Hoboken High School (HHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in Hoboken, in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Hoboken Public Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1928."Hoboken High School". Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 1, 2012. Accessed March 26, 2015.
Starting in the 2013–14 school year, the school had operated as a combined junior-senior high school.Moses, Claire. "Seventh Grade to Move into the High School; After months of discussion, the district is switching to a junior-senior high school model. As of next school year, the seventh grade will be taught at Hoboken High School.", Hoboken Patch. Accessed June 11, 2015. "As of the 2013-2014 school year, the seventh graders will move into Hoboken High School. Rather than adopting a middle school model in the district — which was discussed last year — the district will adopt a junior-senior high school model." 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.Baer, Marilyn. "Hoboken will welcome new middle school principal; High school lockdown explained; Board of Ed approves calendar", The Hudson Reporter, March 26, 2017. Accessed February 22, 2018. "Currently, the middle school is adjoining the high school and both are overseen by Hoboken High School Principal Robin Piccapietra. But the district has announced plans to separate the middle school from the high school next fall.... The middle school will occupy the top two floors of the AJ Demarest building located next to Church Square Park on Fourth and Garden streets."
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 652 students and 46.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.0:1. There were 340 students (52.1% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and none eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Hoboken High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
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 magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014. 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.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 1, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 139th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools". New Jersey Monthly. August 16, 2010. Accessed March 24, 2011. 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."Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank". New Jersey Monthly. September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 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 (HSPA).New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2009-2010. Schooldigger.com. Accessed December 29, 2011.
Rachel Grygiel, a Social Studies teacher at HHS, was honored by Princeton University in 2011 as an "exceptional" secondary school teacher, as one of three other teachers honored throughout the entire state.DiUlio, Nick "Princeton honors exceptional secondary school teachers", Princeton University, May 26, 2011.
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."State of New Jersey: 2012-13". NJ School Performance Report. Accessed February 24, 2014
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 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."Virtual Learning Enhances High School Experience". Hoboken Board of Education. Accessed February 24, 2014.
Extracurricular activities
Athletics The Hoboken High School RedwingsHoboken High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Hudson County Interscholastic League, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Hudson County, operating under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. 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.NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The football team competes in the National Red division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league.Cooper, Darren. "Here's what we know about the new Super Football Conference 2020 schedule", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference (SFC) is a 112-team group, the largest high school football-only conference in America, and is comprised of teams from five different counties."Cooper, Darren. "NJ football: Super Football Conference revised schedules for 2020 regular season", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference has 112 teams that will play across 20 divisions." The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 484 to 683 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint girls lacrosse team with Weehawken High School. 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.NJSIAA Spring Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
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 by a score of 24–14 in the tournament final in front of 3,000 fans at the Jersey City Armory.NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020."Hoboken Five Wins New Jersey Final; Captures State Interscholastic Title by Beating Trenton, 29 to 14.", The New York Times, March 23, 1924. Accessed December 6, 2020. "Hoboken High School won the New Jersey State interscholastic basketball championship last night when it defeated Trenton High School in the final round of the Class A tournament at the Jersey City Armory by the score of 29 to 14. The game was played before a crowd of 3,000 spectators."