West Orange High School (WOHS) is a comprehensive four-year community public high school, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from West Orange in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Since the closure of West Orange Mountain High School, WOHS is the only secondary school serving the West Orange Public Schools. West Orange High School has been accredited by the New Jersey Department of Education and by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1928.West Orange High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 15, 2012. Accessed March 30, 2015.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,208 students and 192.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.5:1. There were 762 students (34.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 205 (9.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for West Orange High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
Curriculum In addition to basic academic courses offered at different ability levels, there are Honors and Advanced Placement courses in most subjects. Programs in business education, technical and industrial education, computer education, performing and fine arts, and English as a Second Language are also offered. The Cooperative Education Program provides students with the opportunity to study academics as well as receive on-the-job training.
History The high school was built in 1898 on Gaston Street in West Orange but was burned down in 1913. It was rebuilt, and was relocated to a new building on Northfield Avenue in 1922. The old building became Gaston Street Junior High School (Fairmount Elementary School was built behind it) and was torn down in 1972. The current facility was built in 1960 as Mountain High School. In 1984, the 1922 building was sold to become Seton Hall Preparatory School, a private Catholic school. Mountain High School and the adjoined Abraham Lincoln Junior High School were converted into the existing facility. In 2004, a new building was added, doubling the size of the school. As of February 19, 2021, the athletic complex includes a football field, one soccer field, one softball field, an outdoor basketball court, one 80-yard field, five tennis courts, and a baseball field.
Awards, recognition and rankings In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 44th in New Jersey and 1,379th nationwide.Mathews, Jay. , The Washington Post. Accessed September 9, 2011.
The school was the 170th-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 136th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 128th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 24, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 114th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed April 5, 2011. The school was ranked 98th 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.
For the 1998–99 school year, West Orange High School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.Star School Award recipient detail 1998-99 school year, West Orange High School , New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 4, 2024.
West Orange High School applied for, and was awarded, a Dodge Grant for the 2004–05 academic year through Montclair State University. The focus of the grant is to explore how to develop a Conflict Resolution program responsive to the needs of West Orange High School. The Dodge Grant Team spent a year researching and developing a potential Conflict Resolution Model for West Orange High School.
Athletics The West Orange High School MountaineersWest Orange 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. Before the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had competed in the Northern Hills Conference an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools located in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties.Home Page, Northern Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 28, 2011. Accessed November 25, 2014. With 1,574 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 White 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 boys' basketball team won the Group III state championship in 1936 (defeating Millville Memorial High School in the tournament final) and won the Group IV title in 1949 (vs. Emerson High School).NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022. The 1935 team defeated Millville by a score of 35-24 to win the Group III state finals in the title game played at Rutgers University."Millville, Merchants Lose In Tourney Finals; West Orange Has Big Second Period to Conquer 'Millers' 35 to 24", Courier-Post, March 23, 1936. Accessed February 28, 2021. "Long distance sharpshooting and big second period enabled West Orange High to tuck away the New Jersey Group 3 basketball championship at the expense of Watts Chance's Millville High quintet. After brushing past the opposition in impressive fashion in the preliminary eliminations of the N. J. S. I. A. A. tournament, the Millville five lost out in the state title round last Saturday night, at Rutgers University. The score was 35 to 24."
The ice hockey team won the Gordon Cup in 1961 (as co-champion) and won the Monsignor Kelly Cup in 2004.NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
The boys' swimming team won the Division B state championship in 1963.History of NJSIAA Team Swimming, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
The boys' baseball team won the North II Group III state championship in 1967 and won the Group III state title in 1971 (against runner-up Bridgewater-Raritan High School East in the final of the playoffs).Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The girls' tennis team won the Group IV state championship in 1984 (defeating Cherry Hill High School East in the final match of the tournament), 1985 (vs. Ridgewood High School) and 1986 (vs. Cherry Hill High School East); the team lost to Red Bank Catholic High School in the finals of the Tournament of Champions in both 1984 and 1985, before defeating Red Bank Catholic in 1986 to win the overall state championship.Girls Tennis Championship History: 1971–2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The school's marching band, the Marching Mountaineers, were three-year United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) Group V Open State Champs (2005, 2006, 2009), USSBA Group V Open Northern State Champs (2009), and ninth in the northeastern region as of 2007 BOA (Bands of America). In addition, their Color Guard is nationally known for their "globe-tossing" performance.
The boys' soccer team won the Group IV state championship in 2006 (defeating Manalapan High School in the tournament final) and 2013 (vs. Clearview Regional High School).NJSIAA History of Boys Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022. The 2006 boys' soccer team finished the season with a 24–1 record; the team was ranked 4th in the nation at the beginning of the 2006 season and finished 17th in the NSCAA/Adidas National Rankings.NSCAA/Adidas National Rankings: National Final Regular Season Poll Poll, November 21, 2006. Accessed July 27, 2007. The 2006 team won the Group IV state championship with a 4–1 win over Bridgewater-Raritan High School in the semifinals and a 3–0 win against Manalapan High School in the finals.2006 Boys Soccer Tournament - Public Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 25, 2007. The team finished the 2013 season with a 13-7-2 record, after winning the Group IV title with a 1-0 win against Clearview Regional High School in the championship game."Boys soccer: Faloye, West Orange complete turnaround, beat Clearview in Group 4 final", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 24, 2013, updated August 25, 2019. Accessed November 5, 2020. "Nine victories and 39 days later, West Orange capped off one of the most improbable state championship runs in history when Faloye's goal in the fifth minute was the game winner when West Orange defeated Clearview, 1-0, in the NJSIAA/Sports Authority Group 4 final last night at The College of New Jersey in Ewing. Faloye, scored a goal in four state playoff contests, all one-goal games, for West Orange (13-7-2), which captured its first state title since 2006."
The school hosted a match in 2007 between a team representing the New York Athletic Club and teams from Russia and Romania. The NYAC team beat Russia 14–11 in free style and Romania 14–12 in Greco-Roman matches.Abbott, Gary. "NYAC beats Russia, 14-11 in freestyle and Romania 14-12 in Greco-Roman in dual meet in New Jersey", United States Olympic Committee, November 16, 2007. Accessed December 1, 2007.