As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,190 students and 89.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.3:1. There were 134 students (11.3% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 26 (2.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[2]
Awards, recognition and rankings
The school was the 130th-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.[5] The school had been ranked 140th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 160th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[6] The magazine ranked the school 141st in 2008 out of 316 schools.[7] The school was ranked 129th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[8]
Graduation requirements
Students must pass the New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) and earn a minimum of 120 credits in English, mathematics, science, social studies, world languages, physical/health education, visual/performing/practical arts, computer applications, and electives.
Athletics
The Nutley High School Raiders[3] compete in the Super Essex Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Essex County and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[9] Before the NJSIAA's 2009 realignment, the school had participated in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, which included schools in Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties.[10] With 910 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 761 to 1,058 students in that grade range.[11] The football team competes in the Freedom White division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league.[12][13] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 893 to 1,315 students.[14]
School colors are maroon and gray. Interscholastic sports offered include crew (men and women), golf (men and women), track and field spring (men and women), soccer (men and women), cross country (men and women), bowling (men and women), softball (women), basketball (men and women), tennis (men and women), football (men), track and field winter (men and women), wrestling (men), baseball (men), volleyball (women), ice hockey (men), cross country (women) crew (men) and lacrosse (men).[3]
The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint ice hockey team with Bloomfield High School and Columbia High School. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[15]
The 1977 girls' basketball team finished the season with a 28–1 record after winning the Group III state championship, defeating Willingboro High School by a score of 48–45 in the tournament final.[16][17]
The 1992 football team finished the season with an 8-1-2 record after winning the North II, Group III state sectional title with a 39–6 victory against Morris Knolls High School in the championships game.[18][19]
The softball team won the Group III state title in 1992 vs. Ocean Township High School and 1995 vs. Watchung Hills Regional High School.[20] The 1992 team finished the season with a 20–7 record after winning the Group III title with a 6–4 victory against Ocean Township in the championship game.[21]
The baseball team won the 2001 North II, Group III sectionals, defeating Cranford High School by a score of 5–3 in the final.[22] The 2004 team won the North I, Group III title, edging Paramus High School 4-3.[23] The team won the Greater Newark Tournament in 1993, 2001, 2002 and 2004. The program's four titles are tied for fifth-most in tournament history through 2019.[24] The team won the 2004 Greater Newark Tournament title, defeating Seton Hall Preparatory School 3-2 in the finals.[25]
The co-op ice hockey team with Columbia High School won the McMullen Cup and the Monsignor Kelly Cup in 2019.[26] The 2019 team won the McMullen Cup with a 4–2 win in the tournament final against the Frisch School.[27]
Administration
The school's principal is Denis Williams. His administration team includes two vice principals.[28]
Notable appearances
Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler performed on stage at the Nutley prom in June 1966 as part of a predecessor group called "The Strangeurs".[29][30]
In 2004, Nutley High School's football team and other student organizations were featured on MTV's Total Request Live, when high school student Corey Smith directed the short three-minute film Making the Grade, starring Hugh Jackman as a high school math teacher.[31]
David DiFrancesco (class of 1967), photoscientist, inventor, cinematographer, and photographer[38]
Ken Eulo (born 1939, class of 1957), Eugene O'Neill Award-winning writer and bestselling author whose novels have collectively sold over 13 million copies worldwide.[39]
^History, Nutley High School. Accessed December 31, 2018. "In 1889 the Upper and Lower districts of Franklin united informing a high school department."
^"Nutley Wins First Title; Asbury Gals Romp, 70-47", New York Daily News, March 20, 1977. Accessed January 3, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Nutley High registered its first state championship ever yesterday.... Sue Doyle canned a pair of free throws with five seconds left and Val Pastore tacked on another four seconds later to lift Nutley to a 48-45 Group 4 victory against Willingboro.... Theresa Hrubash only scored six points, but she did a superb job running the offense for Nutley (28-1)."
^Simone Jr., Thomas. "Reserve fullback propels Nutley", The Record, December 6, 1992. Accessed January 22, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "With starting full-back Charles Rousselle doubtful with a badly sprained ankle, Nutley coach Rich SanFillipo looked to junior halfback Jason Zinna all 5-feet-4, 140 pounds of him in Saturday's Group 3, Section 2 football final. Zinna didn't disappoint, running for touchdowns of 10 and 30 yards while also blocking for Don Sellari, who rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns. It all added up to Nutley's first sectional title by virtue of a convincing 39-6 victory over Morris Knolls.... But the game did not start out well for Nutley (8-1-2), which drove from its 22 to the Morris Knolls 7 before quarterback Frank DeMaio fumbled."
