Roxbury High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Succasunna section of Roxbury in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth grade through twelfth grades, operating as the lone secondary school of the Roxbury School District, which serves more than 3,500 students.Roxbury Township School District Choice District Profile 2020-21, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 12, 2020.
The school serves students from Roxbury, as well as from Mount Arlington, who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Mount Arlington School District; there were 160 students sent from Mount Arlington in 2023–24.Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Mount Arlington School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2024. Accessed November 4, 2025. "The District provides a full range of educational services appropriate to grade levels Pre-K through 8 (The approximately 160 Mount Arlington students in grades 9-12 are sent to the Roxbury Public School District and are properly included in their enrollment numbers. The Mount Arlington Public School District is responsible for paying tuition, transportation and special education costs for these students, and these costs are included in the District's financial statements)."O'Dea, Colleen. "State orders impact study of school regionalization", Daily Record, November 23, 2008. Accessed November 4, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Mount Arlington, K-8, sends its high school students to Roxbury, K-12."
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,171 students and 115.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.1:1. There were 165 students (14.1% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 68 (5.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Roxbury High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
History The high school was established in 1903, operating on the top floor of a two-story building that served grades 1–12. In its early days, the high school served students from Chester Township, Hopatcong, Jefferson Township, Mount Arlington, Mount Olive and Randolph, who attended as part of sending/receiving relationships, with tuition paid by their local school districts. A referendum was held in 1959 on the construction of a new high school to be located on a plot of land bordering Eyland Avenue. Construction was completed in 1961, with the building dedicated on November 25, 1961, as the first to be named Roxbury High School. With a growing student population across the township, a new building was constructed adjacent to the existing high school on land bordering Hillside Avenue and opened on September 6, 1972 District History, Roxbury Public Schools. Accessed March 26, 2024. "1903 marks the official founding of Roxbury High School. It would be 58 years before a grade 9 to 12 only high school building would be constructed.... Roxbury High School, at the forefront of secondary education, accepted tuition-paid students from Randolph, Chester, Hopatcong, Jefferson Township, Mt. Olive, and Mt. Arlington, which did not offer high school classes.... Construction was completed in 1961, with the building being dedicated on November 25th, 1961. The building was the first to be named Roxbury High School, with a bronze medallion affixed to its facade, commemorating the official establishment of a four-year high school program in 1903."
In 2017, the district brought on former Roxbury Chief of Police, James Simonetti, to serve as the Director of Security to improve safety procedures. This included the addition of man-traps, upgraded security cameras, revisiting policies and procedures, as well as improving the vetting of visitors. Roxbury was ranked as the 17th safest school in New Jersey (of 237 districts) and 120th out of 10,576 nationwide in 2018.Davis, Tom. "NJ's 200 Safest School Districts In 2018", West Orange, NJ Patch, February 21, 2018. Accessed March 6, 2024. "17. Roxbury Township Public Schools, Succasunna"
Academic programs Eisenhower Middle School and Roxbury High School are choice schools for the Fine and Performing Arts.Roxbury's Choice Program for the Fine & Performing Arts, Roxbury Township School District. Accessed September 17, 2020. Students are eligible to apply for an array of programs including three levels of symphonic band, four levels of choir, multiple levels of dance, an accomplished strings program, and electives such as music theory and Broadway musical theatre. In addition, there are nine select group choirs, a variety of wind ensembles, and two marching bands that allow students to pursue interests beyond the school day in the co-curricular domain. There is an annual fall drama and a spring musical. An extensive visual art program is offered, with a four-year college prep track including AP Art Studio, and numerous electives that include four levels of ceramics, three of photography, graphic design and yearbook production. Co-curricular opportunities are also available in the visual arts. Students are eligible to participate if they're in grades 7-12, with a maximum of 6 seats available for new students. Students are selected through an application process with the implementation of a waitlist and a lottery if more than six requests are received.
The Academy for Sports Medicine, operated in conjunction with the Morris County Vocational School District, operates at Roxbury High School.Academy for Sports Medicine, Morris County Vocational School District. Accessed March 6, 2024.
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 74th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 411 schools statewide according to Niche.com's annual rankings in 2019. Their site explains, “Niche ranks nearly 100,000 schools and districts based on statistics and millions of opinions from students and parents.”
In 2016, Roxbury was ranked by New Jersey Monthly magazine as 52nd out of 337 schools.
