Cavite National High School (Filipino: Pambansang Mataas na Paaralan ng Cavite) formerly known as Cavite High School (Filipino: Mataas na Paaralan ng Cavite) is a Secondary school located at the City of Cavite in the Philippines. It was established on June 19, 1902, and it is the first and oldest national secondary school in the Philippines. It is also recognized as a Calabarzon historical site by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
History
The foundational timeline of public secondary education in the province began on January 21, 1901, with the passage of Act No. 74 by the Philippine Commission. This historical piece of legislation laid the structural groundwork for the organization of public schools throughout the country. Following this mandate, the Provincial Board was officially authorized by Act No. 372 to establish localized secondary institutions. Recognizing the immediate educational gaps in the area, Mariano Trías, the progressive Governor of Cavite, formally recommended that a high school be built in either Cavite, San Roque, or Caridad. The initial campus site was chosen at the Isthmus of Rosario, situated in the town of San Roque, which is the exact location where Garita Elementary School operates today.
The school was formally established on June 19, 1902, opening its doors to an initial cohort of 25 eager students primarily hailing from the neighboring towns of Cavite, San Roque, and Caridad. Despite this milestone, regular classes could not immediately commence due to a devastating regional outbreak of cholera. Compounding the health crisis, the assigned buildings were found to be in highly dilapidated, unsanitary conditions; there were no classroom desks available, and the property had been utilized as a municipal pig pen. To rectify this, the first principal, Sydney K. Michelle, joined forces with pioneering educator Hammond H. Buck to raise 100 pesos out of pocket to finance the critical structural repairs. Through their efforts, the campus officially became operational on July 1, 1902, with an active roster of 30 students, which quickly grew to 61 by September 1 and peaked at 80 learners by November of that foundational year.
In 1903, Cavite High School moved its operations to a highly spacious, though legally contested, parcel of government property that housed an old Spanish military hospital. The student population expanded rapidly within this new layout, leading advanced students to organize the institution's first competitive debating society during that same year. Campus life flourished as the school administration established its inaugural baseball team in 1904, followed closely by a dedicated track and field athletic team in 1905. However, this golden period of growth was interrupted when the Supreme Court of the Philippines ordered the government land to be returned to the possession of the Roman Catholic Church. This legal eviction forced the high school to quickly relocate to P. Gomez Street, taking over the former official residence of the Spanish Provincial Governor. It was here that the school celebrated its first five graduates—four males and one female—in 1908. After a temporary shift to the Caridad Preparatory facility in 1928, the institution finally secured its permanent home: a sprawling 6-hectare lot generously donated by the Caridad Estate of Cavite, Inc. This historic transaction was made possible by Hammond H. Buck, who had transitioned from his early work in the Bureau of Education into private real estate development.
The academic landscape underwent a major modernization in 1957 under the administration of Principal Jose T. Bernal with the launch of the innovative "2-2 Plan" curriculum. This pedagogical framework split the secondary tracking system, giving junior and senior high school students the autonomy to select an educational track that best matched their skills: either vocational training, a college preparatory track, or a flexible elective curriculum. Under this setup, junior students were regularly deployed directly to the Cavite Naval Operating Base—now known as Naval Base Cavite—to undergo practical on-the-job training. These apprenticeships allowed students to specialize in mechanical repairs, machinery operations, practical electricity, welding, sheet metal fabrication, shipfitting, pipefitting, or foundry work. Concurrently, male students remaining on campus completed specialized woodworking courses within the school's dedicated shop, while female students trained in hair science, dressmaking, and fashion design within the campus Home Economics Laboratory.
Recognizing the immense regional impact and growing operational costs of the institution, lawmakers sought to secure permanent national funding for the school. This legislative effort culminated when President Diosdado Macapagal signed Republic Act No. 3694 into law on June 22, 1963, formally converting the provincial school into Cavite National High School. Decades later, in June 2002, the campus celebrated its historic 100th anniversary with massive civic pride. The centennial celebration culminated in a formal state ceremony at the Heroes Hall, where President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo presented the coveted Gawad Gintong Kalabaw (Golden Carabao Award) to the Top 100 Distinguished Alumni. This high-profile event was attended by Education Secretary Raul Roco, Cavite Governor Erineo "Ayong" Maliksi, and 1st District Representative Plaridel Abaya. Among the historic alumni honored that day were Maria Rizalina Bautista Poblete (Batch 1926) and Honorato Vega (Batch 1931)—two of the oldest living graduates—alongside renowned engineer Edward R. Caro and Professor Elmer Abueg, who had notably served as President Arroyo's economics professor at Ateneo de Manila University.
