Cliffside Park High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Cliffside Park, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Cliffside Park School District.
Students from Fairview attend the school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Fairview Public Schools.Parents Handbook, Cliffside Park High School. Accessed November 15, 2020. "Cliffside Park is a receiving district for high school students from Fairview. "Cliffside Park High School 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 25, 2016. "Cliffside Park High School services approximately 1135 students of Cliffside Park and the neighboring community of Fairview."
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,314 students and 94.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.0:1. There were 821 students (62.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 102 (7.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Cliffside Park High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026. In the 2011–12 school year, 36.1% of students at the high school spoke English as their first language at home, while 44.4% spoke Spanish, 4.4% speak Arabic, 3.8% speak Portuguese, 1.9% speak Korean, 1.9% speak Turkish and 7.6% speak other languages. Among the graduates of the Class of 2010, 51.2% planned to attend four-year colleges, while 38.5% planned on attending two-year colleges.Cliffside Park High School 2011-2012 School Report Card, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 13, 2013.
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 297th-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 256th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 235th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 1, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 220th 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 195th 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.
Athletics The Cliffside Park High School Red RaidersCliffside Park 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 (NJSIAA).League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. The school had previously competed in the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL) American Conference, which included public and private high schools located in Bergen and Hudson counties.League Memberships – 2009-2010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed November 19, 2014. With 940 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 761 to 1,058 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 Ivy Red 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 football team is one of the 12 programs assigned to the two Ivy divisions starting in 2020, which are intended to allow weaker programs ineligible for playoff participation to compete primarily against each other.Cooper, Darren. "Super Football Conference creating 'Ivy Division' for struggling programs", The Record, May 1, 2019. Accessed March 24, 2021. "Seeking to restore participation and enthusiasm to high school football programs that have struggled to compete consistently, the Super Football Conference announced plans to start a 12-team 'Ivy Division' in the 2020 season. Teams that compete in the 'Ivy Division' will play exclusively against each other and won't participate in the NJISAA football playoffs.... Twelve schools from Bergen, Hudson, Essex and Morris counties have applied to compete in the Ivy Division: Bergen Tech, Cliffside Park, Dickinson, Fair Lawn, Ferris, Memorial, Dover, Dwight-Morrow, Fort Lee, Glen Ridge, Marist and Tenafly." The school's co-op football team with Ridgefield Memorial High 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 III state championships in 1941 vs. Bound Brook High School, 1943 vs. Merchantville High School, 1946 vs. Woodrow Wilson High School, 1948 vs. Thomas Edison High School of Elizabeth, 1954 vs. Linden High School and 1955 vs. Springfield High School (since renamed as Jonathan Dayton High School), and won the Group II title in 1971 vs. Haddon Heights High School.NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. Down by six points after the first quarter, the 1941 team pulled ahead by outscoring Bound Brook 12–4 in the second quarter and 11–2 in the third to win the Group III title by a score of 38–31 in the championship game played at the Elizabeth Armory.via Associated Press. "Cliffside Park Wins Group 3 Title by 38-31; Cliffs Defeat Bound Brook With Smashing Third-Period Drive in State Tournament", Asbury Park Press, March 23, 1941. Accessed March 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "smashing third-period drive carried Cliffside Park to a 38–31 triumph over Bound Brook and the Group 3 title in the annual New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic association's basketball championships at the Elizabeth armory last night. Behind the sharpshooting of Ted Berlinski, six-foot-four-inch center. Bound Brook picked up an early 12–6 lead in the first night title game." Led by Gerald Calabrese, the 1943 team defeated Merchantville by a score of 42–26 in the Group III final; a proposal was made to have Cliffside Park play Group II champion Weehawken High School in a fundraiser for the American Red Cross."Cliffside, Weehawken Champs May Meet For Red Cross; Calabrese-Schwob Duel A Big Lure; Both Of These Star Players Led Teams To State Titles Saturday At Seton Hall; Cliffside Scores 42-26 To Beat Merchantville For Group 3 Title", The Record, March 22, 1943. Accessed March 7, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Cliffside High School's basketball team, which snagged its second Group 3 New Jersey State basketball title on Saturday night at the Seton Hall gymnasium in South Orange by beating Merchantville 42 to 26, may play Weehawken, Group 2 New Jersey champs, in a Red Cross benefit game this month.... Jerry Calabrese led the way for the Cliffside crew, as he has been doing all year." The 1948 team held off a furious late effort by Thomas Edison of Elizabeth to win the Group III title by a score of 49-47 in the championship game played at the Elizabeth Armory before a crowd of 4,000.De La Ree, Gerry. "Cliffside Park Defeats Edison 49-47 For Group Three State Title; La Marca, Colao Led Bergen Five", The Record, March 22, 1948. Accessed January 28, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Cliffside Park High School defeated a stubborn Thomas Edison High quintet from Elizabeth 49 to 47 Saturday night before 4,000 fans at Elizabeth Armory to round out a decade of Bergen County dominance over the Group Three N. J. S. I. A. A. basketball title. In chalking up their fourth State title since 1941, the Cliffside Park Firemen were forced to stave off a late Edison rally that produced nine points in the last minute of play."
With five touchdowns from their fullback, the 1977 football team won the NJSIAA North I Group III state sectional title with a 37-6 win in the championship game against Indian Hills High School in front of 32,000 fans at Giants Stadium.NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022."32,000 Watch Westfield Fulfill No. 1 Role, 33-12", The New York Times, December 4, 1977. Accessed November 15, 2020. "A estimated crowd of 32,000, the second-largest in New Jersey schoolboy history, was on hand at Giants Stadium for the battle between the state's top-rated teams. They also saw North Bergen defeat Snyder, 6-0, and Cliffside Park rout Indian Hills, 37-6, in title games."Farber, Michael. "Cliffside Group 3 champ; Indian Hills beaten, 37-6", The Record, December 4, 1977. Accessed December 13, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Sophomore fullback Tom Chakonis scored five touchdowns last night to finish what Cliffside Park started early this season, the quest for the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 3 North Jersey Section 1 football championship. The Red Raiders routed previously unbeaten Indian Hills, 37-6, dominating the playing field more noticeably than the scoreboard." The school has maintained a rivalry with Ridgefield Park High School since the two schools first played each other, which was listed by The Record as one of the best in Bergen and Passaic counties; though the first game between the two schools was earlier, from 1950 through the 2017 season, Ridgefield Park is ahead with a 38-20-2 record in games between the two schools.Cooper, Darren; Farrell, Sean; and Mattura, Greg. "North Jersey football: Best public school rivalries; Read up on the top rivalries in Bergen and Passaic counties, and vote for the one you think is best in the poll at the bottom of this page", The Record, July 17, 2018. Accessed May 13, 2021. "Cliffside Park vs. Ridgefield Park... First meeting: Unknown; Series history: Since 1950, Ridgefield Park leads series 38-20 with two ties."