Future Ready In 2017, Roxbury High School and Eisenhower Middle School earned Bronze Certification through the Future Ready Schools - New Jersey."Two Roxbury Schools Earn Future Ready Distinction", Hopatcong Lake Regional News, November 23, 2017. Accessed April 30, 2020. "Two of Roxbury’s seven schools recently earned the distinction of being named as Future Ready Schools as part of Roxbury’s district technology goal." This inaugural program recognizes and supports schools who are deepening student learning and developing a culture of digital innovation to use technology, digital content, and media to better prepare students for the future. This program is in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Education, New Jersey School Boards Association and New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Sustainable Jersey for Schools In 2023, the Roxbury School District received bronze-level certification through Sustainable Jersey for Schools, a program provides grants, resources and trainingto encourage schools to become more sustainable. That year, Roxbury High School received silver status for the first time."Roxbury schools awarded 'Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certification'", West Morris Reporter, October 28, 2023, updated February 22, 2025. Accessed October 20, 2025. "All seven local public schools have met the requirements once again to achieve 'Sustainable Jersey for Schools' certification, bringing the total number of certified schools across New Jersey to 337. According to a press release issued by the district, Franklin, Jefferson, Kennedy, Nixon, Lincoln/Roosevelt elementary schools and Eisenhower Middle School renewed their Bronze-level certification and for the first time, Roxbury High School achieved Silver-level certification distinction."
Campus Built in 1971, Roxbury High School is a , two-story building with a cafeteria, one full gym, an auxiliary gym, and an auditorium. In addition to the turf field, the school has one soccer field, two softball fields, a baseball field, three outdoor volleyball courts, a utility field (used for lacrosse, field hockey, and soccer), and three practice fields.
Administration The school's principal is William Crispino.Principal, Roxbury High School. Accessed October 20, 2025. His core administrative team includes two assistant principals.Assistant Principals, Roxbury High School. Accessed October 20, 2025.
Band In 2005, Roxbury performed "The Music of Scheherazade", and placed 4th overall at the United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) All-States Championships at Giants Stadium with a score of 96.48.DaSilva-Gordon, Maria. "Area marching bands showing a little swagger at All-States Championships", Daily Record, November 16, 2005. Accessed March 18, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "It's come down to this. Following intense summer training, after-school rehearsals, football halftime performances and band competitions, several local marching . bands competed in the All-States Championships.... During the all-states, bands from across the mid-Atlantic region compete against each other.... On Nov. 5 and 6 about 115 high schools participated.... Roxbury finished in fourth place with a score of 96.48 in this category." In 2007, records were broken with the Gaels performing their show "Deja View" winning them USSBA Group 6 Open NJ state championships and winning 1st place overall at the USSBA Regionals with a score of 98.00.Marching Gaels, Bands of Roxbury. Accessed March 18, 2024. "In 2015, they were crowned the USBands Group IV State Champions, and the past has seen them win the 2009 USSBA National Champion, the 2007 USSBA Northern States Champion, the 2007 New Jersey State Champion, as well as Bands of America finalists on multiple occasions." In 2009, Roxbury won 1st place at National Championships with their show "Upon A King", receiving a score of 98.188, Roxbury's highest score ever received.Manochio, Matt. "Captures national title, beating out 95 schools", Daily Record, November 19, 2009. Accessed March 18, 2024. "Something happened over those four years because Roxbury not only entered its first national contest the United States Scholastic Band Association National Championship in Annapolis, Md., at the Naval Academy but won the whole shebang on Nov. 8. Not only did the 150-member marching band win the national title, but it took individual awards for best music, best effect and best color guard." The band won the state championship in the Group IV Open Class in the 2015 competition held at High Point Solutions Stadium.Aun, Fred J. "Roxbury Gaels March to State Championship at Band Competition", TAPinto Roxbury, November 1, 2015. Accessed March 18, 2024. "The Group IV Open Class state championship, awarded after competition at the High Point Solutions Stadium in Rutgers University, is the band’s first since 2009, said Wendt, whose son, Joshua, is a trombone player and low brass section leader. That year, the Marching Gaels went on to win a national championship, he said."
The Roxbury Honors Wind Symphony has performed at such events as the Midwest Clinic.
In 2019, the Roxbury High School Indoor Percussion was named Scholastic A Class Champions at the USBands Indoor Percussion Championships at Fair Lawn High School. With 35 students, grades 8-12, they competed with their show, "We Built Our Own World". Out of four groups, Roxbury placed first in the categories of Music, Visual, and Visual Effect with a score of 92.75.