Earl L. Vandermeulen High School, also commonly referred to as Port Jefferson High School, in is the Port Jefferson School District, located in Port Jefferson

Port Jefferson, New York

The Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson is located in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the 2000 United States Census, the village population was 7,837...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

History and Overview

The current school building was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps

Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...

.
Port Jefferson High School was renamed around 1960 in honor of Earl L.
Vandermeulen, who served as principal from 1923 to 1960. The school auditorum is named for
Anthony Prochilo, who served as principal from 1960 to 1984.

As of 2009, the current student body size (9th - 12th grade) is close
to 400 students.

In the past, the school served a larger student population, including
students from a number of other communities that did not have their
own high schools. In 1933, for example, the school was
also accepting students from Port
Jefferson Station

Port Jefferson Station, New York

Port Jefferson Station is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 7,527 at the 2000 census.-History:...

, Terryville

Terryville, New York

Terryville is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 10,589 at the 2000 census.Terryville is in the Town of Brookhaven.-Geography:...

,
Belle Terre

Belle Terre, New York

Belle Terre is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 832 at the 2000 census.The Incorporated Village of Belle Terre is in the Town of Brookhaven, on the North Shore of Long Island.-Geography:...

, Miller
Place

Miller Place, New York

Miller Place is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the North Shore of Long Island. The population was 10,580 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Miller Place is located at ....

, Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai, New York

Mount Sinai is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, USA. The population was 8,734 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

,
Rocky Point

Rocky Point, New York

Rocky Point is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 10,185.Rocky Point is a community in the town of Brookhaven.-Geography:...

, Wading
River

Wading River, New York

Wading River is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, USA, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 7,719....

, Shoreham

Shoreham, New York

Shoreham is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 417 at the 2000 census.The Incorporated Village of Shoreham is inside the Town of Brookhaven.-Geography:Shoreham is located at ....

,
Middle Island

Middle Island, New York

Middle Island is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 9,702 at the 2000 census. It is situated between the towns of Coram and Ridge, to the west and east, respectively, and Rocky Point and Yaphank to the north and south...

, West Middle Island, West
Yaphank, Ridge

Ridge, New York

Ridge is a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 13,380 at the 2000 census.Ridge is served by the Longwood Central School District.-Geography:Ridge is located at ....

, Coram

Coram, New York

As of the 2000 census, 34,923 people, 12,530 households, and 9,121 families resided in the CDP. The population density was 2,532.1 per square mile . There were 12,880 housing units at an average density of 933.9/sq mi...

,
Selden

Selden, New York

Selden is a hamlet in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 21,861 at the 2000 census.-Early Settlement:...

, and Stony Brook

Stony Brook, New York

Stony Brook is a hamlet located in the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, which is on the North Shore of Long Island...

. As surrounding communities began to
open their own high schools with the spread of suburban growth into
Suffolk County

Suffolk County, New York

Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...

, this practice subsided,
and finally ended with the opening of Mount
Sinai

Mount Sinai, New York

Mount Sinai is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, USA. The population was 8,734 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

 High School in 1991.

Academics

In 2008, the school was placed 127th on Newsweek Magazine's 1,300 top U.S. high schools list, which placed it first among school ranked in Suffolk County

Suffolk County, New York

Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...

 and 20th among schools ranked in New York. According to 2007 data, 98.9% of school graduates earn a New York State Regent's diploma

Regents Examinations

Regents High School examinations, sometimes shortened to the Regents, are mandatory in New York State through the New York State Education Department, designed and administered under the authority of the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York...

, 78.2 percent of graduates plan to attend 4 year college, and 19.5% plan to attend a 2 year college.

Athletics

Earl L. Vandermeulen fields a number of varsity and junior varsity athletic teams in Section 11 (League 8) of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association

New York State Public High School Athletic Association

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association is the governing body of interscholastic sports for many schools in New York. It consists of 768 member high schools from the state divided into 11 numbered sections...

, including the following sports:

Fall

• Football (Boys)
• Soccer (Boys and Girls)
• Volleyball (Girls)
• Gymnastics (Girls)
• Cross Country (Boys and Girls)
• Field Hockey (Girls)
• Golf (Coed)
• Cheerleading (Girls)

Winter

• Basketball (Boys and Girls)
• Indoor Track (Boys and Girls)
• Wrestling (Boys)
• Cheerleading (Girls)

Spring

• Baseball (Boys)
• Softball (Girls)
• Track and Field (Boys and Girls)
• Sailing (Coed)
• Lacrosse (Boys)

External links

• http://www.portjeff.k12.ny.us/
• http://www.portjefferson.com/