Teaneck High School (known as The Castle on the HillBuchsbaum, Herbert; Monagle, Katie; and Peart, Karen N. "Race and class. (problems of school integration)", Scholastic Update, November 18, 1994. Accessed June 15, 2011. "The Gothic-style school building, set back on a campus, resembles a medieval fortress. Residents call it 'the castle on the hill.'") is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Teaneck, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Teaneck Public Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1935.Teaneck High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed September 6, 2022.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,244 students and 103.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1. There were 416 students (33.4% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 108 (8.7% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Teaneck High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
The school was renovated in 2003–04, giving students new classrooms as well as a new student center. Teaneck created two academies that focus on the sciences and the arts.
Teaneck's sports teams are nicknamed the Highwaymen; girls' teams are called the Highwaywomen. The team name comes from the highwaymen who would seize money and belongings from those traveling along highways during the 17th and 18th century and for the school's location overlooking Route 4.Tartaglia, Greg. "The stories behind North Jersey's wackiest high school sports nicknames", The Record, July 23, 2018. Accessed May 11, 2020. "The main reason Teaneck is the Highwaymen (and Highwaywomen) is because a state highway, Route 4, runs directly past the school. Their logo is an outline of a horse-mounted highwayman, i.e. the type of robber that victimized British travelers in the 17th–19th centuries."Houck, Emerson B. Go Huskies! Beat Felix the Cat!: the story of America's high school athletic nicknames and mascots and what they reveal about who we are, p. 67. Bradford House, 2003. . Accessed August 18, 2015.
History The school was opened in the current building, which resembles a Tudor palace, in 1928, and a new wing was added in 1936. Honors courses were introduced in the 1960s. Teaneck has been a four-year high school since the 1980s.
In 1934, Teaneck High School became the first in the nation to offer a program in aviation as a vocational component of its academic program. Using a plane purchased for $1,800, students were trained in class regarding the technical aspects of flying during the first year of the two-year program, with students getting at least the minimum 50 hours of flight training during the second year needed to obtain a pilot's license.Staff. "Aviation Now Taught in Jersey High School", The New York Times, March 4, 1934. Accessed October 16, 2011.
In May 1964, Teaneck's schools were officially desegregated, after the district's board of education voted to implement a centralized sixth grade school that would serve the entire township.Burrow, Megan. "Desegregation of schools: Teaneck led the way", Teaneck Suburbanite, May 15, 2014. Accessed October 8, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Fifty years ago, on May 13, 1964, the Teaneck School Board voted 7–2 to have children of all races, from all areas of town, attend a central sixth grade school."
In 1972, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey represented Teaneck High School student Abbe Seldin in her legal battle to play tennis at the school. The coach would not let her play for the men's team, although no women's team existed. Seldin won her case and later became the first woman at Syracuse University to win an athletic scholarship.Markos, Kibret. "Making legal history, and a few enemies", The Record, November 1, 2010. Accessed October 8, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "One such client was Abbe Seldin, who was a Teaneck High School student in 1972. She and her mother contacted the ACLU when school officials wouldn't let Seldin onto the boys' tennis team. The ACLU won the case and Seldin became the first woman at Syracuse University to receive an athletic scholarship."
In 1987, the school was the subject of a 20/20 documentary on the effects of Heavy Metal on students.
On May 1, 2014, more than 60 students were taken into police custody following a senior prank at Teaneck High School. A police officer described the overturned tables and vaseline-smeared doorknobs as "the craziest thing [he'd] ever seen" in his 19-year career.Gingras, Brynn. "60 Teens Arrested After Senior Pranksters Break Into New Jersey School, Urinate in Hallways", WNBC, May 1, 2014. Accessed October 8, 2025. "More than 60 New Jersey high school seniors were arrested early Thursday after they allegedly broke into their school for a class prank overnight, urinating in the hallways, flipping desks and greasing door handles, police say. Police responded to a burglary alarm at Teaneck High School shortly before 2:30 a.m. When they arrived, several students tried to run away but officers found dozens of teens still there, some hiding, and significant damage throughout the school, according to Teaneck Police Sgt. John Garland." Initial reports claimed that students had also urinated in the halls, which was refuted by the district's superintendent.Peralta, Eyder. "Superintendent: Reports On N.J. High School Prank Were 'Exaggerated'", National Public Radio, May 2, 2014. Accessed September 16, 2014.
Awards, recognition and rankings In Newsweek's May 22, 2007, issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Teaneck High School was listed in 1080th place, the 33rd-highest ranked school in New Jersey."The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools" , Newsweek, May 22, 2007. Accessed May 24, 2007.
The school was the 156th-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 126th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 114th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 20, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 121st in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 10, 2011. The school was ranked 102nd 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 266th out of 367 public high schools statewide in its 2009–10 rankings 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 December 29, 2011.
Academies In the fall of 2002, two academies, or "schools within a school," were launched. The T.E.A.M.S. Academy (Technology-Enriched Academy for Mathematics and Science) is a three-hour daily program that seeks to integrate technology, mathematics, science, and computer science in a smaller learning environment. The TAA Performing Arts Academy aims to integrate various art forms such as dance, film making, instrumental music and technical theatre to prepare students for college majors and internships in the Fine and Performing Arts.Academies , Teaneck Public Schools. Accessed January 24, 2008.
Extracurricular activities
Shearwood "Woody" McClelland, III (Class of 1996) won the National 11th and 12th Grade Chess Championship in 1994 and 1995, the first repeat champion in tournament history.Staff. "New Jersey High School Senior Is National Chess Champion", Jet, January 22, 1986. Accessed February 14, 2016. "The hard work and dedication, matched with his helped McClelland, a senior Teaneck High School in Teaneck, NJ, become the National 12th grade chess champion, his second national title. He is the first repeat winner from the 11th to the 12th grade." Teaneck High School won the New Jersey State High School Chess Championship in 1997, captained by Woody's sister, Kimberly (Class of 1998).
Athletics Teaneck High School Highwaymen / HighwaywomenTeaneck High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 23, 2015. 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 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. In the 2009–10 school year, the school competed in the North Jersey Tri-County Conference, which was established on an interim basis to facilitate the realignment., New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed September 16, 2014. Until the NJSIAA's 2009 realignment, the school had participated in Division A of the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, which included high schools located in Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties, and was separated into three divisions based on NJSIAA size classification., Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 9, 2009. Accessed December 15, 2014. With 876 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 Blue 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 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.
Sports offered include: Fall boys and girls cross country, football, boys and girls soccer, girls volleyball and girls tennis Winter boys and girls basketball, boys and girls swimming, indoor track, scholastic wrestling, boys and girls bowling, and boys and girls fencing Spring baseball, softball, tennis, boys track, girls track, golf, boys volleyball, boys and girls crew