Sayreville War Memorial High School (SWMHS) is a four-year public high school located in the Parlin section of Sayreville, in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Sayreville Public Schools district. The school is home to the Sayreville Bombers, who are best known for their varsity football and track program. Sayreville's colors are blue and grey. The name "War Memorial" recognizes the World War II veterans who reside in the borough.Zernike, Kate; and Schweber, Nate. "Sayreville High School Arrests Divide a Town That Lived for Football", The New York Times, October 12, 2014. Accessed September 27, 2016. "Maureen Jenkins, who organized the vigil on Sunday evening, noted that the original 'bombers' were the town's World War II veterans, not to mention the other teams at the high school."
The school is accredited by the New Jersey Department of EducationProfile 2024-2025, Sayreville War Memorial High School. Accessed February 18, 2025. "Sayreville War Memorial High School is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the New Jersey Department of Education. 2015 Newsweek 'America’s Top High Schools' Beating the Odds 2015: Top High Schools for Low-Income Students. Newsweek’s 'Beating the Odds' list seeks to identify schools that do an excellent job of preparing their students for college while also overcoming the obstacles posed by students at an economic disadvantage." and has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1946; the school is accredited until January 2032 by Middle States.Sayreville War Memorial High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 9, 2022.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,764 students and 141.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1. There were 659 students (37.4% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 156 (8.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Sayreville War Memorial High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 163rd-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 241st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 232nd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 7, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 213th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 14, 2011. The school was ranked 217th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state."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 222nd out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (an increase of 1 position from the 2009 rank) 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 January 1, 2012.
Newsweek listed the school on its "Beating the Odds 2015: Top High Schools for Low-Income Students" list, recognizing schools that help students with economic challenges achieve academic success.
Athletics The Sayreville War Memorial High School BombersSayreville War Memorial High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Greater Middlesex Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools located in the greater Middlesex County area and operates 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. Sports consist of tennis, bowling, softball, field hockey, soccer, basketball, swimming, football, cross country, track and field, baseball, volleyball, golf, cheerleading, lacrosse, and wrestling. With 1,342 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 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 was reclassified into Central Jersey, Group V for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, and then into North Jersey II, Group IV starting with the 2015 season.Ryan, Chris. "Football: Sayreville reclassified to North 2, Group 4", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 24, 2015. Accessed September 27, 2016. "After years falling under a Central Jersey classification, Sayreville — along with its four state championships — has been shifted to North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 for the 2015 season. Sayreville was a force in Central Jersey, Group 4 in recent years, winning three straight titles from 2010-2012. Sayreville made the jump to Central Jersey, Group 5 in 2013, where it suffered a semifinal loss to Manalapan."
The football team competes in Division 5D of the Big Central Football Conference, which includes 60 public and private high schools in Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, Union and Warren counties, which are broken down into 10 divisions by size and location.Kinney, Mike. "Big Central revises 2020 football schedule for its shortened inaugural season", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 12, 2020. Accessed April 18, 2021. "The newly formed Big Central Football Conference has released a revised 2020 schedule for its inaugural season.... the BCFC is comprised of schools from Middlesex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties." The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 1,333 to 2,324 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 for joint cooperative field hockey and football teams with South Amboy Middle High School. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.NJSIAA Fall Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
Championships The boys' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 1951 (defeating Verona High School in the tournament final) and 1952 (vs. Dunellen High School).NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022. The 1951 team won the Group I title with a 46-36 win against Verona in the championship game played in the Elizabeth Armory."Verona Wins North Jersey Section 1 Title; Beaten by Big Sayreville Squad for State Diadem; Verona's Jinx in Finals Continues as Central Jersey boys Down Them, 46-36", Verona-Cedar Grove Times, March 22, 1951. Accessed February 8, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "After battling Its way to the final of the thirty-third annual Group I NJSIAA championships, a plucky Verona Hiih basketball brigade, Essex County's last survivor in the tourney, bowed to the powerful Sayreville High School Bombers, Central Jersey champions, by a 46-36 score at the Elizabeth Armory on Saturday afternoon."
The boys' track team won the Group IV state indoor relay championship in 1968.History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
The field hockey team won the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional championship in 1975.History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
The football team won the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III state sectional championship in 1997, the Central Jersey Group IV title in 2010, 2011 and 2012, the North Jersey II Group IV title in 2016 and the Central Jersey Group V title in 2018.Sayreville Football Team Preview, MaxPreps.com. Accessed June 2, 2016.NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.