Passaic High School is a four-year community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Passaic, in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Passaic City School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1927; the school's accreditation status extends until July 2031.Passaic High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed December 22, 2024.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,580 students and 173.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.9:1. There were 2,525 students (97.9% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and none eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Passaic High School No. 12, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
History Passaic High School's first graduating class, in 1873, had eight students, who attended the Acquackanonk District School. The first Passaic High School was constructed in 1886–87 at the corner of Lafayette Avenue and Bloomfield Avenue (now Broadway). The district's second high school was built in 1910 across the street from the original building on Lafayette Avenue. The present high school on Paulison Avenue was completed in May 1957.Passaic City Schools: School - School History , Passaic High School. Accessed May 2, 2011.
The Paulison Avenue campus closed in July 2025 in order for work to begin on a new school with of space which will be constructed at a cost of $328 million and take its place beginning in 2028. While the former Passaic High is being demolished and the new school constructed, classes will be held at two former elementary schools that were closed when an educational complex was opened on Dayton Avenue.Fagan, Matt. "Passaic High School will be demolished, rebuilt. Students will be split up. See full plan", The Record, September 3, 2024. Accessed July 22, 2025. "The city's 67-year-old high school will welcome students for one last year before it is demolished next July. The plan is to build a new 490,000-square-foot high school on the same Paulison Avenue property for $328 million with funds from the state's Schools Development Authority. The project will take at least three years....Truppo said the majority of students will attend either School 8 on Fourth Street or School 9 on First Street, both on the city's east side."
Administration The school's principal is Jennifer Barker. Core members of the school's administration are the two assistant principals.Home Page, Passaic High School. Accessed December 31, 2025.
Extracurricular activities
Passaic High School NJROTC
Passaic High School hosts one of the largest Navy Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NJROTC) programs in the country.Santora, Joseph A. "A Case Study of the Naval JROTC Program at Passaic High School", Seton Hall University, 2006. Accessed August 27, 2012. "A JROTC program with one of the largest enrollments in the nation today, is the Naval JROTC program sponsored by Passaic High School in Passaic, New Jersey. In 2006, the program earned the Distinguished Unit Award---the highest award recognized by the Department of the Navy for a NJROTC unit." In 2004 the unit was awarded the Navy's Unit Achievement award, and in both the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years was recognized with the Distinguished Unit Award. Also in 2006 and 2007, the unit's Color Guard drill team won First Place at the National JROTC Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Passaic High School Marching Band In 2006, at the USSBA National Championships at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, Passaic High School was recognized with the Best Percussion National Championship title and the Best Color Guard National Championship title in Class V.USSBA National Championship Titles
, United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) press release dated November 14, 2006. Also winning Nationals at USBANDS National Championship, 2004, 2005,2012, and most recently in 2021
Athletics The Passaic High School IndiansPassaic High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Big North Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Bergen and Passaic counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. For the 2009–10 school year, the school was part of the North Jersey Tri-County Conference, a conference established on an interim basis to facilitate the realignment. Prior to the realignment in 2009, the school competed in Division B of the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) which included public and private high schools located in Bergen and Passaic counties., Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League. Accessed August 28, 2011. With 2,396 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 the Liberty Blue 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 V North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 1,317 to 5,409 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The boys' basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 1920-1922 (defeating Trenton Central High School in the tournament final in each of the three years), 1923 (vs. Asbury Park High School), 1925 (vs. Union Hill High School) and 1929 (vs. Atlantic City High School); the four consecutive state championships won from 1920 to 1923 are tied for the most by any public school program in the state.Boys Basketball Championship History: 1919–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. A crowd of 3,000 watched the 1925 championship game at the Newark Armory, where the team won the Class A (since recategorized as Group IV) title with a 32–25 win against Union Hill."Passaic High Five Wins State Title; Beats Union Hill, 32-25, and Takes New Jersey Honors for Fifth Time in Six Years.", The New York Times, March 22, 1925. Accessed February 1, 2021. "The Passaic High School basketball team won the premier honors of the State here this afternoon, defeating Union Hill High School, 32 to 25, in the final of Class A of the New Jersey interscholastic championship tournament. A crowd of more than 3,000 supporters witnessed the battle, and at the finish the Passaic rooters staged a wild demonstration for the victors.""Passaic Captures Title in Spectacular Contest with Union Hill Quintet", The Record, March 23, 1925. Accessed February 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The State basketball tourney was concluded in a blaze of color at the Newark Armory last Saturday afternoon. Passaic High school's wonder basketball team is the new State champion. Encountering rugged opposition from Union Hill, the Passaic team was forced to function at top speed to gain a favorable verdict.... Offensive power cracked the backbone of resistance in the third period and also the fourth, emerging with a 33 to 26 win." The 1929 team won the state title in Class A (now Group IV) with a 34–25 win against Atlantic City in the championship game, in a match-up that was close at the half until Passaic pulled away with a third quarter in which they outscored Atlantic City by an 11-1 margin."Passaic Captures New Jersey Title; Regains Class A High School Honors by Vanquishing Atlantic City, 34-25. Class B Crown To Summit Scores Hard-Fought Victory Over Woodrow Wilson High of Weehawken, 25 to 24. Passaic Forges Ahead. Class B Final Hard-Fought.", The New York Times, March 24, 1929. Accessed December 29, 2020. "Passaic regained the New Jersey State Class A basketball title before more than 6,000 persons here tonight when the powerful North Jersey quintet defeated Atlantic City, 34-25, in the final of the eleventh annual championship tournament." The team won the 2001 North I, Group IV state sectional championship, edging Teaneck High School 64–62 in the tournament final.2001 - North I, Group IV, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 16, 2007.
The boys cross country running team won the All-Group Public state championship in 1924, 1925 and 1927, won the Group A state championship in 1928-1931 and won the All-Group state title in 1932-1934 and 1944. The program's eight state titles are ranked ninth in the state.NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.