Irvington High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school in Irvington, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades, as the lone secondary school of the Irvington Public Schools. IHS has three main floors and a basement, with each floor holding up to 23 classrooms. A west wing of the building was erected in the 1970s. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools through July 2027.Irvington High School, Frank H. Morrell Campus, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed December 20, 2024.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,913 students and 126.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.1:1. There were 1,121 students (58.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 75 (3.9% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Irvington High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
History Before Frank H. Morrell High School was completed in 1926, the district's high school program was housed at Madison Avenue School.Siegel, Alan A. Irvington, p. 80. Arcadia Publishing, 1997. . Accessed April 6, 2022. "Even before Frank H. Morrell High School opened in 1926, Irvington produced many fine sports teams. The Class of 1924, the next to last high school class to attend Madison Avenue School, cheered a baseball team shown here coached by William B. Matthews, back row, fourth from left."
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 331st-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 309th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 287th 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 307th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 2, 2011. The school was bottom-ranked, 316th, 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.
Extracurricular programs Irvington High School's Crusader Battalion is the oldest Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program in the state of New Jersey. Approximately 200 students participate in the program, of whom one third will continue on to enlist in the military, while the remaining two-thirds will move on to college or a job after graduation.Linehan, Adam. "The Recruiters: Searching For The Next Generation Of Warfighters In A Divided America", Task & Purpose November 28, 2017. Accessed February 11, 2018. "The Irvington High School JROTC program, the oldest in New Jersey, is run by Harvey Craig, a retired army sergeant first class, and Crosby Munro, a retired army major who first enlisted during Vietnam. There are about 200 cadets in the program. Statistically, about a third will join the military."
Athletics The Irvington High School Blue KnightsIrvington High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Super Essex Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Essex County 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. Prior to the 2010 reorganization, the school had competed in the Watchung Conference, which consisted of public and private high schools in Essex County, Hudson County and Union County in northern New Jersey., Watchung Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 7, 2011. Accessed December 16, 2014. With 1,058 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 Liberty 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 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 baseball team won the Greater Newark Tournament in 1933, 1938-1940 and 1947. The program's five titles are the fourth-most in tournament history."Baseball: The history of the Greater Newark Tournament, with throwback photos", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 13, 2019, updated August 24, 2019. "The tournament has only been open to Essex County schools since 1973"
The girls' basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 1985 (defeating Washington Township High School in the tournament final) and 1986 (vs. Hightstown High School).Girls Basketball Championship History: 1919–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. The 1985 team won the Group IV title with a 58-53 win against Washington Township in the championship game played at the Brendan Byrne Arena.D'Alemandro, Dava. "Hammond leads Irvington to title", The Record, March 17, 1985. Accessed December 14, 2020. "The 6-foot center had a brilliant second half last Group 4 night at Byrne Arena reversing a five-point deficit single-handedly and guided the Campers to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 4 girls championship with a 58-53 victory over a tough Washington Township squad." The 1986 team finished the season at 27-4 after winning their second straight Group IV title with a 71-61 win against Hightstown in the championship game played at the Rutgers Athletic Center.Czerwinski, Mark J. "Irvington repeats as champ", The Record, March 23, 1986. Accessed March 17, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Vincent Smith, the Irvington girls basketball coach, didn't think anything could top last year's state championship. Until yesterday, that is. The Campers (27-4) won their second consecutive New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 4 title by defeating Hightstown, 71-61, at Rutgers Athletic Center." The 1985 and 1986 team roster included Tammy Hammond, who was named the 1986 USA Today National High School Player of the Year, and Dana Owens, who is known today as actress and singer, Queen Latifah.Walker, Rhiannon. "Queen Latifah: Baller or nah? We checked out whether the Girls Trip actress really could ball in high school", The Undefeated, March 18, 2019. Accessed March 17, 2021. "When Smith met Owens as a sophomore transfer in 1985, he already knew she was going to be a key member of his soon-to-be championship team. After spending her freshman year at a Catholic school, Owens moved on to Irvington, where she was immediately added to a stacked varsity team.... Smith, who coached Irvington’s girls’ basketball team for four years and led it to back-to-back state championships in 1985 and 1986, recalled one game in which Owens’ personality as an entertainer shined through."
The boys' basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 1993 (defeating runner-up Shawnee High School in the tournament final) and was declared as winner of the North III regional in 2020, after the group finals had been canceled due to COVID.NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The 1993 team won the Group IV title with a 71-67 win against Shawnee in the tournament final."Irvington shocks Shawnee", The Record, March 17, 1993. Accessed December 14, 2020. "Senior point guard Sulaiman Abdullah keyed a 16-4 fourth-quarter spurt that carried Irvington to a 71-67 victory over defending champion Shawnee for the Group 4 boys basketball crown."
The boys' track team won the Group III indoor track championship in 2008 (as co-champion).Boys Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed February 1, 2024. The team won the Group III indoor relay state championship in 2009 (as co-champion with West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North) and the girls track team won the Group III title in 2012 (also as co-champion with West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North).History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 20, 2020.
The football team won their first sectional championship in 2021 after defeating Middletown High School South in the North II Group IV tournament finalsOwens, Felicia, Laguerre. "Irvington, playing football for 102 years, wins first sectional championship", The Record, November 20, 2021. Accessed September 26, 2023. and won the 2021 North Group IV regional championship after beating previously undefeated Northern Highlands by a score of 19-14 to finish the season with a record of 11-2.Tartaglia, Greg. "Irvington sacks Northern Highlands' perfect football season in North Group 4 final", The Record, December 4, 2021. Accessed September 26, 2023. "The Irvington defense recorded 12 sacks, including a game-clincher with 1:19 remaining, to topple the Highlanders, 19-14, in Saturday's North Group 4 regional final at Rutgers' SHI Stadium. The Blue Knights (11-2) scored the go-ahead touchdown with two minutes to go." NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2023.
The 2022 girls' flag football team won the high school state championship with a 33-6 win against Hawthorne High School in the finals to finish the season undefeated."Girl Power! Irvington HS flag football team captures state championship", Essex News Daily, June 7, 2022. Accessed September 26, 2023. "The IHS girls flag football team, under head coach Kyle Steele, capped an undefeated season with a convincing 33-6 win over Hawthorne to capture the state playoff championship on Saturday, June 4, at the New York Jets practice facility in Florham Park."
Administration The school's principal is Darnel Mangan. His administration team includes five assistant principals.Home Page, Irvington High School. Accessed January 28, 2026.
Notable alumni