American History High School

American History High School is a tight-knit secondary school in NEWARK, New Jersey, one of the schools within Newark Public School District. The school teaches 386 students in grades 9 through 12. Enrollment runs roughly 58% leaner than the state mean of about 929.

Newark Public School District comprises 65 schools with combined enrollment of 41,502 students; American History High School is among them.

On demographics, American History High School reports that the most-represented group is Black (51%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. The remainder reads as 45% Hispanic. By comparison, Essex County as a whole is about 36% Black, so the school skews considerably more Black than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 35 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.0:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 12.7:1 average. Roughly 78% of students at American History High School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Essex County runs at roughly 54%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, American History High School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 23.2%; this one delivers 10.7%.

In the broader community, census data for Essex County shows median household earnings sit near $80,789, about 39% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. Across Essex County's 249 public schools (combined enrollment of about 145,473 students), American History High School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Quitman Street School, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts American History High School at 7th of 9; the average score across the group is 19.2%.

Geographically, the school is in a downtown area.

Trend over the last 7 years. American History High School's enrollment has shrank 20% since 2018, when it stood at 482 (now 386). The Black share of enrollment shrank from 69% to 51% over that span. Class-load math has tightened: from 13.4:1 in 2018 to 11.0:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the feed for American History High School typically covers fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.