Perth Amboy High School
Address
300 Eagle Avenue

Perth Amboy
,
Middlesex County
,
New Jersey
08861

United States
Coordinates40°31′24″N 74°16′11″W / 40.523323°N 74.269857°W / 40.523323; -74.269857
Information
TypePublic high school
Established1881
School districtPerth Amboy Public Schools
NCES School ID341293003530[1]
PrincipalMelissa España
Keith Guarino (Freshman Academy)
Fred Geardino (Personalized Learning Program)
Faculty197.5 FTEs[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment2,593 (as of 2021–22)[1]
Student to teacher ratio13.1:1[1]
Color(s)  Red and
  white[2]
Athletics conferenceGreater Middlesex Conference (general)
Big Central Football Conference (football)
Team namePanthers[2]
RivalCarteret High School
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[3]
NewspaperPawprints[4]
Websitewww.paps.net/Domain/9

Perth Amboy High School (or PAHS) is a four-year comprehensive community public high school which serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Perth Amboy in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Perth Amboy Public Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1928.[3]

As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,593 students and 197.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.1:1. There were 1,707 students (65.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 254 (9.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1] Based on 2021-22 data from the New Jersey Department of Education, it was the eighth-largest high school in the state and one of 29 schools with more than 2,000 students.[5]

The current Perth Amboy High School was built in 1971, to replace an earlier building that opened in 1881. The building was originally built to accommodate 1,600 students, resulting in overcrowding with nearly 50% students above the design capacity attending the school. Perth Amboy High School is the only public high school in the city other than the Perth Amboy campus of the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High Schools. The school mascot is a panther.[2]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 322nd-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.[6] The school had been ranked 320th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 318th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[7] The magazine ranked the school 270th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[8] The school was ranked 274th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[9]

Demographics

PAHS is 91% Hispanic, 5.9% Black, 2.5% White, and 0.4% Asian.[1] Most of the students belong to working class families. 68% of the students participate in the free or reduced price lunch program. 71% of the school speaks Spanish in their homes while another 1% speaks another language that isn't English at home, mainly Portuguese, Polish, Vietnamese, or Cantonese. There are also limited English proficient (LEP) students, who compose 15% of the school. Limited English Proficient students cannot speak, read, or write in English and are placed in "bilingual" classes.

Perth Amboy High School

The average class size is 22 students, excluding special education. The school's ratio of students to computers is 12 to 1 meanwhile the state average is 4 to 1. The school day is longer than the state average. The instructional time is 7 hours whereas the state average is 5 hours and 52 minutes.

Student performance

On the Language Arts section of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), 58% scored proficient and 39% scored partial. On the Math section of the test, 45% scored proficient and 48% scored partial. The average SAT score is 849 out of 1600. However, these results are offset by the high number of bilingual students resulting in lower than average test scores in the school itself. The Advanced Placement Program (AP) participation is 11%. The average attendance rate is 90%. As of the 2004–05 school year, PAHS had a suspension rate of 44%. 91% of PAHS seniors graduated. 33% of the school graduated via the SRA process and 12% graduated through the Limited English Proficiency SRA process. Roughly 54% of the graduating seniors go on to two-year colleges, particularly Middlesex County College and another 29% of the graduating seniors go on to four year colleges.

Extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities include Gear Up and School Based Youth Services Program. Gear Up is sponsored by Kean University and the Perth Amboy Board of Education. The School Based Youth Services Program is designed to concern the social issues and health needs of students, and is sponsored by the Jewish Renaissance Foundation and the Perth Amboy Board of Education.

There are also many school clubs which students can propose or start themselves, and run if they find an advisor. The school also has a Concert and Marching Band, which plays many parades throughout the year and during football season.

