Weehawken High School is a six-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Weehawken in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Weehawken School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1928.Weehawken High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed January 1, 2012.History, Weehawken High School. Accessed November 18, 2021. "Weehawken High School was one of the original members of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools joining in 1928. MSA is the educational accrediting organization for this region of the United States. The high school is extensively evaluated every 10 years and has remained accredited throughout."
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 589 students and 49.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1. There were 123 students (20.9% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 37 (6.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Weehawken High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
History The campus, located across the Hudson River from New York City, just west of Boulevard East atop the New Jersey Palisades, consists of a three-story brick structure located in a residential area completed in 1940.Sherman, Lauren; and Gaulkin, Ellen Robb. Weehawken, p. 85. Arcadia Publishing, 2009. . The building includes three computer labs; a science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) lab; an ITV room, a modern library/media center, science labs, an auditorium that can accommodate 800, and a newly renovated gymnasium with a seating capacity of 1,200."History", Weehawken High School. Accessed June 4, 2016. The facility has been used by Hudson Theatre Works, a non-profit regional performance group based in Weehawken.Hoersch, Joanne. "'Cuckoo's Nest' in our future; Theater group emphasizes community involvement, low ticket prices", The Hudson Reporter, March 30, 2014. Accessed July 29, 2014. "Hudson Theatre Works, a not-for-profit regional group based in Weehawken, will launch its second production at the theater at Weehawken High School in early May."
Students from Secaucus had attended the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Secaucus Board of Education, until the opening of Secaucus High School in 1976."Keep the connection", Hudson Reporter, September 12, 2010. Accessed November 14, 2022. "Secaucus High School didn’t open its doors until 1976. Before then, local students completed their secondary education at out-of-town schools, with many residents attending high school in Weehawken. The Class of 1977 was SHS’s first graduating class."
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 189th-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 91st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 104th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed."The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical". New Jersey Monthly. August 16, 2012. Accessed August 22, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 119th in 2008 out of 316 schools."2010 Top High Schools". New Jersey Monthly. August 16, 2010. Accessed March 23, 2011. The school was ranked 109th 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 170th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 34 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (82.5%) and language arts literacy (91.9%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011. SchoolDigger.com Accessed March 6, 2012.
Curriculum Students are offered Advanced Placement (AP) classes in many subjects, including AP United States History, AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, AP Macroeconomics, and AP Spanish Language.Weehawken High School 2013 School Performance Report, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 29, 2014. College preparatory classes throughout high school, as well as electives offered in conjunction with St. Peter's College in Jersey City, New Jersey.Weehawken High School 2015 New Jersey School Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 4, 2016.
Weehawken allows Juniors to take a free Princeton Review SAT prep class either Monday or Wednesday afternoons."Weehawken High School Receives Middle States Accreditation", Weehawken Schools Report, Summer 2010. Accessed July 2, 2012. "In addition, to help seniors prepare for college, the school will continue to conduct Princeton Review Courses and pre-PSAT mini-workshops for Weehawken students taking SATs. The Princeton Review program consists of nine sessions of four hours each, six on Saturdays and three at night."
Extracurricular activities
Marching band In 2012 and 2013, the Weehawken High School Marching Band, under the direction of Michael Lichtenfeld and his band staff, ranked first in the state of New Jersey winning the USBands Group 1A state championship title. (Group 1A division is a band with 40 or fewer people on the field during competition).Passantino, Joseph. "Band wins major awards; Weehawken H.S. squad garners back-to-back state titles; home festival on Nov. 3", The Hudson Reporter, November 3, 2013. Accessed March 30, 2015.Lin, Jonathan. "Weehawken High School: The best little marching band in the state", The Jersey Journal, October 17, 2013. Accessed March 30, 2015. In November 2013, the band won the USBands Group 1A National Championship title.Michaelangelo, Conte. "Weehawken High's marching band captures USBands national title", The Jersey Journal, November 24, 2013. Accessed March 30, 2015. "The Weehawken High School Marching Band completed an undefeated season by winning its first national title at the USBands 'Group 1A' National Championships in Allentown, Pa., earlier this month." In 2016, the Weehawken Marching Band also won the Group 1A state championship and national championship titles under the direction of music teacher, Natalie Kerr.
The WHS Marching Band switched to the Tournament of Bands circuit for their 2015-2016 season. They went on to win the Atlantic Coastal Championship for the 1A Division after an undefeated season. Due to their score, they will be competing in the 1 Open Division starting in September 2017.
In 2015, under the direction of band director Natalie Kerr and the band staff, the band won the USBands Group 1 Open Class New Jersey State Championships. Also under Band Director Natalie Kerr, the Weehawken marching band competed in Tournament of Bands Group 1A in 2016, going undefeated and winning the NYC Metro Regional Championships as well as defeating 25 other bands for the ACC Group 1A championships. The band's score was above 95, and helped promote them to Open Class for the 2017 season.
Returning to USBands competition for the 2017 season, the band completed an undefeated competitive season under the direction of Minesh Shah, including capturing the USBands Group 1A State Championship and Group 1A National Championships. The following season, now under the direction of Ryan Gorman, the band won another Group 1A State Championship and finished 3rd at National Championships, winning the caption award for Best Music. In 2019, the band membership increased to approximately 50 performers, and the band moved up to the USBands Group 2A class. The band won their 3rd consecutive NJ State Championship in October 2019, their first as part of Group 2A.
Athletics The Weehawken High School IndiansWeehawken High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. participate in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which is comprised of small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson, Morris County and Passaic County counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).Mattura, Greg. "Small-school NJIC may debut its own league championship", The Record, January 9, 2017. Accessed August 30, 2020. "The small-school North Jersey Interscholastic Conference may debut its own boys basketball tournament this season, one season after introducing its girls hoops championship. The NJIC is comprised of schools from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties and the event offered to the 36 boys teams would serve as an alternative to likely competing against larger programs in a county tournament."Member Schools, North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Accessed August 30, 2020.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020–2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Weehawken was a member of the National Division of the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL), which included schools in Bergen and Hudson counties.League Memberships – 2009–2010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed November 17, 2014. With 294 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 school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 254 to 474 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 boys lacrosse team with Hoboken High School. In turn, Hoboken is the host school for a joint girls 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.
Interscholastic sports teams offered at the school include: Fall – USBands Competition Marching Band and Color Guard, Cheerleading, Football, Soccer (boys/girls) and Volleyball (girls) Winter – Basketball (boys/girls), Cheerleading and Wrestling Spring – Baseball (boys) and Softball (girls)