Old Bridge High School (formed from combining the former Cedar Ridge and Madison Central high schools) is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Old Bridge Township Public Schools. The school is located on County Route 516 in Old Bridge Township, however, it is assigned a Matawan mailing address. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1970; the school is accredited until January 2032.Old Bridge High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed December 21, 2024.
Through partnerships with Fairleigh Dickinson University and Middlesex County College, students can take college courses for credit in both high school and college.Old Bridge High School 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 31, 2016. "For those students eager to get a glimpse of life after high school before they actually graduate, Old Bridge High School has partnerships with Fairleigh Dickinson University and Middlesex County College. Students can take courses at these institutions, fulfill requirements for high school, and receive college credit."
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,659 students and 196.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.6:1. There were 565 students (21.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 167 (6.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Old Bridge High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026. Based on 2021–22 data from the New Jersey Department of Education, it was the fifth-largest high school in the state and one of 29 schools with more than 2,000 students.Kausch, Katie. "N.J.’s biggest high school has 3,350 students. See how your school compares.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 31, 2023. Accessed August 31, 2023. "Another 28 New Jersey schools have at least 2,000 students, according to 2021-2022 enrollment data released by the state Department of Education.... 5. Old Bridge High School Number of students: 2,717"
The school operates from 7:35 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. and runs on a 6-period schedule using block scheduling. Seniors have the privilege of registering for late arrival or early release from either block schedule.
History Old Bridge High School opened in September 1994. It was formed from the merger of Cedar Ridge High School and Madison Central High School, which were the two existing public high schools in Old Bridge Township.Sargeant, Keith. "7:30 p.m. – A high school sports powerhouse e-merges slowly", Home News Tribune, backed up by the Internet Archive as of December 23, 1999. Accessed November 7, 2017. "When Madison Central and Cedar Ridge merged in September 1994, most observers agreed that the Knights would rule the local sports scene." By the 1980s, the enrollment in the two predecessor schools had been little more than half the combined peak of 4,000 that had been reached in the 1970s. The district estimated that the combination of the two schools into a single facility would save $600,000 per year (equivalent to $ in ) after up-front costs of the merger estimated at $400,000. OBHS was originally set up as a two campus system having an East Campus at the former Cedar Ridge site containing Grades 9 and 10 and a West Campus at the former Madison Central site containing Grades 11 and 12.Ward, Peter J. "Old Bridge Township Journal; Group Protests the Merger of Two High Schools", The New York Times, December 5, 1993.Accessed December 18, 2020. "Last December, the school board voted 6 to 1 in favor of merging Madison Central and Cedar Ridge High Schools into a single institution, Old Bridge High School. Both buildings would remain in use, with 9th- and 10th-grade students using the Cedar Ridge building and 11th and 12th graders at Madison Central, two miles away.... Dr. Quirk said the school district would see a saving of about $600,000 annually after the initial transition year. The cost of merging the two schools is estimated at $384,000 and includes upgrading Madison Central's science laboratories and the installation of an elevator at Cedar Ridge, he said.... The two schools' total enrollment peaked in the mid-70's at 4,000, then declined to 2,150 by the mid-80's." The entire high school is now located at the former Cedar Ridge High School (East Campus) and Carl Sandburg Middle School Building after an addition was added in 2004. The former Middle School building houses the Grade Nine Center.
Dr. James Hickey was hired in 2003 and he oversaw a $26.8 million high school construction project that was completed in September 2005. The school developed a stricter but better learning environment as shown through student achievement and standardized test scores which have exceeded state standards. Out-of-school suspensions dropped more than 55% and student tardiness dropped by more than 60%, while scores on state exams rose more than 20% in mathematics and more than 10% in language arts literacy. For his work in transforming Old Bridge High School, Dr. Hickey was recognized as the New Jersey Principal of the Year in 2009.Staff. "Hickey honored as state Principal of the Year", Old Bridge Suburban, June 18, 2009. Accessed May 30, 2011. "He said curriculum, test scores and overall student achievements have improved; out-of-school suspensions dropped more than 55% and student tardiness plummeted more than 62 percent over the last two years." He was also recognized by the New Jersey State Board of Education. The district Superintendent of Schools also publicly recognized Dr. Hickey for his work in transforming OBHS.
In 2010, Old Bridge High School became part of the Confucius Classroom following the implementation of a comprehensive Chinese program at the high school. Delegations from the school went to China in 2009 and 2010.
In 2011 according to the New Jersey School Report Card, Old Bridge High School made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act by meeting 40 out of 40 indicators, a first for Old Bridge High School.
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 158th-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 178th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 162nd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 29, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 211th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 15, 2011. The school was ranked 197th of 316 schools in the magazine's 2006 rankings."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 169th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 45 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (81.0%) and language arts literacy (93.6%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).School Overview; Click on "Rankings" for 2003-11 HSPA results, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 7, 2012.
Athletics The Old Bridge High School KnightsOld Bridge 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 Middlesex County area and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. With 2,082 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 competes in Division 5C 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. Old Bridge High School is known primarily for its cross country and track programs, while its bowling, wrestling, and volleyball programs have also been successful.
The ice hockey team won the Handchen Cup in 1998 and the Dowd Cup in 2006.NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The 1998 team won the Handchen Cup with a 5–4 win against Toms River High School East in the championship game played at South Mountain Arena.Tufaro, Greg. "TR East, RBC fall in Cup bids", Asbury Park Press, March 1, 1998. Accessed January 28, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Toms River High School East rallied from a three-goal deficit to win the Handchen Cup a year ago. But the Raiders could not dig themselves out of an identical hole in a 5-4 loss to Old Bridge in the American Conference A Division tournament final at South Mountain Arena yesterday."
The boys' cross country running team won the Group IV state championship in 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2015.NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023. The girls cross country running team won the Group IV state championship in 2001.NJSIAA Girls Cross Country State Group Champions , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
The boys' wrestling team won the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional championships in 2001 and 2002.Boys Wrestling Championship History: 1934–2025, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated February 2026. Accessed March 1, 2026.