Perth Amboy High School
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
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. The school was ranked 274th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
, 7.5% Black, 4% White, and 1.5% Asian
. 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.
(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.
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.
, 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
.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The City of Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 50,814. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to Raritan Bay.-Name:The Lenape...
, United States. PAHS, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Perth Amboy Public Schools
Perth Amboy Public Schools
Perth Amboy Public Schools is a community public school district serving students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade, located in the city of Perth Amboy, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States...
. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
Commission on Secondary Schools since 1928.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,395 students and 142 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 16.87.
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
Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High Schools
The Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High Schools is a network of public high schools serving the vocational and technical education needs of students in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. The district was the first county vocational school system in the United States...
. The school mascot is the panther.
Since the school is a "special needs" or Abbott District
Abbott District
Abbott districts are school districts in New Jersey that are provided remedies to ensure that their students receive public education in accordance with New Jersey’s state constitution. They were created in 1985 as a result of the first ruling of Abbott v. Burke, a case filed by the Education Law...
, 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
New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly is a monthly glossy publication featuring issues of possible interest to residents of the United States state of New Jersey...
magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 270th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 274th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
Demographics
PAHS is 87% HispanicHispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
, 7.5% Black, 4% White, and 1.5% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
. In addition, most of the students belong to working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
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
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
. 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 AssessmentHigh School Proficiency Assessment
The High School Proficiency Assessment is a standardized test administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey high school students in March of their junior year...
(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
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
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
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
(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
Middlesex County College
Middlesex County College is a community college with its main campus located in Edison, New Jersey, United States. The two-year college serves the needs of Middlesex County, as well as surrounding communities. There are two urban campuses located in New Brunswick and Perth Amboy.The college was...
. However, 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 UniversityKean University
Kean University is a coeducational, public research university located in Union and Hillside, New Jersey, United States. Kean University serves its students in the liberal arts, the sciences, and the professions with a dedication to intellectual and cultural growth and is best known for its...
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.
Athletics
The Perth Amboy High School Panthers compete in the Greater Middlesex ConferenceGreater Middlesex Conference
The Greater Middlesex Conference is an athletic conference comprising 33 public and private high schools located in the greater Middlesex County, New Jersey area. The league operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.-Gold Division:-Blue...
, which includes public and private high schools
Secondary education in the United States
In most jurisdictions, secondary education in the United States refers to the last six or seven years of statutory formal education. Secondary education is generally split between junior high school or middle school, usually beginning with sixth or seventh grade , and high school, beginning with...
located in the greater Middlesex County area and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.-State championships:...
.
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:- Dr. Nestor Collazo, Principal
- Ronald Anderson, Vice Principal
- Anita Dowd, Vice Principal East Campus
- Jeff Hudanish, Vice Principal
- Sylvia Leon, Vice Principal
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of Perth Amboy High School include:- Wilda DiazWilda DiazWilda Diaz was elected Mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey in May 2008. She defeated incumbent Joseph Vas, by a 58% to 42% margin. She is Perth Amboy's first female mayor and the first female mayor of Puerto Rican and Latina ancestry elected mayor of a city in New Jersey...
(born 1964), elected Mayor of Perth Amboy in May 2008. - Vida GuerraVida GuerraVida Guerra is a Cuban-born American glamour model. Her first notable appearance was in the U.S. edition of FHM magazine in December 2002; since then, she has modeled for many other men's magazines....
(born 1974), model. - Chad KinchChad KinchChadwick Oliver Kinch was an American professional basketball player. He was a 6'4" 190 lb shooting guard and played collegiately at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte after starring at Perth Amboy High School in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, his place of birth.He was selected with...
(1958–94), professional basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. - Steve MizerakSteve MizerakSteve Mizerak , nicknamed "the Miz", was a world champion pool player dominant during the 1970s and early 1980s in the game of 14.1 continuous....
(1944-2006), champion pool player. - Brian TaylorBrian Taylor (basketball)Brian Dwight Taylor is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'2" guard from Princeton University, he was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round of the 1972 NBA Draft...
(born 1951), former NBA basketball player. - Bruce TaylorBruce Taylor (American football)Bruce Lawrence Taylor is a former professional American football player who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1st round of the 1970 NFL Draft. A 6'0", 184 lbs. cornerback from Boston University, Taylor played in eight NFL seasons and spent his entire career with the 49ers from...
(born 1948), former cornerback who played for the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
.
External links
- Perth Amboy High School
- Perth Amboy Public Schools
- Data for the Perth Amboy Public Schools, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- Perth Amboy High School Alumni Web Site