Colonia High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades in the Colonia section of Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It operates as part of the Woodbridge Township School District, along with two other high schools, John F. Kennedy Memorial High School and Woodbridge High School. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1973;Colonia High School , Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 1, 2022. In Fall 2018, the school's accreditation status was extended for seven years, through July 2026.MSA-CESS Fall 2018 Accreditation Actions, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools, Fall 2018. Accessed December 18, 2024.Colonia High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed December 18, 2024.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,354 students and 122.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.1:1. There were 455 students (33.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 116 (8.6% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Colonia High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
In 2022, Woodbridge investigated an apparent cluster of more than 100 brain tumor patients who were Colonia High School employees or students since its construction in 1967.Baker, Meg. "Former Woodbridge, N.J. resident says 65 people who either attended or worked at Colonia High School have had rare brain tumors" , CBS News, March 30, 2022. Accessed April 15, 2022.Stanmyre, Matthew. "A mystery in Colonia" , The Star-Ledger, April 8, 2022. Accessed April 15, 2022.Lans, Chantee. "Is there a possible link between Colonia High School and brain cancer?" , ABC News, April 16, 2022. Accessed April 17, 2022. State health officials found that the tumors were somewhat more prevalent than expected, but no radiation hazards were detected in or around the school.Stanmyre, Matthew. "Woodbridge school brain cancer cluster investigation finds 'no radiological hazards'", The Star-Ledger, May 26, 2022. Accessed June 3, 2022. An environmental scientist who is a school parent conducted her own testing in 2022, which revealed the presence of PCBs above permitted levels and of banned pesticides.Battle, Pat. "Cancer-Causing Toxins Found in New Tests at NJ School, Mom Says, Raising Concerns", WNBC, October 20, 2022. Accessed February 19, 2025. "Edyta Komorek is a professional environmental scientist. So when officials declared earlier this year that ground penetrating radar tests on the grounds of Colonia High School concluded there was no dangerous or carcinogenic radiation there, she took matters into her own hands.... She went inside the school in August to swipe dust samples from a bathroom, and returned a month later collecting samples outdoors, soil from the ground and caulk from a school window. She sent them to independent laboratories and says the results were alarming. 'The analysis can back with PCBs above federal and state standards as well as pesticides that were banned in 1988,' she said."
History Colonia High School was established in 1967.About Us, Colonia High School. Accessed June 22, 2026. "Colonia is one of the nine sub-communities of Woodbridge Township, encompassing the northernmost four square miles of the Township. Colonia High School, home of the Patriots, was built in 1967."
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 127th-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 182nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 192nd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical" , New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 7, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 188th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools" , New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 26, 2011. The school was ranked 208th 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 tied for 93rd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 61 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (86.2%) and language arts literacy (97.6%) 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 2, 2012.
Athletics The Colonia High School PatriotsColonia High School , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Greater Middlesex Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools located in the greater Middlesex County area and operates 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. With 1,023 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 Division 4 of the Big Central Football Conference, which includes 60 public and private high schools in Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, Union and Warren counties, which are broken down into 10 divisions by size and location.Kinney, Mike. "Big Central revises 2020 football schedule for its shortened inaugural season" , NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 12, 2020. Accessed April 18, 2021. "The newly formed Big Central Football Conference has released a revised 2020 schedule for its inaugural season.... the BCFC is comprised of schools from Middlesex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties." The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 893 to 1,315 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. In the 07–08 school year, Colonia High School introduced three new sports: volleyball (boys and girls), ice hockey and swimming.
The school has operated as the host school / lead agency for a cooperative ice hockey program with John F. Kennedy Memorial High School and Woodbridge High School, under an agreement scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
The girls' bowling team won the overall state championship in 1981.History of NJSIAA Girls Bowling Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
The boys' bowling team won the overall state championship in 1984 and won the Group II title in 2012.History of NJSIAA Boys Bowling Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 1, 2022.
Dagmara Wozniak was the state sabre champion in 2005.NJSIAA History of Girls Fencing Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 1, 2022.