Steinert High School (also formally known as Hamilton High School East) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of three secondary high schools that are part of the Hamilton Township School District, located in Hamilton Township in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey; the other high schools in the district are Nottingham High School (Hamilton High School North) and Hamilton High School West.About Our District, Hamilton Township School District. Accessed December 19, 2024. "HTSD is comprised of a diverse group of 12,000 students. There are 23 schools; 3 high schools, 3 middle schools, 17 elementary schools, and 1 special education alternative program for middle/high school students." The school mascot is the Spartan.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,454 students and 107.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.6:1. There were 347 students (23.9% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 91 (6.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Hamilton East - Steinert, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
History Officially named Joseph Steinert Memorial High School, the school opened in 1967 as the district's second secondary school.Our History, The Historical Society of Hamilton Township. Accessed May 8, 2023. "1967: Hamilton High School East - Joseph Steinert Memorial High School opens" The school was named in honor of Steinert, who donated the land for the school.Ferrara, Sue. "Hamilton Township school names have varied, interesting origins", Community News, May 1, 2021. Accessed May 8, 2023. "And Steinert is named Hamilton High School East — Joseph Steinert Memorial. This information is from the obituary for Mr. Steinert's grandson, Harry, who died in 2018 at the age of 93. Mr. Steinert’s grandfather was honored by Hamilton when the Joseph S. Steinert High School East, now known as Nottingham High School, was built on land he donated to ensure additional education opportunities for the children of Hamilton Township."
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 148th-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 204th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 189th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 24, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 199th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 1, 2011. Schooldigger.com ranked the school as 176th out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (an increase of 21 positions from the 2009 rank) 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 February 9, 2012.
AP Courses Steinert offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses in AP United States History, AP European History, AP Computer Science, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP English Literature and Composition, AP United States Government, AP Statistics, and AP Calculus.
Sports The Steinert High School SpartansHamilton High School East, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Colonial Valley Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in the Mercer County area and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. With 920 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 Valley Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconferenceSteinert Spartans, West Jersey Football League. Accessed September 5, 2020.Home Page, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023. "The WJFL is a 94-school super conference that stretches from Princeton to Wildwood encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Conference, the Tri-County Conference, the Colonial Conference, and the Cape Atlantic League. The WJFL is made up of sixteen divisions with divisional alignments based on school size, geography and a strength-of-program component." and is classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 890 to 1,298 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The school maintains sports rivalries with fellow Hamilton schools: the Hamilton West Hornets and the Nottingham Northstars. Steinert plays against crosstown rival Hamilton West on Thanksgiving Day in football.Miller, Sean. "Times of Trenton football: Previewing Hamilton West-Steinert on Thanksgiving Day", NJ Advance Media for The Times, November 21, 2017. "For both the Hamilton West and Steinert football teams, the 2017 season has been varying degrees of disappointing.... Now, the two reeling squads will meet on Thanksgiving Day, 10:30 a.m. at Hamilton West, for the final game of the season. Hamilton West leads the all-time series 33-23-1, after a 14-13 win last season for the Spartans." The two schools have played each other on Thanksgiving Day since 1959Fisher, Rich. "Hamilton–Steinert Thanksgiving Game Year By Year Results", Hamilton Pulse, November 22, 2017. Accessed September 7, 2020. as the only Thanksgiving Day football game in Mercer County.O'Gorman, George. "Talk of the Township: Steinert drops Hamilton for 2nd straight time in annual Turkey Day game", The Trentonian, November 23, 2011, updated November 13, 2018. Accessed September 7, 2020. "Yesterday, for the second year in a row, it was Frank Gatto's Spartans who took control in the second half in front of 5,500 fans and powered their way to a 28-14 win over Hamilton in Mercer County's only Thanksgiving Day football rivalry." The rivalry with Hamilton West was listed at 16th on NJ.com's 2017 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football". Hamilton West leads the rivalry with a 34–23–1 overall record as of 2017.Stypulkoski, Matt. "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 27, 2017, updated May 15, 2019. Accessed December 1, 2020. "16-Hamilton West vs. Steinert. This Thanksgiving, these intra-district rivals will meet for the 59th time in Hamilton West's only home game of 2017.... All-time series: Hamilton West leads, 34-23-1"
School colors are dark green and white. Sports offered include baseball (men), basketball (men and women), cross country (men and women), field hockey (women), football (men), golf (men), ice hockey (men), lacrosse (men and women), soccer (men and women), softball (women), swimming (men and women), tennis (men and women), track and field spring (men and women), wrestling (men), and cheerleading (women and men).
The school participates together with Hamilton High School West in a joint ice hockey team in which Nottingham High School is the host school / lead agency . The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
Baseball The baseball team won the Group III state championship in 1978 (defeating Teaneck High School in the tournament's final game), 1998 (vs. Bayonne High School), 1999 (vs. Morris Knolls High School), 2000 (vs. Bloomfield High School), 2006 (vs. Randolph High School), and won the Group III title in 1992 (vs. Hoboken High School) and 1996 (vs. Nutley High School); the team's seven state titles are tied for fifth-most of any public school program in the state.Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. The 1978 team finished the season at 20-4 after winning the Group III state title by defeating Teaneck by a score of 9–0 in the championship game.Muscarella, Leni. "Mistakes foil Teaneck in State final; Hamilton East breezes to 9-0 Group 4 win", The Record, June 11, 1978. Accessed February 21, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "It was as if all the scholastic baseball pitfalls Teaneck had managed to avoid until yesterday suddenly came down on the heads of the Highwaymen in their most important game of the season. When it was over, Hamilton East had buried Teaneck 9-0 to win the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 4 baseball title." The 1992 baseball team defeated Hoboken by a score of 5–4, to win the NJSIAA Group III state championship and finish the year with a 31–1 record, the most wins ever recorded in a season by a Mercer County baseball school. The team was inducted into the Steinert Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.1992 Baseball, Steinert Athletic Hall of Fame. Accessed December 16, 2010. The 1996 team finished the season with a 24–5 record after winning the Group III title after defeating Nutley by a score of 4–3 in the championship game."Sports News From the North", The News Press, June 9, 1996. Accessed December 30, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Senior righthander Bryan Rogers threw a three-hitter and made the game's key defensive play in leading Steinert to a 4-3 win over Nutley (24-5) on Saturday in the NJSIAA Group III title game. Steinert (27-4) won its third state title and its first since 1992." A 3–0 win against Bloomfield gave the 2000 team the Group IV state title and a 30–2 record for the season."Yesterday's NJSIAA Baseball Finals", Home News Tribune, June 11, 2000. Accessed March 13, 2021. "Group IV Steinert 3, Bloomfield 0: Junior Chris Neylan pitched a tour-hitter and Steve Fischer keyed a two-run sixth inning to lead Steinert over Bloomfield at Toms River East. It was the third straight state title and fifth In nine years for Steinert (30-2) and, coupled with Hamilton West's win over Cranford, gives Hamilton Township of Mercer County two state champions."
Cross country The boys' cross country team won the Group III state championship in 1987.NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
Field hockey The field hockey team won the North II Group IV state sectional championship in 2000 and the Central Jersey Group IV title in 2007.History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023. In 2007, the field hockey team won the Central Jersey, Group IV state sectional championship with a 1–0 win over Toms River High School South in the tournament final.2007 Field Hockey - Central, Group IV, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 12, 2007.
Football