Elizabeth High School (New Jersey)

High school in Union County, New Jersey, United States

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,281 students and 68.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 18.8:1. There were 720 students (56.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 235 (18.3% of students) eligible for reduced cost lunch. Starting in the 2016–17 school year, both upper and lower academies of Elizabeth High School merged into the newly built Frank J. Cicarell Academy, which is located next to the Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy.

In 2015, Elizabeth High School was one of 15 schools in New Jersey, and one of nine public schools, recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in the exemplary high performing category by the United States Department of Education. In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 320th in the nation among participating public high schools and 25th among schools in New Jersey. The school was ranked 217th in the nation and 18th in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by The Daily Beast / Newsweek, with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the SAT / ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students. The school was the 119th ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 148th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 294th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed based on school statistics prior to the split. The school had been ranked 302nd in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 287th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. Following the split, Schooldigger. com ranked the school 21st out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 8 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (97.5%) and language arts literacy (100.0%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).

The all girls Battin High School and all boys Thomas Jefferson High School were both closed at the end of the 1976–77 school year, after the Elizabeth High School complex was completed and all of the district's students, male and female, were accommodated at the new four building facility, ending the city's status as "the only community in the state with separate public high schools for boys and girls". The $29.3 million project included renovations to Thomas Jefferson High School, which was integrated into the new complex. The Battin High School building, together with the four existing junior high schools, was repurposed as a middle school for grades six through eight. The building was the former location of "Breidt Brewing Company", which was established in 1882 and operated until Prohibition. With over 5,279 students, Elizabeth High School had been the largest high school in the nation in terms of student population. Prior to 2010, Elizabeth High School occupied eight campuses, also known as houses: The William F. Halsey house, the John E. Dwyer house, the Thomas Jefferson house, the Thomas Edison house, the Sam E. Aboff house, the Alexander Hamilton academy, the Upper academy, and the Lower academy. In 2009, the Elizabeth Board of Education passed the "Transformation Plan", which split up the houses that made up Elizabeth High School and made each house its own high school. The Upper and Lower academies became the new Elizabeth High School. About one in four students who entered the high school dropped out.

Halsey House, Dwyer House, the Peter B. Gold Administration Building and Thomas Dunn Sports Center share one large building, forming the Main Complex of Elizabeth High School, most commonly known as "The Main". The Main Complex holds more students, teachers, and administrators than the other houses/campuses in the city. The Main Complex was known as the heart of Elizabeth High School. The Main Complex is where all the Elizabeth High School extracurricular activities and sports teams are found. The building functions as a hub central as other students from the other Elizabeth High School houses come here during the after school hours. The Main Complex also holds Elizabeth High School's swimming pool where the swim team practices and meets are held. The Main Complex campus is also famous in the student body for holding a unique courtyard, being the only campus in Elizabeth High School to have one accessible to its students.

Located across the street from City Hall and war monuments, Thomas Jefferson House was the school's oldest house. Built in 1928 as an all boys high school and named for the author of the Declaration of Independence and third president of the United States, Jefferson was now a house of Elizabeth High School and the center for the district's visual and performing arts programs. This house was just a short walk away from The Main Complex campus. Jefferson specializes teaching its students in visual arts, such as drawing, painting, and creative crafts; as well as performing arts such as dance, acting, and singing. And also extra subjects, including creative writing.

Thomas A. Edison Academy For Career & Technical Education was originally built as Thomas Edison High School in 1935, and the last graduating class of the high school was in 1987. Named for the great inventor who worked on many of his major contributions to the scientific and commercial world right here in New Jersey. The Thomas A. Edison Academy For Career & Technical Education was the center for vocational and technical education in the city. Williams Field, which holds the school's football field and outdoor track and field, is adjacent to the Thomas A. Edison Academy.