^Mayer, John. "Clark's decisive double brings State crown to Nutley", The Record, May 31, 1992. Accessed January 28, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Clark, a second baseman, delivered a game-winning two-run double in the sixth inning Saturday to live the Raiders a 6-4 win over Ocean Township and the Group 3 State championship.... Nutley (20-7) tied it in the second inning when Lindsay Hill singled, was sacrificed to second, went to third on Burke's single, and scored on a sacrifice bunt from Michele Scarpelli."
^Denman, Timothy. "Raiders regain GNT title; Armstrong named MVP", The Nutley Sun, May 27, 2004. Accessed January 22, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "For the fourth time in school history, and the third time in four years, the Nutley High School baseball team won the Greater Newark Tournament. The Raiders faced off against Seton Hall Prep in the finals for the fourth time in as many years, and defeated its rival 3-2 in front of 1,500 fans at Newark Bears Stadium last Saturday."
^Hague, Jim. "Nutley icemen win first-ever McMullen Cup championship", The Observer, March 6, 2019. Accessed March 26, 2021. "However, that all changed when the Maroon Raiders defeated The Frisch School, 4-2, at South Mountain Codey Arena to capture the McMullen Cup title. And scoring one for gender equity – the star of the game for the Maroon Raiders was a girl. Senior center Melanie Conca scored two goals for the Maroon Raiders in the decisive championship game. Conca has already signed on to play women’s hockey at Connecticut College in the fall."
^Home Page, Nutley High School. Accessed October 16, 2023.
^Aerosmith, Davis, Stephen. Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith, p. 42. HarperCollins, 2003. ISBN0-06-051580-5. "We played a lot of proms: New Rochelle, Eastchester, West Point, Nutley High in New Jersey on June 17, the week after Steven got arrested, and he's still very upset. Nutley is a wealthy, conservative town and their prom was very formal, uptight. We walked in, they took one look at us, and I knew we were in trouble."
^Staff. "Steven Tyler's forgotten 1966 high school prom appearance", The Record, February 2, 2012. Accessed January 2, 2017. "Did American Idol judge and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler actually perform for students at Nutley High School? The answer, according to Aerosmith's autobiography, is 'yes'. On June 17, 1966, three years before Aerosmith was formed, Tyler was singing for a group called 'The Strangeurs.'"
^Kuraj, Hasime. "Buono describes humble Nutley upbringing", Nutley Sun, January 21, 2013. Accessed January 23, 2013. "Buono credits Nutley schools system for her strong foundation. She attended Washington Elementary School, the former Franklin Middle School, and Nutley High School."
^2007 Hall of Fame Inductee, Jane Grey Burgio, Nutley Hall of Fame. Accessed November 9, 2019. "Ms. Burgio was born in Nutley at 169 Highfield Lane. She was the granddaughter of Abram Blum, the first Mayor of Nutley under the Commission form of government adopted in 1912. She graduated from Nutley High School in 1940 and attended the Display Institute in New York City, the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, Caldwell College, and Essex County College."
^Olivier, Bobby. "How this Nutley artist became New Jersey's latest music pioneer", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 21, 2016. "The EDM bleed has paid dividends for Mike Volpe, a Nutley native better known as Clams Casino, who has become one of the most sought-after digital designers in hip-hop's experimental universe.... The Nutley High School grad first began to tinker with beats as a teen, fooling around with basic keyboards and synthesizers, much simpler ones than the machines now scattered around his basement home studio."
^ abProctor, Owen. "MLB umpire, Navy SEAL among Nutley Hall of Fame inductees", NorthJersey.com, November 7, 2017. Accessed April 4, 2023. "A 1984 graduate of Nutley High School, Rena DeAngelo has found a niche in filmdom, namely as a set decorator. She was a shared 2016 nominee for an Academy Award for her work on the movie Bridge of Spies. In 2008, she shared a Primetime Emmy for an episode of Mad Men.... David Difrancesco, a 1967 graduate of Nutley High School, is a photo scientist, inventor, cinematographer and photographer, making technical contributions to film."
^2015 Hall of Fame Inductee - Ken Eulo, Nutley Hall of Fame. Accessed February 23, 2022. "Ken Eulo was born in Nutley and is a 1957 graduate of Nutley High School."
^Fox, Ron. "Nutley Proud To Call Fraser A Native Son", The Record, August 2, 1992. Accessed May 3, 2007. "Three years ago, the first induction ceremony for the Nutley High School Sports Hall of Fame was being planned. Word got around school that Ron Fraser, the University of Miami baseball coach, would be the guest speaker."
