University High School (New Jersey)


University High School of Humanities is a six-year public high school serving students in seventh through twelfth grades in Newark, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Newark Public Schools.
Originally created as a program called "School Within a School" at South Side High School, University High School became a standalone school in 1977.
As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 505 students and 43.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7:1. There were 323 students eligible for free lunch and 16 eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 237th-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. The school had been ranked 171st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 131st in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 66th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 146th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 55th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics and language arts literacy components of the High School Proficiency Assessment.
In 2011, University High School seniors won the National Urban Debate Championship, a three-day tournament with over 7,000 students from 38 schools in 19 cities participating.

Athletics

The University High School Phoenix compete in the Super Essex Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. With 350 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015–16 school year as North II, Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 73 to 487 students in that grade range. Prior to the NJSIAA's realignment in 2010, the school had competed in the Colonial Division of the Colonial Hills Conference, which was made up of public and private high schools covering Essex County, Morris County and Somerset County in North Jersey.
In 1989, the boys' track team, led by senior Darrell Davis, won the North II, Group I state sectional championships. Davis was the 1988 and 1989 Group I sectional winner in the 100 m and 200 m races as well as the All Group I 100 m champion.
The girls' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 2007 and 2008. The team won the North II, Group I state sectional championship in 2007 with a 66–50 win over Bloomfield Tech High School and moved on to win the Group I state championship, defeating Palmyra High School by a score of 80–55 for the title. The team made it to the 2007 Girls Basketball - Tournament of Champions, defeating Willingboro High School, 71–58, in the first round, Trenton Catholic Academy, 61–51, in the semis and Trenton Central High School, 68–62, in the finals to win the tournament.
The boys' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 2009 and 2010.

Academics

University High School is a college preparatory institution, where students can pick from three academies; Law, Teaching, or Fields of Humanities to specialize in and complete courses based on their choices, though students are free to specialize in the major of their choice.

Administration

The principal is Genique Flournoy-Hamilton.

Notable alumni