The Upper and Lower Academies which are known as "Elizabeth High School" were established in 2006 with a curriculum that prepares students for four year colleges. The Upper Academy building held 10th–12th grade students (upper classmen), while the Lower Academy building holds 9th graders (lower classmen). Students enrolling in these academies are encouraged to take honors and Advanced Placement level courses. Students are required to wear school uniforms and must maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average to enroll or continue to stay in The Upper and Lower Academies. In the 2012 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 2nd in New Jersey and 79th nationwide. In September 2016, Elizabeth High School moved into the newly constructed Frank J. Cicarell Academy, named after the Physical Education teacher who worked for the Elizabeth Public Schools and died in 2007. The location of the new high school, is located directly next to the Jefferson Arts academy. The former location of Upper Academy became the Academy of Finance, The Lower Academy is used as the Thomas Edison Academy's Annex. In July 2021, it was decided that there would be a new Lower Academy for the upcoming 2021 22 school year at the former location of St. Genevieve School. The building would open to students on September 14, 2021, after Hurricane Ida delayed the opening.

The Elizabeth High School Marching Band won the USBands State and National 5A Competition in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In the 2014 season, the Marching Band moved up from 5A to 5 Open and went undefeated until their streak was snapped placing 4th in the National 5 Open Championship in MetLife Stadium on November 15, 2014. Throughout the week of Super Bowl XLVIII between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, the Elizabeth High School Marching Band was invited to perform at Media Day in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey as well as perform in pre game festivities at the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium. In 2019 the band took first at the USBands New Jersey State Championship and The New Jersey Regional Championship. Marking their first championship titles in open class division. As well as becoming a finalist at the Bands of America Mid Atlantic Regional Championship placing 6th out of 26 schools. In 2021 the band competed in the inaugural New Jersey Marching Band Director’s Association State Championship and placed first in Class AAA, with a score of 93.7. Year Marching Band Show States BOA Mid Atlantic Atlantic Coast NJ Regional Nationals Top Score 2011 Santana 1st 1st 97.417 2012 Tango 1st 1st 97.100 2013 Descarga Cubana 1st 1st 95.987 2014 Rituals 11th 4th 97.125 2015 Enigma 2nd 9th 9th 93.513 2016 Bird's Eye View 4th 20th 10th 92.075 2017 Sol Invictus 4th 9th 92.225 2018 Celebra La Vida 2nd 11th 94.875 2019 The Heist 1st 6th 1st 95.850 2020 We Will Never Disappoint 90.332021What We Love 1st93.702022Arachnidium3rd10th12th89.8002023Immortal Masquerade4th13th9th88.350

The principal is Michael Cummings. His core administration team includes the two assistant principals.

Asad Abdul Khaliq (born 1980, class of 1998), former professional quarterback who played in the Arena Football League for the Chicago Rush and New York Dragons. Tom Colicchio (born 1962, class of 1980), chef, CEO of Crafted Hospitality and head judge of Bravo's Top Chef. Todd Bowles (born 1963, class of 1981), defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former head coach of the New York Jets, who played in the NFL as a defensive back with the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers. N. J. Burkett (born 1962, class of 1980), television news correspondent for WABC TV in New York City. Rodney Carter (born 1964), former NFL running back / 3rd down receiver with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Al Catanho (born 1972), former NFL linebacker for the New England Patriots and the Washington Redskins. Karen Civil (born 1984), social media and digital media marketing strategist. Chris Gatling (born 1967), former all star professional basketball player for NBA teams from 1991 to 2002. Ray Graham (born 1990), football running back. Khaseem Greene (born 1989), NFL Linebacker for the Chicago Bears, former first team All American Linebacker during his career at Rutgers University. Ibrahim Jaaber (born 1984), former professional basketball player. Horace Jenkins (born 1974), former NBA player. Michael Kasha (born 1920, class of 1937), physical chemist and molecular spectroscopist who collaborated with Andres Segovia in the 1960s and 1970s to create the Kasha Design classical guitars. Norm McRae (1947 2003), former MLB pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers. Jerome Murphy (born 1987), current NFL American football cornerback who played college football at the University of South Florida and was drafted as the first pick in the third round by the St. Louis Rams. Raheem Orr (born 1980), former professional football defensive end. Alex Reyes (born 1994), MLB pitcher who made his debut in 2016 for the St. Louis Cardinals. Jonal Saint Dic (born 1985), former football defensive end. Jahad Thomas (born 1995), NFL running back who played for the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys. Phillip Walker (born 1995), NFL quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. Luther Wright (born 1971), former NBA player for the Utah Jazz.