Clifton High School (CHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from the city of Clifton in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Clifton Public Schools. It has the largest student body in a single facility amongst high schools in New Jersey; Elizabeth High School had more students, but its students have been spread over multiple campuses.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3,150 students and 224.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.0:1. There were 1,726 students (54.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 380 (12.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Clifton 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 third-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.... 3. Clifton High School Number of students: 2,939"
History The district established a high school in 1906, with 40 students, with a curriculum that covered "English, Latin, Greek, German, history, mathematics, physics, chemistry, bookkeeping, shorthand, typewriting." By 1914, the school had 150 students. A new building was dedicated in April 1926, by which time the school served an enrollment of 1,100."New Clifton High School Dedicated; Over 1,500 at Exercises Held in Auditorium of Building Last Night.", The Morning Call, April 15, 1926. Accessed March 14, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Clifton high school was established in 1906 - and it was my good fortune to be connected with the schools of the city at that time. We had an enrollment of forty pupils with a very meager course of study embracing the following subjects: English, Latin, Greek, German, history, mathematics, physics, chemistry, bookkeeping, shorthand, typewriting. The growth of the school is insignificant from 1906 to 1924, but from 1914 to the present day it has been phenomenal aa is evident from the following tabulation: In 1914 there were enrolled 150 pupils; 1915, 201; 1916, 240; 1917, 280; 1918, 297; 1919, 336; 1920. 379; 1921. 478; 1922, 614; 1923. 729; 1924, 778; 1925, 974, and at the present time, 1,103."
The current high school building on Colfax Avenue was completed at a cost of $6 million (equivalent to $ million in ) and opened in September 1962 with 3,000 students."Clifton High Has Smooth Opening", Herald News, September 10, 1962. Accessed March 14, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The opening of the new $6 million Clifton High School on Colfax Avenue worked out without major problems or confusion this morning, according to Dr. J. Revis Hall, principal.... There are approximately 3,000 pupils enrolled."
An additional overflow site, the Clifton High School Annex, was constructed at a cost of $17 million and opened in September 2009 to accommodate 540 of the school year's 850 incoming freshmen to alleviate overcrowding.
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 239th-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 274th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 259th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 27, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 223rd in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 17, 2011. The school was ranked 280th 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.
Campus Clifton High School is divided into four wings; North, Central, South and East. Between the South and East wings, the William F. Shershin Memorial Technology and Media Center provides students access to many books, music, movies and computers with internet access.
Due to overcrowding, a walkway that runs alongside the four wings was added. There is also an annex building which now contains ASPIRE students. Originally, it had both freshmen students and ASPIRE students in the building. This annex building is located on Brighton Road.
Activities
Athletics The Clifton High School MustangsClifton High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in over 50 sport programs as part of 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 (NJSIAA).League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. For the 2009–10 season, the school competed in the North Jersey Tri-County Conference, an interim conference established to facilitate realignment.New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association League Memberships – 2009-2010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed November 24, 2014. Prior to the reorganization, the school had participated in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) an athletic conference of high schools in Bergen and Passaic counties.Home Page, Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 9, 2009. Accessed November 24, 2014. With 2,131 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.
Interscholastic athletics offered at the school include: Fall sports include boys' and girls' cross country, girls' gymnastics, football, girls' Volleyball, girls' tennis, boys' and girls' soccer, and marching band.Home Page, Clifton High School Mustang Marching Band. Accessed August 27, 2012. Winter sports include hockey, boys' and girls' indoor track, wrestling, basketball, swimming, and bowling. Spring sports include baseball, boys' volleyball, boys' and girls' outdoor track, boys' and girls' lacrosse, boys' tennis, softball, and golf.
The boys' baseball team won the North I Group IV state sectional championships in 1960 and 1961.Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated June 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.