Athletics

The Perth Amboy High School Panthers[2] compete in the Greater Middlesex Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in the Middlesex County area and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[10] With 1,720 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.[11] The football team competes in Division 5C of the Big Central Football Conference, which includes 60 public and private high schools in Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, Union and Warren counties, which are broken down into 10 divisions by size and location.[12] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V South for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 1,315 to 2,466 students.[13]

Led by Brian Taylor, the 1968 boys basketball team won the Group IV state championship, defeating Neptune High School by a score of 72-70 in the tournament final at Atlantic City's Convention Hall.[14][15]

Dating back to 1927, Perth Amboy has had a Thanksgiving Day football rivalry with Carteret High School that was listed at 8th on NJ.com's 2017 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football". Perth Amboy lead the rivalry with a 46-42-2 overall record as of 2017.[16]

Feeder patterns

All Perth Amboy Public Schools elementary and middle schools feed into PAHS.

Administration

Core members of the school's administration include the principals, as well as four vice principals at the main campus and two at the Freshman Academy:[17]

  • Melissa España, Principal
  • Keith Guarino, Principal of Freshman Academy
  • Fred Geardino, Principal of Personalized Learning Program

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Perth Amboy High School include:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 School data for Perth Amboy High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Perth Amboy High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Perth Amboy High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed April 29, 2020.
  4. ↑ Student Newspaper, Perth Amboy High School. Accessed June 1, 2022.
  5. ↑ Kausch, Katie. "N.J.’s biggest high school has 3,350 students. See how your school compares.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 31, 2023. Accessed August 31, 2023. "Another 28 New Jersey schools have at least 2,000 students, according to 2021-2022 enrollment data released by the state Department of Education.... 8. Perth Amboy High School Number of students: 2,604"
  6. ↑ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  7. ↑ Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 7, 2012.
  8. ↑ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed April 7, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  10. ↑ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  11. ↑ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  12. ↑ Kinney, Mike. "Big Central revises 2020 football schedule for its shortened inaugural season", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 12, 2020. Accessed April 18, 2021. "The newly formed Big Central Football Conference has released a revised 2020 schedule for its inaugural season.... the BCFC is comprised of schools from Middlesex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties."
  13. ↑ NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2022–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  14. ↑ NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  15. ↑ Price, Toby. "Sports Angles", Asbury Park Press, April 1, 1968. Accessed February 2, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "A subdued and understandably disappoint Coach Larry Hennessy spoke in hushed tones in the dressing room high above the Atlantic City Convention Hall stage minutes after his Neptune Scarlet Fliers had lost a heartbreaking 72-70 decision to Perth Amboy in the NJSIAA Group IV basketball finals Saturday."
  16. ↑ 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. "8-Carteret vs. Perth Amboy... That's how bitter the longest-running Thanksgiving Day rivalry in Middlesex County is, with these two schools separated by a little more than seven miles having played since 1927. All-time series: Perth Amboy leads 46-42-2"
  17. ↑ Home page, Perth Amboy High School. Accessed October 12, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Frank Anthony Buckiewicz", The Oregonian. Accessed November 8, 2018. "He attended St. Stephen's and Perth Amboy Catholic School then graduated with the Class of 1947 from Perth Amboy High School."
