Fort Lee High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade, located in Fort Lee, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Fort Lee School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1931.Fort Lee High School , Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed June 13, 2011.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,170 students and 87.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.5:1. There were 278 students (23.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 54 (4.6% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Fort Lee High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
History Fort Lee High School was established in 1916. It was relocated to its current location in 1928.Meyers, Tom. "The Public Schools of Fort Lee By The Numbers", Fort Lee, NJ Patch Media, February 18, 2012. Accessed December 11, 2025. "Property was added on June 20, 1912, and in 1910, two rooms were added to the west. In 1915, four rooms were added to the east, making 16 rooms in all. It was here that Fort Lee High School came into existence. In September 1916, the high school opened with just 39 pupils. From 1917 until 1927, a number of sites for a high school were sought but voted down until May 10, 1927, when residents of the borough voted to purchase the site of the present-day high school on Lemoine Avenue." A new wing was added in 1964 and new classrooms were constructed in 1968. The school was completely renovated in the 1980s.School History, Fort Lee High School. Accessed June 13, 2011.
In March 2009, a scandal concerning the transcript records of the students was alleged. Raymond Bandlow, the superintendent of schools, reported that transcripts of students from 2003 to the current senior class had been tampered with. The Fort Lee Board of Education conducted an investigation and attempted to ascertain as to who exactly was involved after it was reported that in some instances, grades were changed, and in others low grades were deleted. Students of the class of 2009 expressed their discontent and anger regarding the scandal, as these allegations could jeopardize their chances of being admitted to colleges.Pegues, Jeff. "Grade scandal at Fort Lee High", WABC-TV, March 5, 2009. Accessed June 13, 2011.
Awards, recognition and rankings In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 52nd in New Jersey and 1,611th nationwide.Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Fort Lee High School", The Washington Post. Accessed August 21, 2011. In 2006, the school was ranked 217th out of the top 1000 High Schools in the United States by Newsweek magazine.The Complete List of the 1,000 Top U.S. Schools , Newsweek. Accessed December 13, 2006.
The school was the 81st-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 97th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 72nd 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 75th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 13, 2011. The school was ranked 99th 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 tied for 137th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 1 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (85.6%) and language arts literacy (93.2%) 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 March 5, 2012.
Fort Lee High School was ranked 55th out of 426 schools in New Jersey by U.S. News & World Report on its 2018 listing of "Best High Schools"."2018 Best High Schools: Fort Lee High School", U.S. News & World Report. In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school 106th among high schools in New Jersey, 264th in the New York City metropolitan area and 2320th nationwide.Fort Lee High School, U.S. News & World Report. Accessed February 13, 2022. "All Rankings #2,320 in National Rankings #106 in New Jersey High Schools #264 in New York, NY Metro Area High Schools"
Athletics The Fort Lee High School BridgemenFort Lee 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 made under the supervision of 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. Prior to the 2010 realignment, the team participated in the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL) American Conference, comprised of public and private high schools located in Bergen County and Hudson County.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 October 7, 2014. With 681 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 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 was classified by the NJSIAA as Group III North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 700 to 884 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 I state championship in 1947 (defeating Dunellen High School in the tournament final) and 1949 (vs. Wildwood High School).NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. In front of a crowd of 2,500 spectators at the Elizabeth Armory, the 1947 team upset Dunellen, winning the Group I championship with a 39-34 victory."Fort Lee and Englewood Capture State Championships; Bridgemen Upset Dunellen, 39-34; Precision-Like Fort Lee Quintet Impresses Crowd With Triumph Over Defending Group 1 Champs; Mullin, Cervieri Lead Scoring Parade", The Record, March 24, 1947. Accessed March 9, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "With its precision-like offense working to perfection, Fort Lee High School's well-coached aggregation scored an impressive 39 to 34 upset over Dunellen High to capture the 1947 Group One State title Saturday afternoon at the Elizabeth Armory. Coach John Mardy displayed the smoothest crew of ball handlers seen in this year's N. J. S. I. A. A. Tournament. Spotting Dunellen a definite height advantage. Fort Lee made up for it with some brilliant passwork and heads-up ball playing that had the afternoon assemblage of 2,500 fans 'oh-ing' and 'ah-ing' almost continually." Trailing for most of the game, the 1949 team pulled ahead of Wildwood in the fourth quarter to win the Group I state title by a score of 49-44.De La Ree, Gerry. "Fort Lee Wins Group I State Basketball Title By Downing Wildwood; Bridgemen Score 49 To 44 Victory; Team Rallies In Second Half To Capture Second Title In Three Years And 27th Championship For Bergen County In 31 Years Of Event", The Record, March 21, 1949. Accessed March 11, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Down five points at the half. Fort Lee High's Bridgemen rallied brilliantly in the last two periods Saturday to defeat Wildwood High School, 49 to 44, for the Group I championship In the 31st annual New Jersey State Interscholastic A. A. basketball tournament at Elizabeth Armory."
The boys track team won the Group II spring / outdoor track state championship in 1963.NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Boys, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2021.
The wrestling team won the North I Group II state sectional title in 1980.NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
The girls volleyball team won the Group II state championship in 1988, defeating Garfield High School in the final match of the playoff tournament.NJSIAA Girls Volleyball Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.