Chatham High School is an American four-year comprehensive public high school in Chatham Township, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the School District of the Chathams and serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from both Chatham Borough and Chatham Township.School District of the Chathams 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 26, 2016. "The School District of the Chathams is a learning organization serving the communities of Chatham Borough and Chatham Township, and the roughly 4100 students attending its schools. The two communities, situated approximately 35 minutes west of New York City by rail or car, are characterized by well-educated, well-resourced, and highly supportive residents." The school is accredited by the New Jersey Department of Education.School Profile 2020-21, Chatham High School. Accessed April 12, 2021. "Chatham High School is accredited by the New Jersey Department of Education and is recognized locally and nationally as a premier education institution."

As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,205 students and 99.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1. There were 16 students (1.3% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 13 (1.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Chatham High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.

History The original Chatham Borough High School on Fairmount Avenue adjacent to the Chatham train station in Chatham Borough is a historic early twentieth century Gothic Revival building that still bears the name on its façade. Secondary level students from Chatham Township were bused to it and later to a senior high school on Main Street until 1966 under the auspices of the former Chatham Board of Education.

From 1966 through 1988, Chatham Township students attended the newly constructed Chatham Township High School on Lafayette Avenue, the building that is now used as the unified Chatham High School. Chatham Borough students attended the old Chatham High School, renamed Chatham Borough High School. The team names of Chatham Township High School was the Gladiators and the team name of Chatham Borough High School was the Eskies.Barmakian, Ed. "Chatham High Graduates Make it a "Great Reunion" by Marching in 4th of July Parade; Eskies Mascot Makes Return Appearance", TAP into Chatham, July 4, 2019. Accessed March 2, 2021. "Chatham Borough was known as the Eskies and the Chatham Township as the Gladiators before the two joined as one high school and became the Cougars starting in the 1988-'89 school year." The two schools were strong rivals at homecoming games for the 22 years that they were separate high schools. The school mascot for the combined Chatham High School is the Cougar.

The new regional high school, serving both municipalities, was dedicated at Lafayette Avenue after the creation of the School District of the Chathams on July 1, 1988, and joined the Lafayette Elementary School on its original site. The two schools share performing arts facilities. The former Chatham Borough High School became Chatham Middle School, serving grades 6–8.

The school and several students were featured in the PBS program Frontline in 2008 for an episode related to a generation growing up with the internet.Growing Up Online, PBS. Accessed June 22, 2011.

During the 2007–08 school year, Chatham High School stopped giving midterm exams. Instead of midterm exams, students must complete alternate assessment projects, a move strongly supported by co-principal Michael LaSusa and backed by the School District of the Chathams. However, according to student poll data, a majority of students do not support the changes and would like to revert to midterms again. This policy continued into the 2008–09 school year.Interviews: Rose Porpora, Frontline, January 22, 2008. Accessed March 18, 2011. "Q: Does the school or the school district have a philosophy about this that's been articulated to the teachers? Or does each teacher teach the way that comes naturally to them? A: There's a lot of freedom for methods as long as they're working, and I think there's a lot of trust. I think the community has come to trust us very much. We just made changes this year; next year we're eliminating our midterm because we think that there are better, more effective ways to assess the students. They accepted our proposal, and I think that was huge." Currently, most classes have three more heavily weighted exams or assignments at the end of each third of the school year, although the student transcripts continue to report quarterly.

Awards, recognition and rankings For the 2004–05 school year, the high school was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education,Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 2003 Through 2005, United States Department of Education. Accessed May 15, 2006. the highest award an American school can receive for excellence in the No Child Left Behind Act.CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department , Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post, September 29, 2005. "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."

The school was the 4th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 305 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2018 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.Staff. "The Top New Jersey Public High Schools 2018", New Jersey Monthly, September 4, 2018. Accessed August 20, 2021. The school had been ranked 20th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 8th 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 10th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 18, 2011. The school was ranked 12th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 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 tied for 47th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 8 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (91.6%) and language arts literacy (98.3%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010–2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed February 26, 2012.

In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 15th in New Jersey and 647th nationwide.Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Chatham High School" , The Washington Post. Accessed July 17, 2011.

In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 173rd in the nation among participating public high schools and 11th overall (and fifth of non-magnet schools) among schools in New Jersey.Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 8, 2013. The school was ranked 183rd in the nation and 14th in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by The Daily Beast / Newsweek, with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the SAT / ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students.Staff. "America's Best High Schools 2012", The Daily Beast / Newsweek, May 20, 2012. Accessed May 22, 2012.

In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 40th out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 12th among all high schools in New Jersey and first among the state's non-magnet schools.Staff. "America's Best High Schools 2016", Newsweek. Accessed November 11, 2016.

Music and theater

Marching band Chatham High has a 58-member marching band that competes in the Group 2 open classification. The band was ranked continuously in the top five bands in Group 2 Open and held an overall #1 ranking for several weeks in 2008.2008 National Schedule , USSBA. Accessed July 17, 2011. As of 2012, the band is now in Group 3 Open.

Theater Chatham High School has an active theater program that performs two productions a school year, a play in the fall and then a musical in the Spring.

In past years the Theater Department has put on Macbeth, The Laramie Project, The Crucible, The Adding Machine, You Can't Take It with You, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Scapino, Our Town, Metamorphoses & Look Homeward, Angel. As for musicals the High School has presented Les Miserables, The Wizard of Oz, The Pajama Game, High School Musical, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Grease, Guys and Dolls, The Drowsy Chaperone, Legally Blonde, Anything Goes, Once Upon a Mattress, Shrek and The Addams Family Fiddler on the Roof and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Athletics