a School" at

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 ...

, University High School became a standalone school in 1977. It moved into the old Clinton Place Junior High building in 1982. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 464 students and 41.0 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 11.3:1. There were 354 students (76.3% 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 th ...

and 38 (8.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for University 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 December 1, 2022.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 237th-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 171st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 131st in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 66th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 146th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 55th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 27 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (91.6%) and language arts literacy (97.2%) 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 2011, University High School seniors won the National Urban Debate Championship, a three-day tournament with over 7,000 students from 38 schools in 19 cities participating.

Athletics

The University High School PhoenixUniversity 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

Super Essex Conference The Super Essex Conference (SEC) is a high school athletic conference located in Essex County, New Jersey. The conference was formed in 2009 by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and was a result of a larger realignment that s ...

, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Essex County and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the

(NJSIAA). Prior to the NJSIAA's realignment in 2010, the school had competed in the Colonial Division of the

Colonial Hills Conference The Colonial Hills Conference was a New Jersey high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). The conference comprised sixteen public, parochial, and private high schoo ...

, which included public and private high schools in Essex,

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

and

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

counties. With 381 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. In 1989, the boys' track team, led by senior Darrell Davis, won the North II, Group I state sectional championships. Davis was the 1988 and 1989 Group I sectional winner in the 100 m and 200 m races as well as the All Group I 100 m champion. The girls' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 2007 (vs. Palmyra High School), 2008 (vs.

Wildwood High School Wildwood High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Wildwood, in Cape May County, New Jersey. It is the sole secondary school of the Wildwood City School District. ...

), 2016 (vs.

Bound Brook High School Bound Brook High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Bound Brook, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Bound ...

), 2018 (vs. Bound Brook) and 2019 (vs. Bound Brook). The program's five state titles are tied for ninth-most in the state. The team won the North II, Group I state sectional championship in 2007 with a 66–50 win over

Bloomfield Tech High School Bloomfield Tech High School (also Essex County Bloomfield Tech or Bloomfield Tech) is a regional public high school located in Bloomfield, that offered occupational and academic instruction for students in Essex County, New Jersey, United Sta ...

and moved on to win the Group I state championship, defeating Palmyra High School by a score of 80–55 for the title. The team made it to the 2007 Tournament of Champions, defeating

Willingboro High School Willingboro High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Willingboro Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of t ...

, 71–58, in the first round,

Trenton Catholic Academy Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy (formerly Trenton Catholic Academy) is a Catholic school in Trenton, New Jersey. It serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grades and formerly operated under the auspices of the Diocese of Tren ...

, 61–51, in the semis and

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 ...

, 68–62, in the finals to win the tournament.NJSIAA Girls Basketball Tournament of Champions History

. Accessed November 20, 2020. The 2016 beat Bound Brook by a score of 81-55 in the Group I playoff finals at the Pine Belt Arena and as the sixth seed in the Tournament of Champions lost in the quarterfinals round to third-seeded

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

by 57-49, despite leading by seven points in the last five minutes of the game. In 2019, the team faced Bound Brook in the Group I state championship game for the fourth consecutive year and won the title with a 41–20 win, their third championship in the four match-ups between the two teams, and entered the Tournament of Champions seeded fifth before losing in the first round to by a score of 61-45 to a

St. Rose High School St. Rose High School is a co-educational four-year Catholic school, Catholic high school in Belmar, New Jersey, Belmar, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The school operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trento ...

team that was ranked fourth. The boys' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 2009 (defeating

Asbury Park High School Asbury Park High School is a comprehensive high school, comprehensive, four-year community state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school serving students in ninth grade, ninth through twelfth grades. It is in a land ...

in the playoff finals) and 2010 (vs.

Woodbury Junior-Senior High School Woodbury Junior-Senior High School (WHS) is a comprehensive community middle school and public high school that serves students in sixth through twelfth grades from Woodbury, in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Woo ...

) and 2016(vs.

Paulsboro High School Paulsboro High School is a comprehensive community six-year public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Paulsboro, in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the sole secondary school of t ...

). The team won the Group I title in 2016 with a 63–45 win against Paulsboro.

Academics

University High School is a college preparatory institution, where students can pick from three academies; Law, Teaching, or Fields of Humanities to specialize in and complete courses based on their choices, though students are free to specialize in the major of their choice.

Administration

The principal is Genique Flournoy-Hamilton.

Notable alumni

Ras Baraka Ras Jua Baraka (born April 9, 1970) is an American educator, author, and politician who is the 40th and current Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He was previously a member of the Municipal Council of Newark and the principal of the city's Central ...

(born 1970), Mayor of Newark. * Niobia Bryant (born 1972), author, also writes

urban fiction With more than half the world's population living in cities, urban fiction has become a truly global field. Recent comprehensive studies of urban fiction showcase the worldwide reach of the genre and include ''Writing Beirut: Mappings of the Ci ...

as Meesha Mink. *

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B ...

(born 1973), R&B singer. *

Nadirah McKenith Nadirah A. McKenith (born September 6, 1991) is an American professional basketball player. She was drafted in 2013, by the Washington Mystics of the WNBA. Career Born in Newark, New Jersey, McKenith played college basketball at St. John's, w ...

(born 1991), professional basketball player who has played in WNBA for the

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded pri ...

and

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded pr ...

. *

Laurin Mincy Laurin Mincy (born February 3, 1992) is an American professional women's basketball player. Career High school At University High in Newark Mincy was a household name. In her freshman year she was the first freshman ever named to New Jersey ...

(born 1992), professional basketball player. *

Brittney Sykes Brittney Sykes (born February 7, 1994) is an American professional basketball player with the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted with the seventh overall pick in the 2017 WNBA draft. Sykes be ...

(born 1994), basketball guard with the

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

. * The Three Doctors, a group of African-American motivational speakers, authors, and doctors that includes Dr. Rameck Hunt, Dr. Sampson Davis and Dr. George Jenkins.Sampson Davis, MD
The Three Doctors. Accessed September 20, 2012. "While attending University High School in Newark, Dr. Davis met Dr. Rameck Hunt and Dr. George Jenkins, two fellow students who, together, drastically altered the course of one another's lives."

References

External links

*
Newark Public Schools
* {{Authority control 1977 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1977 High schools in Newark, New Jersey Public high schools in Essex County, New Jersey Public middle schools in New Jersey