Perth Amboy High School | |
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PRIDE
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Location | |
300 Eagle Avenue Perth Amboy, NJ 08861 |
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Information | |
Type | Public high school |
Established | 1881 |
School district | Perth Amboy Public Schools |
Principal | Dr. Nestor Collazo, Principal |
Vice principal | Ronald Anderson Anita Dowd (East) Jeff Hudanish Sylvia Leon |
Faculty | 142 (on FTE basis)[1] |
Grades | 9 - 12 |
Enrollment | 2,395 (as of 2009-10)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 16.87[1] |
Color(s) | Red and White |
Athletics conference | Greater Middlesex Conference |
Nickname | Panthers |
Publication | Pawprints |
Website | http://www.paps.net/perth-amboy-high-school.aspx |
Perth Amboy High School (or PAHS) is a four-year public high school in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, United States. PAHS, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Perth Amboy Public Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1928.[2]
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,395 students and 142 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 16.87.[1]
The current Perth Amboy High School was built in 1971, to replace an earlier building that opened in 1881. Today more than 2,300 students currently attend the school, which was originally built to accommodate 1,600 students, resulting in overcrowding. 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 the panther.
Since the school is a "special needs" or Abbott District, it receives almost 80% of the money from the state. The total cost per pupil in the school district is $14,075. The student to faculty ratio is 12 to 1. The faculty gets paid $46,350 a year while the state average is $52,563. The administrators get paid $103,562 as the state average is $102,755.
The school was the 318th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 270th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[3] The school was ranked 274th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[4]
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PAHS is 87% Hispanic, 7.5% Black, 4% White, and 1.5% Asian.[1] In addition, 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.
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.
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. However, another 29% of the graduating seniors go on to four year colleges.
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 adviser. The school also has a Concert and Marching Band, which plays many parades throughout the year and during football season.
The Perth Amboy High School Panthers compete in the Greater Middlesex Conference, which includes public and private high schools located in the greater Middlesex County area and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[5]
All Perth Amboy Public Schools elementary and middle schools feed into PAHS.
Core members of the school's administration are:[6]
Notable alumni of Perth Amboy High School include:
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