Atlantic City High School (ACHS) is a comprehensive public high school in Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the lone upper secondary school of the Atlantic City School District.
The current school building opened in 1994 and holds approximately 2,500 students. The school serves students from Atlantic City, along with those from Brigantine, Longport, Margate City and Ventnor City, who attend the school as part of sending/receiving relationships with their respective school districts.Atlantic City Public School District 2016 Report Card Narrative , New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 26, 2017. "The Atlantic City Public School District is a Pre-K to 12 school district operating Eleven (11) schools. Our Pre-K through 8th grade schools serve Atlantic City, while our high school serves the students of Atlantic City, Ventnor, Brigantine, Margate and Longport."
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,731 students and 149.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1. There were 1,342 students (77.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 94 (5.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Atlantic City High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
History Atlantic City's first high school building was constructed in 1895 at Illinois and Arctic Avenues, on a small site that limited room for growth. In 1901, the high school relocated to a building at Ohio and Pacific Avenues. After the high school relocated a third time, the former building was reused as Central Junior High School for many years. The third building, located at Albany and Atlantic Avenues, opened on September 17, 1923. Constructed at a cost of over $1.75 million (equivalent to $ million in ), it included a 1,000-seat auditorium and a 6,000-pipe organ.Schwartz, David. "The 'Old' High School", Casino Connection, October 3, 2006. Accessed July 5, 2011.Hartgrove, Alicia. "Atlantic City High School", South Jersey Magazine. Accessed July 5, 2011.
Atlantic Cape Community College, the second community college to be established in New Jersey, opened in 1966 in space leased from the high school and moved to its campus in Mays Landing in February 1968.History, Atlantic Cape Community College. Accessed February 22, 2023. "The site for the college was selected on November 19, 1964, and official ground breaking ceremonies for its nine-building complex in Mays Landing were held in November 1966. Atlantic Cape opened its doors to students in September 1966, using facilities rented from Atlantic City High School. In February 1968 the college moved to its present campus at 5100 Black Horse Pike (U.S. Route 322) in Mays Landing."
The fourth, and current Atlantic City High School was constructed on "Great Island," opening to students in November 1994, at a cost of $83 million and had its formal dedication ceremony later that month before a gathered crowd of 4,000.Staff. "Opening Day / Classes Begin Today At New High School", The Press of Atlantic City, November 14, 1994. Accessed July 5, 2011. "Twenty-seven years and $83 million after a study first called for the resort to build a new high school, the facility opens this morning."Tyler, Mark. "Dedication To Learning / ACHS Ceremony: Result Of Quarter Century Of Planning", The Press of Atlantic City, November 24, 1994. Accessed July 5, 2011. "A crowd of about 4,000 people gathered on Great Island Wednesday morning to witness the dedication of the new Atlantic City High School." The building was designed by Blumberg Associates Architecture.Finn, Elaine. "A.C. High School To Be Unveiled Board To See Plans, Actual Cost Of New School In Monday Session", The Press of Atlantic City, January 21, 1990. Accessed July 5, 2011. "A two-projector presentation and detailed floor plans by architect Martin F. Blumberg will provide the school board with a final chance to change the design of the school and, for the first time, provide a reliable estimate of what it will cost to build."
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 262nd-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 214th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 247th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 9, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 255th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed January 31, 2011. The school was ranked 270 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. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 334th out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (a decrease of 9 positions from the 2009 rank) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy and mathematics components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2009-2010, Schooldigger.com. Accessed January 1, 2012.
Athletics
The Atlantic City High School VikingsAtlantic City High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Atlantic Division of the Cape-Atlantic League, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Gloucester counties, operating under the aegis of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020–2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. With 1,398 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2022–24 school years as Group IV South for most athletic competition purposes.NJSIAA General Classifications - Public Schools 2022–2023 and 2023–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022. The football team competes in the United Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconferenceAtlantic City Vikings, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023.Home Page, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023. "The WJFL is a 94-school super conference that stretches from Princeton to Wildwood encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Conference, the Tri-County Conference, the Colonial Conference, and the Cape Atlantic League. The WJFL is made up of sixteen divisions with divisional alignments based on school size, geography and a strength-of-program component." and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V South for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 1,333 to 2,324 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The boys swimming team won the state non-public championship from 1921 to 1929.NJSIAA Boys and Girls Team Swimming History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022. In 1924, the team won the state swimming championship for a fourth time, setting three meet records in the process, with the Lawrenceville School coming in second and The Peddie School in third.Staff. "Atlantic City High Takes Swim Title; Wins New Jersey Scholastic Championship for Fourth Time -- Three Records Broken.", The New York Times, March 9, 1924. p. S2. Accessed November 19, 2016. The next year, at a meet held in Philadelphia, the swim team won the national interscholastic championship, breaking the streak of four championships won by Mercersburg Academy.Staff. "Atlantic City High Takes Swim Title; Beats Mercersburg, Four-Time Winner, in National Championship Meet at Penn. Three Records Broken Mercersburg Relay Team and Scherer and Barnitz Make New Figures.", The New York Times, January 25, 1925. p. S1. Accessed November 19, 2016. In March 1925, the Atlantic City swim team were the guests of President Calvin Coolidge at the White House, in recognition of their championship."President Coolidge Receives Atlantic City H.S. Natators", The New York Times, March 24, 1925. p. 18. Accessed February 3, 2018.
The girls' basketball team won the Group IV state championships in 1981 vs. Eastside Paterson and repeated in 1982 vs. Plainfield High School.Girls Basketball Championship History: 1919–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. The 1981 team finished the season with a record of 29–1 after winning the Group IV state title with a 45–43 victory in the finals against an Eastside team that came into the game undefeated."Fatigue spells end to Ghosts' unbeaten ways", The News, March 23, 1981. Accessed March 3, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "For 27 games, the Eastside girls' basketball team built for itself an aura of Immortality. Friday night in the Group IV state title game, Barry Rosser's Ghosts proved that they were, after all, human beings. In losing, 45–43, to Atlantic City (29–1), Eastside (27–1) did things that championship teams simply do not do. The main reason : fatigue."
The 1994 Boys Varsity 8 Crew had an undefeated season and took the Triple Crown, winning the Philadelphia City Championships,Brandschain, Mayer. "St. Joe's Prep crew is handed its first defeat", The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 25, 1994. Accessed November 9, 2020. "The Atlantic City High boys' varsity eight scored the surprise of the season's Manny Flick Cup regattas of the Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association yesterday by handing the St. Joseph's Prep crew its first defeat on the Schuylkill. Atlantic City held fast to a slim lead all the way on the 1,500-meter course and held off St. Joseph's by three seats in the stretch drive to the finish." Stotesbury Cup RegattaWinners from Previous Years, Stotesbury Cup. Accessed November 9, 2020. and National Rowing Championships. The V8 went on to place second in the Princess Elizabeth Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta on the Thames River in England.Hildes-Heim, Morman. "Rowing; Four U.S. Victories Send Henley Regatta Historians Scrambling", The New York Times, July 4, 1994. Accessed November 9, 2020. "Brown University's heavyweight freshmen won the Thames Challenge Cup, and the prep school boys from St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., captured the Prince Elizabeth Cup.... The American parade began with St. Paul's leading Atlantic City High School from the first strokes of this mile-and-five-sixteenths course to win by 1 3/4 boat lengths in the time of 6 minutes 38 seconds."