Hillsborough High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Hillsborough Township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Hillsborough Township School District. Students from Millstone also attend the school, after Millstone was integrated into the Hillsborough district, prior to which they had attended as part of a sending/receiving relationship.Sroka-Holzmann, Pamela. "Getting om Board: Millstone's Hewitt joins Hillsborough's Board of Ed", Courier-News, September 17, 2009. Accessed July 29, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "Prior to the Millstone district merging with Hillsborough borough students already had attended township schools in a sending district relationship."

As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,377 students and 175.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.5:1. There were 306 students (12.9% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 67 (2.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Hillsborough High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.

History Prior to the construction of the high school, students from Hillsborough Township attended Somerville High School for grades 9-12 as part of a sending/receiving relationship. The Somerville Public Schools had notified the district in the early 1960s that Hillsborough students could not be accommodated in Somerville after 1968. The Hillsborough district attempted unsuccessfully to seek partners for a regional district and had voters reject by a nearly 3-1 margin a 1964 referendum that would have allocated $2.9 million for a high school. By 1966, Hillsborough was paying tuition for nearly 500 students to attend school in Somerville for grades 9-12, with that number expected to grow to exceed 900 by 1968.Clampitt, Maggie. "Hillsborough to Try Again For High School Approval; End of Pact with Somerville Leaves Students 'Homeless'",Courier News, January 27, 1966. Accessed July 14, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Board of Education announced yesterday it will soon make its second bid to gain voter approval of a township high school. A July 14, 1964, referendum calling for a $2.9 million facility was rejected by a vote of 1,262 to 456. High school students living, in the township currently at tend Somerville High School, but this arrangement must terminate in 1968, according to notification received some time ago.... The 1966-67 school budget provides $336,420 for tuition fees to be paid to Somerville, covering some 490. students at $680 each. High school enrollment in 1968-69 has been estimated by Noonan to reach 919."

Constructed at a cost of $3.5 million (equivalent to $ million in ), the not-yet-fully-completed school opened in September 1969 with 730 students in grades 9 and 10, with those in grades 11 and 12 completing their high school education in Somerville."Hillsborough High School Opens With Nary a Hitch", The Daily Home News, September 5, 1969. Accessed April 5, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "This township's $3.5 million high school opened yesterday as 730 students began the school year in their new building. David A. Noon, superintendent of schools, said the facility still lacks a gymnasium, auto shop and auditorium stage but construction is progressing rapidly and the contractors have assured early completion.... Until this year, all high school students attended Somerville High School, but as the new school opened yesterday the freshman and sophomore classes entered the new building. Juniors and seniors will continue to attend the Somerville school."

Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 74th-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 106th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 81st in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 3, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 84th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 21, 2011. The school was ranked 100th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 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 69th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 12 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (89.1%) and language arts literacy (97.3%) 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 February 27, 2012.

In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 217th out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 34th among all high schools in New Jersey and 17th among the state's non-magnet schools.Staff. "America's Best High Schools 2016" , Newsweek. Accessed November 11, 2016.

In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 740th in the nation among participating public high schools and 57th among schools in New Jersey.Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools" , The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 9, 2013.

In 2024 the school awarded with a Silver Distinction and earned the Advanced Placement (AP) Access Award.

Clubs Hillsborough High School has 74 different clubs and activities. Students can submit proposals and make new clubs with a faculty member and administration approval.

Marching Band - "The Pride of Hillsborough" Under the direction of Jules Haran and Nicholas Clipperton, HHS Raider Marching Band took the title of 2018 Mid-Atlantic Regional Champions with a score of 98.125, 2017 Group V Open State Champions, 2015 Group V Open State Champions,"HILLSBOROUGH: Raider band wins state championship", CentralJersey.com, November 4, 2015. Accessed October 29, 2017. "The Hillsborough Raider Marching Band competed in the U.S. Bands New Jersey state championship on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Rutgers University High Point Solutions Stadium. In Group V competition the band performed their 2015 show entitled Mad World, its version of Alice in Wonderland. The Marching Raiders racked up their season-high score of 95.365 and won the first-place trophy, also earning the second highest overall score of more than 25 marching bands in attendance." 2014 Group V Open State Champions, 2011 Group V Open State Champions, 2010 Group V Open Northern State Champion with a score of 97.175 in Allentown, Pennsylvania."Congratulations to Northern States Open and State Champions!", USBands, October 30, 3010. Accessed October 29, 2017. "USSBA Northern States Champions (Open Groups) Held Saturday, Oct. 30 at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, Pa. - HILLSBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL - Group V Open" In 2006, at the USSBA National Championships at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, Hillsborough High School was recognized as Best Color Guard National Championship title in Class IV.USSBA National Championship Titles, Marching Band Planet, November 14, 2006. Accessed May 27, 2016, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 3, 2007. Accessed May 27, 2016. "Passaic High School also took both colorguard and percussion firsts in Class V while in Class IV Hillsborough High School earned the colorguard award and Fair Lawn High School took percussion first place." Also in 2006. at the USSBA-hosted state championships at Rowan University in Glassboro, Hillsborough High School took the title of Group IV Open state champions for the fourth consecutive year.

Debate club One of the most popular and successful clubs at the school is Model United Nations and Model Congress, collectively known as HHS Debate. HHS Debate regularly wins delegation awards and many individual awards at conferences all across the country. In 2008, HHS Debate picked up the Best Delegation Award from Duke Model United Nations, with every individual member of the team winning an individual award. In 2009, the team won Best Delegation at Virginia Model United Nations. At Hillsborough's flagship conference, Rutgers Model Congress, the team has won a first or second place delegation award for nine out of ten years.

Robotics In 2007, the school's robotics team helped pass legislation through the New Jersey Senate recognizing FIRST. This dedicated the week of February 26 through March 3, 2007, to FIRST in an effort to support science, technology, as well as all the participants at FIRST. The robotics team, known formally as Team 75, has continuously worked with NJ legislature to support recognition for science and technology and is the oldest active FIRST team in New Jersey. The team also won the 2007 Chesapeake Regional and the 2007 Chairman's Award at the NJ Regional.Awards, Roboraiders. Accessed December 19, 2012.

The Student Diversity Initiative The Student Diversity Initiative is a student-run group that strives to promote unbiased, authentic discussion, thorough education, and widespread awareness of diversity issues to make systemic changes in schools and communities. The ultimate goal is to cultivate community conversations at every level to shift perspectives and to challenge prejudice within NJ. In 2020, the Student Diversity Initiative hosted a National Day of Racial Healing, and a Christmas Donations to Children in Need. In 2021, they hosted The Black Experience in America: A Closer Look - a panel in honor of Black History Month, spoke at Kean University to numerous NJ school districts, and hosted conversations with teachers, businesses, schools, and administrators to help evolve the current curriculum.

The Student Diversity Initiative's current path towards world unity, community, and liberation is to organize events to create cultural awareness on racial literacy, discrimination, race, gender, diversity, and age while cultivating numerous diverse sets of voices.

Athletics