East Side High School (Newark, New Jersey)

East Side High School is a four-year public high school in Newark in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Newark Public Schools. The school serves the city's Ironbound neighborhood.Lawlor, Julia. "A Home Away From Home for Immigrants", The New York Times. January 11, 2004. Accessed July 5, 2011. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1929 and is accredited until January 2026.East Side High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed December 24, 2022.

As part of the East Side Opportunity Program, students can take Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate programs, and can earn an associate degree from Essex County College with courses taken in 11th and 12th grades.School Profile, East Side High School. Accessed March 23, 2022.

As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,046 students and 134.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.2:1. There were 1,350 students (66.0% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 229 (11.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for East Side High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.

History The planned opening date for the school was February 1, 1911, which was delayed to April 1, with about 250 students beginning classes at was initially called the East Side Commercial and Manual Training High School.Historical Information, East Side High School, last updated March 12, 2011. Accessed July 5, 2011.

The school building, originally constructed in 1911 and expanded on three occasions, covers a total of of space. A 2005 analysis performed as part of the district's Long Range Facilities Plan recommended construction of a new building and conversion of the existing structure into an elementary school. A 2012 review of the building performed by the district found that portions of the original "antiquated" 1911 building and one of the earlier expansions were "obsolete and in poor condition".NPS Facilities Database: East Side High School, Newark Board of Education. Accessed March 23, 2022.

Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 316th-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 319th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 293rd 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 301st in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed July 5, 2011. The school was also ranked 301st 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 East Side High School Red RaidersEast Side 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 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. Prior to the 2010 reorganization, the school had competed in the Watchung Conference, which included public and private high schools in Essex, Hudson and Union counties in northern New Jersey.Home Page, Watchung Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 7, 2011. Accessed December 16, 2014. With 1,542 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 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 school offers the only ice hockey program at any Newark public high school.Coyne, Kevin. "Hockey in Newark? It's Not Just for Pros", The New York Times, April 16, 2009. Accessed July 5, 2011. "To the coaches of the only high school hockey team in Newark, though, it looked like salvation. 'We started with six kids,' said Keith Veltre, 33, about the team at East Side High School that was about to fold when he and Dennis Ruppe, his old roommate and hockey teammate from William Paterson University, took over in 2003." The school offers the city's only public high school lacrosse team.Araton, Harvey. "Planting the Seeds of Lacrosse in Newark", The New York Times, May 16, 2010. Accessed July 5, 2011. "At East Side, in the Ironbound section, the only public school in the city where lacrosse is played, the game was a mystery that had to be solved and then sold by John Dudley, the coach." The ice hockey team won the Handchen Cup in 1985.NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.

The boys track team won the indoor relay championship in Group IV in 1981.History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.

The boys cross country team won the Group IV state championship in 1984 and 1988.NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.

The girls cross country team won the Group IV state championship in 1984.NJSIAA Girls Cross Country State Group Champions , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.

The boys indoor track team won the Group IV indoor relay state championship in 1991.History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championship , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.

The boys' basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 2002 (against Shawnee High School in the finals), and won the Group III championship in 2013 (vs. Camden High School), 2014 (vs. Ewing High School) and again Group IV in 2019 (vs. Freehold Township High School).NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. From 2001 to 2025, the team has won twelve Newark Public Schools Christmas Tournament Championships, six Essex County championships, six sectional titles and a four state championships under coaches Anthony Tavares and Bryant Garvin. Led by future NBA guard Randy Foye, the 2002 team defeated Shawnee by a score of 50–47 to win the Group IV championship game played at the Louis Brown Athletic CenterBurrows, Walt. "Newark East Side defeats Shawnee", Courier-Post, March 11, 2002. Accessed March 9, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Shawnee High School, seeking its fifth Group 4 state boys' championship against a heavily favored Newark East Side, took the North Jersey school down to the wire before dropping a 50-47 decision Sunday at the Louis Brown Athletic Center on the Rutgers University campus. All the excitement built to the end when Newark East Side was holding a three-point lead, but Shawnee had the ball looking to set up a 3-pointer as time was running out. Villanova-bound Randy Foye had given Newark East Side the advantage with a free throw with 14.7 seconds remaining." and came into the Tournament of Champions as the third seed, defeating sixth-seeded Burlington City High School 90–70 in the quarterfinals before falling to Neptune High School by a score of 71–63 in the semis to finish the season at 29–2, losing their first game of the season to ToC champion St. Anthony High School and their last game to ToC runner-up Neptune.NJSIAA Boys Basketball Tournament of Champions History , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 1, 2020.McIntyre, Jason. "Neptune point guard steals the show", The Record, March 21, 2002. Accessed March 9, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Todd kept the crowd on their feet all night with one scintillating pass after another, sparking Neptune to a 71-63 victory over Newark East Side, earning the Scarlet Fliers their first berth in a TOC final." The team started off the 2014 championship game with a 25–9 run on its way to winning the Group IV title with an 83–56 win against Ewing High School.Staff. "State Basketball: Linden, Pitman, Newark Tech, Newark Eastside claim crowns", USA Today High School Sports, March 16, 2014. Accessed November 20, 2020. "Newark East Side 83, Ewing 56: Newark East Side (29-1) scored 25 of the game’s first 34 points en route to capturing the Group III title at Rutgers." The 2019 team won the Group IV title with a 69–44 win against Freehold Township in the championship game.Edelson, Stephen. "Freehold Township in NJSIAA Group IV final: Loss doesn't diminish Patriots' run", Asbury Park Press, March 10, 2019. Accessed November 20, 2020. "Freehold Township, which had never so much as won an NJSIAA sectional title before this season, had a chance to barge into the rarified air of the Tournament of Champions in the Group IV final at the Rutgers Athletic Center. What the Patriots accomplished over the past few weeks started to sink in in the emotional aftermath of a 69-44 loss to heavily favored Newark East Side, which rolled to its 14th straight win."