  19. ↑ Alan Cheuse Archived July 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Middle Tennessee State University. Accessed September 7, 2012. "NPR commentator and critic Alan Cheuse was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, on January 23, 1940. His early years were spent at Perth Amboy High School in 1957, and he graduated from Rutgers University in 1961."
  20. ↑ Mayor Wilda Diaz, City of Perth Amboy. Accessed October 10, 2011.
  21. ↑ Seymour, Susan Christine. Cora Du Bois: Anthropologist, Diplomat, Agent, p. 62. University of Nebraska Press, 2015. ISBN 9780803274280. Accessed August 23, 2023. "So when Cora graduated from Perth Amboy High School in 1921, she had already surpassed her mother educationally."
  22. ↑ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, Volume 203, Part 2, p. 1002. J.A. Fitzgerald, 1989. Accessed August 4, 2019. "Bernard J. Dwyer, Dem., Edison - Mr. Dwyer was born on Jan. 24, 1921, in Perth Amboy. He was graduated from Perth Amboy High School in 1938, and has taken courses in insurance at Rutgers University, Newark."
  23. ↑ "Obituary of Mary Capaccione Flynn", Central New Jersey Home News, September 1, 2011. Accessed August 23, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "All three graduated from Perth Amboy High School and The College of New Jersey. Her oldest son, William Flynn, went on to graduate from Rutgers Law School and has his own law firm in Old Bridge."
  24. ↑ "Eugene L. Hubka", The Daily Item, December 11, 2017. Accessed July 4, 2022. "Gene was born and raised in Perth Amboy, N.J., to the late Anthony and Violet Hubka.... Gene was a three-sport star in football, basketball and baseball during his days at Perth Amboy High School."
  25. ↑ "Chad Kinch, 35, Ex-Basketball Star", The New York Times. Published April 8, 1994. Accessed September 7, 2012. "Chad Kinch, a former basketball star at Perth Amboy High School in New Jersey and the Cleveland Cavaliers' No. 1 draft choice in 1980, died at home on Sunday. He was 35."
  26. ↑ Russell, Suzanne C. "Hall Of Fame Inductees Perth Amboy High School honors 5 grads as class acts", Home News Tribune, March 16, 2004. Accessed October 10, 2011. "Pictures of the inductees hang in the lobby of Perth Amboy High School on Eagle Avenue.... Being inducted with Hughes this year are Steve Mizerak, Class of 1962;..."
  27. ↑ Arthur J. Sills - Attorney General 1962-1970, New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety. Accessed September 7, 2012. "Arthur J. Sills was born in Brooklyn, New York on October 19, 1917. His family moved to Perth Amboy in 1921, where he attended the public schools and was graduated from Perth Amboy High School in 1934."
  28. ↑ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, Volume 206, Part 1, p. 245. J. A. Fitzgerald, 1994. Accessed July 14, 2020. "JoAnn H. Smith, Rep., Old Bridge... She was graduated at Perth Amboy High School in 1952, after which she attended McDowell School of Design, and Douglass College."
  29. ↑ Staff. "Brian Taylor, At 31, Back At Princeton", The New York Times, May 4, 1983. Accessed January 16, 2018. "Taylor arrived at Princeton already a star and local favorite. He was an all-America basketball guard and all-America quarterback at Perth Amboy High School in New Jersey, where he had once scored 84 points in a game."
  30. 1 2 "The Ultimate New Jersey High School Yearbook: T-Z And Also...", The Star-Ledger, June 27, 1999. Accessed August 4, 2007.
  31. ↑ Tufaro, Greg. "Perth Amboy has chance to prove itself against New Brunswick on Friday night", Home News Tribune, October 7, 2009. Accessed September 7, 2012. "The once proud football program, which dominated opponents in the 1960s with the likes of Bruce Taylor, who went on to play for the San Francisco 49ers, and Jay Ziznewski, who went on to star at the University of Notre Dame, struggled in recent years as the city's demographics changed."
  32. ↑ David T. Wilentz Attorney General 1934-1944, New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety. "David T. Wilentz was born in Dwinsk, Latvia on December 21, 1894. He attended local public schools and graduated from Perth Amboy High School in 1912."
  33. ↑ Stout, David. "Robert Wilentz, 69, New Jersey Chief Justice, Dies; Court Aided Women and the Poor", The New York Times, July 24, 1996. Accessed January 16, 2018. "His energy, debating skill and intellect were no surprise to those who knew that he had been valedictorian at Perth Amboy High School, and that at Columbia Law School he was a Harlan Fiske Scholar and won the Robert Noxon Toppan Prize in Constitutional Law studies."
  34. ↑ "Obituary: Warren W. Wilentz", The Star-Ledger, March 19, 2010. Accessed September 3, 2019. "Mr. Wilentz was born on March 29, 1924, in Perth Amboy, N.J., the first son of David and Lena Wilentz."
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