^2005 Hall of Fame InducteeRonald FraserArchived March 31, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Nutley Hall of Fame. Accessed January 23, 2013. "Nicknamed 'The Wizard of College Baseball,' this 1952 Nutley High School graduate never had a losing season in 30 years as head baseball coach at the University of Miami."
^Exit 1972. Vol. XXXI. Nutley Senior High School. p. 76.
^ abBurnap, Campbell. "Obituary: Jackie Paris", The Independent, June 25, 2004, backed up by the Internet Archive as of April 21, 2018. Accessed November 9, 2019. "Jackie Paris was born in Nutley, New Jersey, to an Italian family rather more interested in professional boxing than music. He graduated from the local high school two years ahead of the pianist Al Haig, but had already taken his first showbiz steps, as a juvenile song-and-dance act in vaudeville."
^2009 Hall of Fame Inductee, Benjamin Charles Hawkins, Nutley Hall of Fame. Accessed November 9, 2019. "Benjamin Charles Hawkins was born in Newark, NJ in 1944. He attended Weequahic High School and Nutley High School."
^"Dr. Christine Haycock", The Nutley Sun, January 31, 2008. Accessed January 9, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., and raised in Richmond, Va., before moving to Nutley, Dr. Haycock went from Nutley High School to the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing."
^2003 Hall of Fame Inductee, John Lloyd Huck, Nutley Hall of Fame, backed up by the Internet Archive as of December 10, 2014. Accessed November 9, 2019. "John Lloyd Huck Retired Chairman of the Board, Merck & Company, Inc. = John Lloyd Huck spent his early years in Nutley, New Jersey and graduated from Nutley High School in 1940."
^2011 Hall of Fame InducteeThe Honorable Frank R. LautenbergArchived April 14, 2013, at archive.today, Nutley Hall of Fame. Accessed January 23, 2012. "While in Nutley, he lived with his family in a second floor flat across the street from the high school on Franklin Avenue. He recalls his year at Nutley High School as one of the best years of his life. He was graduated from Nutley High School in 1941."
^2007 Hall of Fame Inductee, Richard Nanes, Nutley Hall of Fame, backed up by the Internet Archive as of November 9, 2019. "Richard Nanes is an internationally acclaimed composer and pianist and the recipient of eight consecutive Silver International Angel Awards (2000-2007) presented by Excellence in Media, a non-profit organization dedicated to quality family oriented programming in all facets of communication. He graduated from Nutley High School in 1946."
^2005 Hall of Fame Inductee, Andrew L. Pecora, Nutley Hall of Fame. Accessed November 9, 2019. "Born and raised in Nutley, Dr. Pecora, a Nutley High School graduate, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and was graduated Magna Cum Laude from Seton Hall University in 1979."
^Proctor, Owen. "N.J. university to honor its first female math instructor", The Record, April 19, 2017. Accessed November 9, 2019. "Serving Saint Peter’s University for five decades, Eileen L. Poiani of Nutley will receive the institute’s honorary alumna award on Friday, May 5.... Growing up in town, Poiani walked to Washington Elementary School from the Lincoln Apartments on Park Avenue and graduated from NHS."
^Staff. "Former Assemblyman Kevin Ryan of Essex County has Died", Insider NJ, June 20, 2018. Accessed November 9, 2019. "He graduated from Nutley High School and from the Essex County College Police Academy, started as a driver for Senate President Carmen Orecchio and served 18 years in the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, attaining the rank of undersheriff in charge of field operations."
^LaGorce, Tammy. "Class Behind Bill to Ban Youths' Public Smoking", The New York Times, April 27, 2008. Accessed January 23, 2012. "The matter has its seeds in a visit the class had back in October from Assemblyman Fred Scalera, a Democrat from Essex and a 1976 graduate of Nutley High."
^Tariq Subhani, Provincial Assembly of the Punjab. Accessed November 9, 2019. "Ch Tariq Subhani son of Ch Akhtar Ali was born on December 1, 1971 at Sialkot. He obtained Diploma from Nutley High School, New Jersey, USA and graduated in Business Administration in 1997 from William Patterson University, Patterson, USA."
^2003 Hall of Fame Inductee, Geerat J. Vermeij, Nutley Hall of Fame. Accessed November 9, 2019. "Geerat J. Vermeij is one of the world’s preeminent scientists in ecology, malacology and biology. Born in Holland, he came to America, lived in Nutley and graduated from Nutley High School in the Class of 1965."
^2009 Hall of Fame Inductee, Lynne Viola, Nutley Hall of Fame. Accessed November 9, 2019. "Dr. Lynne Viola, a specialist in twentieth century Russian history who speaks Russian fluently, is a 1973 graduate of Nutley High School."