Campus journalism The campus journalism ecosystem at Cavite National High School operates as a primary pillar of student expression and literacy development, organized formally under separate departments for the junior and senior high school cohorts. At the lower secondary level, the student body is represented by two historically recognized anchor publications: The Caviteñan (JHS) and Pens and Pixels (SHS) publishing continuously in the English language, and Ang Caviteñan (JHS) and Pluma at Piksel (SHS), its sister publication serving the Filipino language domain. These student-led editorial boards provide a critical localized mirror to the social, political, and academic issues impacting Cavite City and the broader Calabarzon region.
The administrative foundation sustaining these student presses is rooted heavily in the Special Interest Program in Journalism (SPJ) managed by the Department of Education. Under the supervision of specialized programmatic coordinators and regional supervisors, student journalists undergo rigorous technical training in editorial writing, news reporting, photojournalism, copyreading, and cartooning. This specialized curriculum ensures that student-led media houses operate under standard industry procedures, preparing learners for competitive regional and national media environments.Department of Education CALABARZON Regional Memorandum No. 176, s. 2026
https://depedcalabarzon.ph/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/RM-2026-176.pdf
The operational framework for campus journalism is legally protected and guided by national mandates, specifically Republic Act No. 7079, otherwise known as the Campus Journalism Act of 1991. This legislative statute ensures that the school administration protects the independence of the student press, preventing arbitrary administrative censorship while enforcing professional ethics within the student editorial board. To maintain these standards, the publication staff works in close alignment with designated School Paper Advisers (SPAs) who act as technical mentors rather than structural censors.
In recent academic years, the publishing architecture of the journalism wing of Cavite National High School has undergone a rapid digital transformation to adapt to shifting technological landscapes. While traditional print issues continue to be archived for physical record-keeping, the primary vehicle for daily news dispatch has transitioned toward official digital spaces and enterprise social platforms. This shift allows student reporters to deliver real-time coverage of school activities, division athletic meets, and civic assemblies directly to the community.
Beyond covering standard campus events, the publication wings of the school functions as an essential vehicle for socio-civic public service announcements within the school community. The publication routinely runs detailed investigative series and feature columns explaining localized administrative policies, such as environmental sustainability programs and green campus mandates. By framing institutional regulations within student-centric narratives, the publication translates complex rules into accessible, community-driven civic goals.
The performance metrics of the school's media teams are regularly validated through competitive performance at the Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC) and the National Schools Press Conference (NSPC). Writers from both the English and Filipino divisions frequently secure top placements within individual and group categories, including Collaborative Desktop Publishing and Radio Broadcasting. These consistent achievements solidify the institution's regional reputation as a primary incubation hub for young journalistic talent in the Calabarzon area.Department of Education Regional Schools Press Conference Directive (RSPC)
https://depedcalabarzon.ph/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/RM-2025-635.pdf
During the 2026 press conference cycle, Juliana Ysabella B. Dampitan from STEM 12 won first place in Editorial Cartooning in Filipino at the Rizal Reconfigured Regional Schools Press Conference. Dampitan secured second place at the NSPC held in Ormoc, making her the first student journalist in the history of the Department of Education Schools Division Office (DepEd SDO) Cavite City to achieve a national podium finish in the category.
Junior High School
Ang Caviteñan (FILIPINO) The Caviteñan (ENGLISH)
Senior High School
Pluma at Piksel (FILIPINO) Pens and Pixels (ENGLISH)
Student life Student governance and co-curricular engagement at Cavite National High School are structured around a comprehensive network of accredited student organizations designed to foster leadership, civic duty, and academic specialization. The primary governing authority representing the unified student populace is the Supreme Secondary Learners Government, universally designated as the SSLG. Operating under the national structural guidelines of the DepEd Bureau of Operations, the SSLG functions as the premier student organization tasked with representing student interests before the senior faculty and administrative board.
Working in close coordination with student governance is an array of highly specialized academic and environmental groups. Prominent among these is the Youth for Environment in Schools Organization, or YES-O, which stands as the sole co-curricular environmental organization officially recognized by DepEd to consolidate green initiatives on campus. Established under national mandates, the Caviteñan YES-O chapter enforces local ecological directives, manages solid waste reductions, and spearheads regular campus clean-ups and tree-planting drives.Caviteñan Youth for Environment in Schools Organization (YES-O) Institutional Portfolio
https://depedcavite.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/DM-269.pdf